Case study – Elsta Elektronika

In today’s dynamic industrial world, the mining industry, especially coal mining, presents numerous technological challenges. Implementing solutions in this context necessitates meeting the highest standards of reliability and safety, particularly in challenging environmental conditions. In this perspective, wireless communication is of paramount importance, but to meet the expectations of the mining industry, it must deliver specific benefits.

Introducing an innovative wireless communication system, developed in collaboration with Elsta Elektronika, a leading provider of comprehensive solutions for the mining industry. This solution not only addresses the challenges of mining but also provides substantial advantages, elevating not only safety standards but also operational efficiency in demanding mining environments.

Challenges Presented by the Mining Industry

The mining industry is an environment that poses exceptionally challenging hurdles for technology. This includes not only extreme working conditions but also the necessity to ensure safety in a potentially explosive environment, with the presence of methane or coal dust. In such a context, wireless communication becomes an exceedingly complex task. The main challenges that technology must face in the mining industry are as follows:

1. Safety threats – the mining industry prioritizes safety above all else. Communication systems must operate intrinsically safely, meaning they are capable of functioning in a potentially explosive atmosphere.
   
2. Working conditions – tight spaces and the presence of numerous electronic devices make radio communication exceptionally challenging. Interference generated by these devices can significantly hinder effective communication.
   

Environmental complexity – mining longwalls are extensive and require monitoring of numerous parameters. This, in turn, necessitates efficient communication with numerous sensors over a vast space. Our collaboration with Elsta Elektronika focused on overcoming these challenges, delivering an innovative wireless communication solution that addressed these hurdles and provided concrete benefits to the mining industry.

Innovation for the Mining Industry

In response to the unique challenges presented by the mining industry, the EMBETECH team, in collaboration with Elsta Elektronika, has developed an innovative wireless communication system that delivers key benefits to mining operations. This solution has been tailored to the specific needs of this sector, taking into account its unique aspects. The key components of this system include:

1. Sensors across vast spaces – in a typical mining installation, there are nearly 1,000 sensors positioned along a long wall. Our system allows these sensors to communicate, automatically forming an organized mesh network using TSCH (Time Slotted Channel Hopping) technique.
   
2. Rapid data transfer – the system can transmit data from any point on the longwall to the central computer in less than 10 seconds, even when utilizing multiple hops. This means that information is available in near real-time, which is crucial in mining.
   
3. Battery-powered sensors – to minimize maintenance requirements, the sensors in the system are battery-powered and have a lifespan exceeding one year. This saves time and costs associated with battery replacement.
   

Intrinsically safety – the solution meets strict safety requirements and is capable of operating in explosive atmospheres, a necessity in mining. The wireless communication system created in collaboration with Elsta Elektronika significantly raises efficiency and reliability standards in the mining industry, delivering concrete benefits for mining operations.

Benefits and Results

The innovative wireless communication system developed by EMBETECH in collaboration with Elsta Elektronika has delivered numerous tangible benefits and achieved impressive results in the mining sector. Here are the key outcomes:

1. Efficient data transfer – thanks to real-time data transfer, the system enables near-instantaneous monitoring and response to changes in mining operations. This enhances operational efficiency and minimizes the risk of potential failures.
   
2. Intrinsically safe – the system fully complies with mining safety requirements and can operate in challenging conditions, including explosive atmospheres. This is crucial for ensuring the safety of mining personnel.
   
3. Maintenance savings – battery-powered sensors with a lifespan of over a year minimize the need for frequent servicing and battery replacements. This translates into significant time and cost savings.
   
4. Extensive application – the solution finds applications in vast mining longwalls, spanning hundreds of meters, allowing the monitoring of various parameters across substantial areas.
   
5. Reliability – the wireless communication system has achieved the highest level of reliability, which is essential for the effective operation of the mining industry, where any failure can be costly and dangerous.
   

This innovative solution, developed in collaboration with Elsta Elektronika, not only met the challenges of the mining industry but also raised the standards in wireless communication technology in demanding mining environments.

Undoubtedly, the mining industry, especially hard coal mining, presents unique challenges to various technologies used in electronic devices, and wireless communication is no exception. The applied solutions must meet the stringent requirements of heavy industry and aim for high reliability. Often, these are intrinsically safe solutions, meaning they can operate safely in explosive atmospheres, in the presence of methane or coal dust. In such conditions, radio communication is particularly challenging due to limited space and the interference generated by the accumulation of high-power electronic devices.

Elsta Elektronika is a leading provider of comprehensive solutions for the mining industry, specializing in the design and production of reliable industrial automation devices. In collaboration with Elsta Elektronika, the EMBETECH team has designed and implemented a wireless communication system tailored to a family of sensors measuring various technical parameters crucial for the proper functioning of mining longwalls.

In a typical mining installation, nearly a thousand sensors are distributed along extensive longwalls. These sensors communicate in an automatically organized mesh network using the reliable TSCH (time-slotted channel hopping) technique. This network can transfer data from any point on the longwall to the central computer in just 10 seconds, ensuring high reliability, even when involving several dozen hops. Furthermore, the sensors are battery-powered, boasting an impressive operational life exceeding a year. Given the specific propagation conditions in mining environments, this solution utilizes 16 channels in the 2.4 GHz band.

The partnership between Elsta Elektronika and EMBETECH has introduced a groundbreaking solution that not only overcame the challenges of the mining industry but also raised the standards of wireless communication technology in demanding mining environments.