The Novosibirsk State Technical University (NETI) is working on the creation of a system capable of ensuring the safety of workers in mines. For this project, the Prometheus design Bureau of NSTU-NETI cooperated with the Institute of Mining SB RAS. Development is underway, in particular, for the mines and mines of Kuzbass.
"From the first years of study at the university, I wanted to create my own devices, I was fascinated by the idea of using technology to solve urgent problems. In my third year, I took up a project that could be of real benefit — an electromagnetic radiation recorder (REMI) for predicting collapses. This project is aimed at creating a system that solves the problem of ensuring the safety of workers in mines. We are developing a hardware and software complex capable of automatically analyzing electromagnetic radiation from rocks during crack formation of cracks in them, as well as issuing a safety forecast for mining sites," said Sergey Kharizin, one of the developers, a 2nd-year undergraduate student of the Department of Design and Technology of Radioelectronic Means of NSTU-NETI.
Mining enterprises are dangerous places of work for a person, therefore, one of the main tasks at such enterprises is to comply with safety regulations. Mountain impacts and rock shooting is manifestations of mountain pressure, and the mountain impact forecasting service helps to prevent them. She is engaged in predicting dynamic manifestations of mountain pressure by various methods and, in case of danger, performs either preventive work related to unloading the massif or evacuating people from the danger zone.
One of the forecasting methods used by the staff of this service is based on the registration and interpretation of electromagnetic radiation signals accompanying the destruction of rocks. It can be used to determine the stages of destruction in the array. Scientific institutions such as the Institute of Mining SB RAS are engaged in the development of this method, in cooperation with NSTU-NETI, which develops software and hardware complexes consisting of an electromagnetic radiation recorder (PAK REMI). Teachers and students are engaged in the study of signal parameters synchronously with the destruction of rocks. Ivan Smirnyagin, an engineer at the Department of Design and Technology of Radioelectronic Facilities at NSTU-NETI, developed a mobile version of the EMI recorder, and Sergey Kharizin developed a stationary version.
"The task of the electromagnetic radiation recorder is to register the signal and, according to its parameters, assess the current stress—strain state at the site in the array, as well as store waveforms of signals in non-volatile memory in order to interpret them, taking into account the type of rock, the location of tectonic cracks, and the shape of the mine. It is still feasible to solve such a task only on computers, but this significantly increases the accuracy of the forecast," adds Sergey Kharizin.
According to the developers, the complex is applicable not only in mines and mines, but also in construction. In the future, it is planned to use it to track the deformation of bridge piles, and in other mining and construction processes. All this will be incorporated into the program, which requires a large database; therefore, implementation in the construction area is planned later. The product is being tested at the sample stage.
As a developer Ivan Smirnyagin notes, there are mines where the technical equipment does not allow the installation of a stationary REMI to predict collapses. In this case, you can use the mobile version. It is also complex and consists of hardware and software. If we talk about the differences between the two versions, the mobile version first accumulates data, and then an analysis is carried out. In the stationary version, data are immediately transmitted to the objective control center and a stress assessment is made in real time.
"A mock-up of a mobile device has been developed with which you can go down into the mine and register electromagnetic radiation at key points. We went to one of the Kuzbass mining companies, went down into the mine, and measured the signal for a certain time. A map of the mine is built in the software, and on it we noted where we were, at what time, and recorded the waveforms. There are signals that correspond to a low, medium, or high degree of destruction. With the help of a hardware and software complex, it is possible to determine both small dynamic manifestations and predict a mountain impact that poses a serious danger to the life and health of people working in the mine," Ivan Smirnyagin said.
The hardware of the device is being finalized, and algorithms for forecasting and signal processing are being improved. It is planned to make the data collection system cyclic and closed, so that the program loads the data itself, analyzes it, and makes a forecast, then collects it again, analyzes it, and so on. Automation will eliminate the human factor, which will accelerate the prediction result and its accuracy.