How to use wireless technology to improve mining efficiency

How to use wireless technology to improve mining efficiency

The cost structure of the wireless solution is amazing, and users can see the savings it brings-because there is no wiring and related engineering and documentation costs, compared with the wired solution, the wireless solution can save more than 90% of the installation cost. Many applications used to cost prohibitively, but now they can become economically feasible through wireless technology. Let's take two examples. One is continuous monitoring of safety spray to remind the operator whether it is in a usable state; the other is to monitor odors to ensure that emissions comply with environmental regulations.

In many application cases, wireless transmitters can solve the dilemma that the cost of installing wired equipment is high or technically impossible. For example, monitoring the temperature of a rotary reactor or measuring process parameters under severe conditions. Operators can also obtain remote information from hard-to-reach areas through wireless technology, greatly improving work flexibility.

According to Venture Development's research on the wireless frequency of monitoring and control equipment in the microwave industry at the end of 2008, it is these characteristics of wireless communication that have driven the rise of industrial wireless applications. They believe that the application of industrial wireless between 2007 and 2012 It will grow at an annual rate of 19%.

Wireless factory network application

Wireless technology can have a major impact on the mining industry in two major areas: wireless field networks based on sensors and field instruments and factory networks for business management.

Wireless field network-The wireless field network with a self-organizing network structure is based on the WirelessHART communication standard. It is easy to install and does not require site surveys. It can easily obtain measurement and diagnostic data. The WirelessHART standard was adopted by more than 200 member companies of the HART Communication Foundation in September 2007. It is designed for the process industry, including the mining industry. WirelessHART is praised by the well-known consulting company ARC as one of the three major trends in automation.

WirelessHART devices only need a small bandwidth to achieve high communication performance. The wireless communication adopts the proven industrial technology, and fully considers the safety and reliability in the design. Its self-organizing mesh network provides a platform for the mutual communication of field instruments, ensuring the integration of the network to the greatest extent and preventing any signal point from having problems. Each device in the network can be a connection point. They will automatically find the best communication path. If a temporary obstacle appears to block the communication path, neighboring devices will automatically establish a new communication path to continue transmitting signals, making the reliability of data transmission Over 99%.

When planning a wireless field network, there is no need to conduct a site survey of the radio frequency in advance. The self-organizing network can make communication unimpeded, especially in a factory environment with a high metal density.

Battery life is also an important technical indicator that needs to be considered. All wireless devices can be set to a power saving mode to extend their lifespan. The battery life depends on how often the device transmits data. The current battery technology combined with energy efficiency measurement instruments can extend the battery life of most wireless devices used for temperature and liquid level measurement to 10 years. The wireless factory structure is very economical and can easily integrate field data with automated systems or asset management. Wireless field devices can be widely distributed on the edge of the factory, crossing roads, rivers, or installed on mobile platforms such as rail tankers, ships, and trucks to collect process information, which is impossible for wired devices.

The wireless factory network is based on the IEEE802.11 standard and uses mesh WiFi technology to build an outdoor wireless network for factory operation at an economic cost. The wireless factory network provides a variety of fixed and mobile applications with a secure, high-bandwidth, reliable, and flexible way to obtain information, such as process monitoring, asset tracking, video surveillance, and audio communications. A typical wireless factory structure is generally composed of a mesh access point, a LAN controller, and network management software.

When using a wireless factory network, security is an important consideration. Fortunately, wireless factory network technology used in industry has emerged. In order to prevent wireless listening and other external attacks, all data transmission is encrypted and user authorization, the adopted security standards and protocols are in line with 802.11i, WPA2 and AES.

Another requirement for wireless factory networks is reliability. The intelligent path protocol is used to establish and maintain a wireless network, providing the network with functions such as self-healing, self-healing, and anti-interference. The remote access point can select the best communication path in the network to reduce radio frequency interference and maximize network capacity.

Q & A

What can wireless do? Wireless devices can be installed faster and more conveniently in areas where wired devices cannot reach, dangerous areas, where there is no power or wiring is impossible. The data thus obtained will shorten the response time of staff to equipment failures, and even predict upcoming problems, thus avoiding unplanned parking. The ensuing benefits also include more understanding of process conditions and higher plant performance, ultimately achieving the goal of cost savings and efficiency.

