Within the INESI-project (Increasing Efficiency and Safety Improvement in Underground Mining Transportation Routes) long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) cameras are used for detecting persons on underground belt conveyors or within hazardous areas e.g. in front of crusher or skip vessels by the project partners KOMAG and the Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies (AMT). The test case for evaluating the performance of thermal imaging regarding these applications is the Polish Sobieski underground coal mine operated by Tauron mining company. By the development of thermal image processing algorithms, an automated detection of persons and classification of different objects was achieved. This may allow implementing smart services for person detection on underground belt conveyors as well as material characterization between coal, rock and disturbing objects on belt conveyors.

No abstract

No abstract

The paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of existing mining locomotive propulsion systems used in the Polish underground mines. The method to design a new propulsion system with recuperation of energy is presented. Conclusions and recommendations for necessity of controlling the volume of recuperated energy closely correlated with amount of electrolytic gas emissions are given.

To use lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs in the supply systems of any electric mining equipment and/or machines, the required conditions of work safety must be met. This applies in particular to coal mines endangered by fire and/or explosion. To meet the spark-safety conditions, the cells (together with the battery management system—BMS) must be isolated from the influence of the environment, and therefore placed in special fire-tight housings. This significantly degrades the heat dissipation, thus affecting the operating conditions of the cell-packs. Therefore, their usage without the so-called BMS is not recommended, as shown in the authors’ preliminary research. In practice, various BMS are used, most often with the so-called passive balancing. However, their application in mines is uncertain, due to the effect of heating under operation. When it comes to active BMS, they usually possess a quite complex structure and hence, are relatively expensive. Therefore, the authors conducted research for two specially developed active and one commercial passive BMS cooperating with selected lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries when used in a suspended mining vehicle type PCA-1. The tests were carried out under environmental temperatures ranging from +5 °C to +60 °C. The effect of mismatching (12.5% to 37.5% of total cells number) of the cell parameters on the temperature distribution and voltage fading at the terminals of individual cells was checked. As a result of the investigations, the practical usefulness of the developed active BMS was determined, enabling the extension of the lithium-iron-phosphate battery life under onerous mine conditions, for a single recharge, which is a novelty. On the basis of the obtained results, appropriate practical conclusions were formulated.