The New Management and Supervision Systems to Improve Efficiency of Mining and Safety in Mines

Technological restructuring of Polish mines requires a new method of management and supervision in order to increase machine reliability and machine availability time. Exploitation in highly productive working areas requires minimisation of machine down time. Considering safety aspects, it is necessary to implement new systems protecting mine staff. Being in common use the dispatching systems of monitoring and control of processes (based only on binary signals: operation/breakdown) are insufficient to be used in a new management system. Operation of machines, diagnostics and machinery management need current monitoring of load parameters of Iongwall shearer-loaders, other mining machines, transport lines and also supply conditions of machines. The visualisation system of the status of an object is based on the mine unified spatial scheme with multilayer access to data structure. It also uses audio-visual technique, e.g. large-size graphic monitors. Effective control of natural hazards requires linking the bumps and tremor recording systems with methanometry and early fire detection system, taking into consideration the spatial structure of tremors’ epicentres, methane sources and self-ignition focus. To improve the efficiency of bump hazard estimation and control, new methods are proposed based on long-diameter holes, analysis of signals in low frequency band and monitoring of pressure in props. In safety systems it is necessary to link the bump monitoring systems and automatic methanometry so that occurrence of tremors results in immediate switching-off not only at a dangerous area but also at the route of air flow to shaft. It is also necessary to send alarm messages to the miners in danger. Similarly other safety devices are activated in case of fire detection at workings.