Wireless technology provides a more effective and simple method for obtaining useful information. For example, workers can access and operate various data anywhere; continuous monitoring of personnel and equipment within the plant; security systems ensure that all access is authorized; cameras are not only used to monitor the surrounding wall, but also the process. Wireless technology allows workers to better understand process conditions in a convenient and economical way.

Is wireless data reliable? The reliability of any kind of wireless system depends on its ability to transfer information, especially when it encounters equipment failure or the line of sight distance is blocked. Unlike point-to-point wireless systems, Emerson ’s smart wireless solution uses a mesh network structure, and its communication path is not unique, but redundant, which greatly improves the reliability of communication. Whether there are temporary or permanent obstacles between the gateways will not affect the communication. In fact, self-organizing wireless mesh networks can achieve more than 99% network reliability.

Are wireless devices suitable for harsh conditions such as mining and ore processing? Emerson ’s wireless equipment has been successfully applied to oil sands control in northern Canada, one of the worst places in the world; in Australia, wireless equipment was used to monitor the heating devices on offshore asphalt pipelines for ship unloading; in West Virginia, The equipment resists the high temperature and humidity of the rolling mill. Regardless of the challenge, the reliability of wireless devices is always higher than 90%.

Is wireless enough flexible for the mining and ore processing industry? Openness is the biggest benefit of the WirelessHART standard. Both suppliers and end users can make beneficial innovations and developments in wireless products and their applications.

Application of wireless field network

At present, wireless field devices are mainly used in the following two aspects:

In order to meet environmental and safety regulations, sometimes new measurement points must be added, such as measuring the flow rate, storage tank liquid level, and sewage quality in remote areas according to legal requirements. Regulators will not consider the challenges posed by them, they only care about compliance.

An oil refinery in Alabama needs to monitor the temperature of the cooling water discharged into the river. At this time, only a Rosemount wireless transmitter can monitor the return water temperature to ensure that the discharge complies with local regulations and continuously transmits data to On the wireless gateway connected to the distributed control system.

It is hoped that the additional measurement points refer to the measurements that previously required high costs to achieve. Usually, when building a process plant, there are often some designed measurement points that are eventually disconnected due to cost reasons, but after that, the operator still You will feel that there are many parameters that need to be measured continuously to improve plant performance. Since the installation of wireless devices does not require high costs, it is immediately possible to obtain information from these measurement points.

Previously, technicians needed to go to the site regularly to record the measurement readings of remote equipment, which was time-consuming. For example, in an ore processing plant, it is necessary to continuously monitor the heat exchange furnace that heats the dissolution liquid to prevent internal formation. However, in the past, the speed of obtaining data was not fast enough, and the on-site data recorder could not prompt abnormal conditions or provide trends. information. After the wireless pressure transmitter is installed, the pressure difference between the four eluent heating devices can be continuously monitored, and the data is transmitted to the Emerson intelligent wireless gateway. It has been operating well so far. In addition to heavy rain and extreme weather, the network Reliability reached 100%.

Another typical case is continuous vibration monitoring of rotating equipment. In the past, the only way to obtain data for analysis was to regularly record it on site. The new wireless vibration monitoring equipment can realize further control of remote motors and pumps. Main applications in the mining industry.

The wireless valve position monitor also plays an active role in ore processing. In many factories, the valves are manually operated or semi-automatic, and basically cannot be monitored. Due to cost and geographical constraints, let alone provide diagnostic information However, because the wrong valve position will cause a safety accident, equipment diagnosis is very important.

Another reason to add wireless communication function to the control valve is to obtain the status information of the valve. For the control valve during operation, since it is impossible to see the internal condition of the control valve, it cannot be judged whether it is operating well. For example, the deviation of the valve's stroke cannot be judged by external observation, unless the intelligent valve controller is used or the valve is removed. When the deviation exceeds 5% and lasts for more than 5 seconds, it can be determined that there is a fault.

For valves in remote or difficult-to-reach areas, wireless is undoubtedly the best and most economical communication method to improve response speed and process efficiency. Compared with the wired solution, the wireless solution can save 90% of the installation cost, which makes the application of wireless more and more attention.