The first Ukrainian industrial-grade underground Wi-Fi network was launched at the Yuvileina Mine (DTEK Pershotravenske Mine Group) exactly last year. Since then, miners, when working in underground coal mines, have been using smart-lamps and special mobile phones that allow exchanging information, recording the location of personnel in a real-time mode and simultaneously measuring a methane concentration level.
Thanks to this innovation, the miners will be able to make calls even while working in 500 meter-deep mines, send a dispatcher text messages, photos, and videos to inform about malfunctioning equipment, get real-time advice from specialists, and exchange information with other teams working underground.
"It goes without saying that we have always had telephone service in our mines. However, the speed of communication has left much to be desired. It was due to the fact that underground telephones were located quite far from each other. And the quality of connection was quite poor. Sometimes, miners had to walk long distances or even return to the surface to report a problem, get advice from a specialist, or receive important information. Every second is precious in emergency situations, and the life and health of our personnel and continuity of a production process really depend on the speed and precision of communications. By introducing a WI-Fi-based communication infrastructure from MODUS, which was done within the scope of DTEK’s digital transformation program, we were able to achieve a great improvement in the speed and quality of communications between the company’s underground and surface divisions" commented Dmytro Kyslitsyn, Deputy Supervisor of the Ventilation and OHS Division responsible for the implementation of the MODUS program at the Pershotravenske Mine Group. We have laid almost 130 kilometres of cables, installed 120 communication stations and 400 Wi-Fi hotspots to arrange the Wi-Fi network at the Yuvileina Mine. This network was recognized the deepest one in Ukraine and earned a spot in the national Book of Records just on the eve of the Miner’s Day in August 2020.
The Wi-Fi infrastructure has become a springboard for the next innovative step — the creation of a personnel positioning system. Over 1.7 thousand Bluetooth beacons were installed underground to cover almost 80 km of mine workings. Then, fifteen hundred miners received smart-lamps that, in addition to lighting the way, transmit a signal in a real-time mode to a dispatch control panel located on the ground allowing pinpointing the person’s exact location underground with 10-meter precision. The new lamps also have several other important functions: they determine methane concentration around a miner and transmit this information to a dispatcher. Once the concentration reaches a critical level, the dispatcher receives an alarm signal and immediately sends a message to the miner requesting him to leave a dangerous area.
The transmission between the mine and surface works in both directions, meaning that a dispatcher or telephone operator can send a text message to the miner’s lamp acting as a pager.
In addition to the positioning system, the Yuvileina Mine’s plans for this year include the introduction of an automatic gas control and protection subsystem and automatic control and degassing system, and also a unique system for monitoring the ventilation of underground mine workings by creating a mathematical model of ventilation based on the readings of pressure monitors.
"DTEK shares social values and pursues national interests. The company has always been supporting projects that are based on state-of-art technologies and innovative solutions. The Wi-Fi-based communication infrastructure allowed us to improve the quality of communications between the company’s underground and surface divisions and guarantee the safety of our miners. Moreover, this technology enables us to ensure the continuity of the production process and mine coal required to support Ukraine’s energy independence" underlined Mykhailo Barabash, DTEK ENERGY Coal Production Director.