Vale’s Integra Coal go Digital for Mine Communications & Tracking
Integra Coal has chosen Mine Site Technologies’ for site wide digital communications and tracking for both their open cut and underground mines. A description of the underground part of the installation follows.
Background
Located 8 km north of Singleton in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Brazilian mining giant Vale, operate the Integra Coal complex, with both an open cut and underground coal mine. These two mines produce a mixture of premium coking, semi-soft and thermal coals for the export market.
The Underground Requirement
The underground mine was looking for a tracking system that would monitor and record the movements and position of equipment, particularly during longwall moves. It can take several weeks to move a longwall and during this period there are a multitude of external factors and unforeseen delays which make it exceptionally difficult to keep track of stored item locations.
The mine also wanted to improve communications by introducing a two-way mobile solution to complement the one-way paging functionality of their existing PED System. This was required to streamline communications with maintenance and repair personnel whilst they are on the move underground. If there was a major equipment malfunction this would take priority and the closest maintenance staff would need to be identified and directed to remedy this immediately.
Additionally, from a safety perspective, Integra management wanted to streamline their access control procedures in ventilation zones, by limit the number of personnel to within the limits governed by available emergency breathing apparatus. Similarly, more accurate monitoring and controlling access of vehicles into ventilation zones was seen as advantageous from an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) perspective…more Mine Site Technologies
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