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Mining Contract: Enhancing Mine Safety via Intrinsically Safe Battery-Powered Wireless Sensor Network
Keywords: Batteries
This page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated.
Contract #
200-2013-56948Start Date
9/12/2013End Date
7/31/2016Research Concept
Sensing atmospheric gas conditions in underground mines is critical to ensuring a safe working environment. This contract develops a fully wireless, rapidly deployable, atmospheric gas monitoring solution with at least six months’ battery life. The integration of an energy-efficient, wireless mesh network with low-power methane, carbon monoxide, and oxygen atmospheric gas monitors are key developments for this project.Topic Area
Atmospheric Monitoring
Contract Status & Impact
This contract is complete. To receive a copy of the final report, send a request to mining@cdc.gov.
Currently, coal operators monitor the mine atmosphere by utilizing, in combination, two approaches: (1) line-powered fixed atmospheric monitors, and (2) portable gas monitors carried by mine personnel. Line-powered atmospheric monitoring systems require electrical line power to operate, making them susceptible to damage from hazards inherent in the mine, while monitors carried by mine personnel only provide information about the environment when mine personnel are present. While battery-powered sensor groups do exist, the current battery life is measured in days only due to the power consumption of the methane gas sensors. In addition to the insufficient battery life of atmospheric monitoring sensors, no technology currently exists that connects existing communications and tracking systems to these sensors for continuous detection of environmental conditions in remote areas of the mine.
Under this contract, Innovative Wireless Technologies, Inc., is developing a battery-powered, long-life methane sensor and a wireless atmospheric gas sensor network by integrating intrinsically safe single-gas or multi-gas monitor(s) with an MSHA-approved wireless communication system to easily deploy atmospheric gas monitoring. The network will provide a comprehensive view of the mine atmospheric gas conditions (such as carbon monoxide, oxygen, and methane levels) to the above-ground mine’s operations center for working areas and select remote areas of the mine. A fully wireless, battery-powered mine-wide gas monitoring system could provide miners with preemptive knowledge of dangerous conditions (such as a mine fire or explosion) throughout the mine to promote safety and improve operations.
See Also
Are lithium-ion cells intrinsically safe?
The Brookwood Disaster and Electrical Requirements for Hazardous (Classified) Locations
Development of a Through-the-Earth Monitor System
Further Study of the Intrinsic Safety of Internally Shorted Lithium and Lithium-ion Cells Within Methane-air
Performance and Safety Investigation of Emergency Backup Batteries and Battery Charging Systems for Underground Mining Applications
Radio System Modifications for Improved Mine Safety (Medium Frequency)
Supplementary Technologies for Advanced Mine Communication Networks
Technological Aspects of Solid-State and Incandescent Sources for Miner Cap Lamps
Technological Aspects of Solid-State and Incandescent Sources for Miner Cap Lamps
Using Advanced Large-Format Energy Storage Technology in Underground Mines
Page last reviewed: July 19, 2016
Page last updated: July 19, 2016
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program
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