Products with Mining Certification
Smart-Ex® 03 DZ1M
Intrinsically safe 5G Smartphone – certified for Mining
The new Smart-Ex® 03 smartphone sets the basis for future-oriented digital application scenarios in hazardous areas With the intrinsically safe Smart-Ex® 03, Pepperl+Fuchs presents a 5G and Wi-Fi 6 ready smartphone.
In the 6-inch Android smartphone, Pepperl+Fuchs combines its global, customer-oriented support with the know-how of its subsidiaries ECOM Instruments as a pioneer in intrinsically safe mobile devices and Aava Mobile as an expert in industrial tablets and wireless technology.
Mobile Computing in Underground Mining - A case study
RAG Deutsche Steinkohle AG
Mineral coal digging in Germany is one of the most challenging and complex industrial branches in underground mining and rightfully enjoys international acclaim. The RAG Deutsche Steinkohle AG digs up raw materials at depths of 1,200 meters under the surface and, in six coal mines, produces up to 33 percent of the total coal demand of Germany.
The challenge
The organization and coordination of staff members, machines and material is a huge logistical challenge. 25,000 miners are working under extreme conditions twenty four-seven. To dig and provide the anthracite coal in such great depths, it is necessary to cover long distances to get the workers and machines to their correct working spot. Smooth processes, thorough human resource planning and a high efficiency of materials and vehicles are crucial for successful mining. The biggest challenge is the logistical planning and realization, precisely the transportation of the miners, their working materials and the coal itself.
The requirements
The communication, as well as the logistical planning and realization without mobile devices weren’t on time anymore and produced poor results. Lack of efficiency, high manpower requirements, insufficient planning and the inability to analyse data and procedures signaled the need for a mobile solution. What was once handled by paper, clipboards and huge staff costs, is now handled by a computer-based communication system and explosion-proofed handheld computers.
The goal
The goal of this change is to improve the flow of materials, better plan the workforce and improve the efficiency of transportation and storage, as well as ensuring a better capacity utilization of machines and vehicles. A crucial point for realizing these goals was the tracking of transits and a detailed analysis of personnel and material movement.
International Know-How
After careful examination, ecom instruments GmbH was chosen as the technology partner for the switch from analog to digital. They are the leading global specialist for mobile devices in hazardous areas, who can deliver the essential know-how and hardware. As a traditional German company, they can also guarantee the necessary service intensity and proximity to the project. The migration occurred on the basis of detailed proof and test runs with support of up to five ecom employees, who checked the devices and performance under real conditions.
Mobile Communication
The system allows constant transit tracking and material regulation by checking in and out with a PDA at each gateway, thereby ensuring compliance with schedules. Because of the extremely dangerous mixture of coal dust and methane in mining, the usage of dedicated handhelds with special mining-license is needed. The devices are to be intrinsically safe handhelds computers such as the i.roc® Ci70 –Ex, the only PDA with ATEX, IECEX and American mining-license worldwide.
Transit Optimization
The cycle of transport processes are standardized over predetermined stations. Orders for materials go through the PDA to a transport control center, which carries out the schedule monitoring, updates and loads orders on the inventory then passes the transfer order to the transport and message chain. There, the material and position survey is conducted and the information is adjusted with the transfer order. Through the entire transport chain, the charge is monitored by PDA and the condition of the material is checked at all stations or interfaces and fed into the material tracking system. When the material arrives at the mine, the quantities are checked by a worker, who confirms the completion of the transport chain. The confirmation is fed into the software of the material tracking system and the transport control center receives feedback of the successful completion.
Loading Standards
Uniform standards provide a smooth flow of materials. The loading of materials is carried out by predefined loading standards, whose goal is to ensure ideal use of transport space and avoid any overload. The information about the charge is read with a PDA via barcode scans of the marked shipping containers. In addition to the material characteristics, the technique of underground mining as well as the specific course of actions are considered and provided to the miners via i.roc®.
Process Optimization
The complex overall system successfully combines the technology of open cast mining and the IT and technology of underground mining. By digitizing the logistics processes, material utilization can not only be effectively controlled and monitored, but can also be evaluated based on the collected data. This allows continuous process optimization in terms of the use of materials, equipment and personnel, therefore having a direct effect on productivity and profitability of the RAG. Analyses provide information about vulnerabilities and enable improvements to be made in both processes and technology, so important personnel and resource savings can be made. Specifically, 95 percent of the material requests can be handled within 24 hours and schedule compliance rate was increased by approximately 100 percent. In return, the accident rate from 2002 to 2013 was reduced by 94 percent, a huge success for the work safety.
More case studies
Source: / For more information please visit: www.ragms.com