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The effect of lightning poses a significant problem to computer systems and electronic equipment used in surface and underground mines. Conventional protection schemes such as shielding, insulation, and filtering circuits are not adequate. The field-induced voltages and currents cause transients that can create an upset in digital or computer systems. Two effective approaches are proposed to detect and recover from transient faults when monitoring, processing, or controlling critical mining operations. >

The Mine Management Support System which is being developed as a knowledge-based expert system for better management of underground coal mines, is presented. Concentrating on capturing the complex body of knowledge needed to enhance efficient management of a mine, it will encompass information and preferred rules on work scheduling, work practices, regulations impinging on the accomplishment of work, responses to operating problems, and the labor-management work agreement. Different components of the mine system, modeled using an object-oriented layering technique, are displayed graphically to aid in coordinating work plans and to present locations of equipment, supplies, and proposed subsystem components. >

The coal mine explosion, at Sago mine on January 2, 2006, resulted in the deaths of twelve miners and has become the watershed event that reinvigorated interest in communicating with and tracking miners underground. This paper provides a review of the current state of efforts to provide quality underground communications and tracking and of the practical issues that are faced by designers of this new equipment. Many of the technologies are common above ground but have special issues and limitations underground. This paper will enumerate many of the technologies available and discuss the issues and limitations associated with the use of each of them underground. This paper includes the options available at press time that are approved by MSHA and speak to others that are possible in the near future.

The authors describe the Mine Management Support System, a knowledge-based expert system being developed for better management of underground coal mines. The program will encompass information and preferred rules on work scheduling, work practices, regulations impinging on the accomplishment of work, responses to operating problems, and the labor-management work agreement. Different components of the mine system, modeled using an object-oriented layering technique, will be displayed graphically to aid in coordinating work plans and to present locations of equipment, supplies, and proposed subsystem components. >

A brief summary of the history of university involvement in communications and monitoring in underground coal mines is presented, beginning with the first federal appropriation of funds in 1970 under the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and continuing through the first half of 1985. Insight is provided into significant trendsetting work done by these universities. The first US mine monitoring project, the first US minewide monitoring system, and the first distributed microprocessor-based mine monitor system are discussed. >

The knowledge-based organization for the West Virginia University Face Decision Support System is given, along with the initial development of the associated inference engine. The knowledge base contains generic knowledge about underground coal mines that utilize continuous miners. A typical knowledge entry is given, and the inference engine methodology is explained. The engine utilizes this knowledge with data from monitoring systems and from interaction with the section foreman, to assist in making section management decisions and plans. >

Field evaluation of coal mine monitoring and control systems yields data on installation and maintenance, but does not provide a full evaluation of these systems under all possible conditions. Also, the differences in installations and configurations do not allow the performance of different systems to be measured and compared. Under contract of the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM), the West Virginia University (WVU) Department of Electrical Engineering has designed criteria for evaluation of monitoring systems, and a test facility for simulation of mine conditions. This facility provides evaluation of monitoring and control systems under both normal and abnormal conditions. This paper describes the test criteria chosen, the design of the test facility, and the experiences of tests performed on mine monitoring systems to date.

Conventional monitoring systems use data-collection techniques to obtain sensor data about various aspects of hazardous workplaces such as coal mines and provide warnings. However, they are ill-equipped for making complex decisions involving large amounts of interrelated data. Laser/RPS, a C language-based object-oriented production system, is presented, and those programming system features that can be used to develop intelligent monitoring systems are described. Potential applications of this system to underground coal mine monitoring systems are discussed. >