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Mining Contract: Demonstration of the Ability of Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing Technologies to Enhance Mine Safety
Keywords: Fiber optic systems Seismic monitoring Signalling
This page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated.
Contract #
211-2014-59580Start Date
7/15/2014End Date
10/14/2016Research Concept
As a result of technology-enabled early warnings and community response systems, the loss of human life in hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis, among other natural disasters, is declining. Similar early detection of rock movement signaling imminent underground space or pit wall collapse in mines has the potential to prevent loss of life and serious injuries from mine disasters.Topic Area
Ground Monitoring
Contract Status & Impact
This contract is complete. To receive a copy of the final report, send a request to mining@cdc.gov.
Aside from recently developed real-time radar systems that have been used to observe patterns of displacement of the ground surface (e.g., pit slopes), the state-of-the-art in geotechnical and seismic monitoring is essentially limited to localized point measurements. The possibility exists that distributed fiber-optic technologies can be used for structural health monitoring in mines, providing early detection of rock movement. A network of fiber-optic cable is envisioned that can reliably detect ground deformation, temperature anomalies, and even dynamic events as a technologically advanced tool for enhancing safety and preventing catastrophic disasters. This network could be monitored continuously and could provide continuous coverage throughout the mine. Based on recent results from preliminary deployments, Montana Tech of the University of Montana has evidence that fiber-optic cable can be deployed and monitored in a cost-effective manner and provide real-time data needed to keep mine personnel safe.
This contact research is to use fiber-optic-based technology to allow distributed sensing of temperature, deformation, and dynamic events, which will enable much more comprehensive monitoring than is available with current geotechnical and seismic monitoring instruments. The primary goal of this research is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the emerging fiber-optic-based distributed strain and temperature (DST) and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technologies under various mining conditions, facilitating their adoption by the mining industry and thereby contributing to mine safety.
Specific objectives are to demonstrate that DST technology (a) can be employed in an underground mine, attached to rock surfaces and in boreholes, to reliably and accurately detect ground deformation of different characters, and (b) can be used to monitor temperature profiles when deployed along rock surfaces, in boreholes, and submerged in flooded shafts. The DAS component of this research aims to investigate (a) what ground motion and waveform information is obtainable, and (b) how sensor arrays consisting of fiber-optic cable can improve the ability to detect and locate subsurface vibrations. This technology can benefit the mining industry through enhanced monitoring of blasts, rockbursts and “bumps,” and microseismic events that may be associated with impending ground control problems.
See Also
Detecting Strata Fracturing and Roof Failures from a Borehole Based Microseismic System
A Feasibility Study for the Detection of Weak Electromagnetic Signal/ Bursts With Hard-Limited Arrays
Investigation of Ampacity Derating Factors for Shuttle Cars Using Fiber Optics Technology
Local Earthquake Tomography for Imaging Mining-Induced Changes Within the Overburden above a Longwall Mine
Passive Fiber Optic System for Locating, Tracking, and Communicating with Personnel in Coal Mines
Propagation of EM Signals in Underground Mines
The Relationship of Roof Movement and Strata-Induced Microseismic Emissions to Roof Falls
Safer Mine Layouts for Underground Stone Mines Subjected to Excessive Levels of Horizontal Stress
Theory on the Propagation of UHF Radio Waves in Coal Mine Tunnels
Time-Lapse Tomography of a Longwall Panel: A Comparison of Location Schemes
Page last reviewed: August 23, 2016
Page last updated: August 23, 2016
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program
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