LIBERTY LAKE, Wash., Dec 17, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Underground mines are required under the MINER Act to adopt wireless communication and tracking, but the new technology is unfamiliar to many in the coal industry. The choice of which systems to buy can be confusing for mine operators, even in light of MSHA's new program policy guidance on how they should perform. Fortunately, Venture Design and Wholesale Mine Supply have partnered to bring guaranteed communication and tracking performance to the mines, at the best price in the industry. The MineTracer wireless mesh system performs location tracking and 2-way text communications that is guaranteed to meet or exceed every one of MSHA's new rules for how these systems must perform.

The reason MineTracer meets or exceeds all of MSHA's new requirements is not an accident. "Our requirements are driven by what is necessary for human life," says Rod Nemitz - MineTracer Senior R&D Engineer. "We wanted to do the right thing for the people who are at risk in these hazardous environments. Even before Sago, we were working on this system." Here are the key requirements under which MineTracer was designed.

Wireless Coverage: The notion of cell-phone coverage is one that is familiar to all. There are areas near cell-towers where we can use our phones, and other areas where we cannot. Blocked calls are also familiar, as when too many people are trying to call their relatives or friends at the end of a nail-biter Superbowl game.

An effective underground wireless system must allow every miner to simultaneously receive and send important safety-related communication at all times, especially when an accident is unfolding. Just as importantly, each individual needs to be able to contact the mine office at any time if they urgently need help, and to easily send an alert message and their location. By quickly knowing where a miner is and that he needs help, rescuers have the best chance of succeeding. Wireless coverage must be planned so there are no major "dead zones" in high traffic areas. Continuous coverage for both communications and tracking in at least two escapeways is essential, with supplemental coverage in adjacent entries and crosscuts. Large gaps create zones where miners can be lost or are unable to communicate, which increases rescue time and decreases the likelihood of their surviving an accident. MineTracer provides continuous coverage in escapeways and working sections.

Location Tracking Precision: The accuracy with which we can locate an injured or threatened miner will dramatically impact the effectiveness of rescue operations. The concept that "time is life" is well known in emergency services. Better accuracy also lessens the risk to rescue teams who otherwise must undertake the dangerous business of searching very large areas for victims. A minimum effective tracking system must continuously cover at least two separate entries (primary and alternate escapeways), and offer (according to MSHA) at least +/- 200 feet of absolute accuracy in working areas. Also important is the rate at which the location is updated. If updates take as long as one minute, for example, a man's travel distance on foot will increase the uncertainty to +/-500 feet (+/- 2,000 feet if traveling in a vehicle). MineTracer provides +/- 100 feet absolute accuracy wherever it is installed for continuous tracking. MineTracer can also be configured for more economical zonal tracking, at the discretion of the mine operator, in any areas that are infrequently populated by miners.

Groups of Miners and Vehicles: What number of miners may be traveling together, either on foot or inside a moving vehicle, and still be tracked by the location system? What is the maximum speed that they may be traveling and still be tracked by the location system?

These questions are important because a tracking system is useless unless it operates effectively when miners are in groups or are traveling in vehicles. It is reasonable to expect that a system should be able to handle groups as large as 30 people and at vehicle speeds up to 20 mph. MineTracer easily does this.

Voice, and Text, and Wireless Signaling Methods: Above all, a MINER Act compliant system must be useful for communicating important safety-related information at the time of an emergency. There is no perfect system in this regard. Voice walkie-talkie systems are common underground for day-to-day use. They are easy to use, but when SCSRs are donned, communicating over walkie-talkies becomes difficult. Intelligibility also suffers. Two-way text systems are much better at this, but can be harder to use. In times of crisis, voice systems can be overloaded when many miners are all trying to get "on-channel" with a single dispatcher. Worse, voice systems built on "Voice over IP mesh" have severe capacity limitations (in mesh systems the digital packets carrying your voice information must travel like a bucket-brigade through multiple relay stations called "hops." Only one voice conversation can be supported after several hops). The best two-way text systems like MineTracer, on the other hand, allow all users to communicate with the surface simultaneously, even during a chaotic event. Additionally MineTracer includes a unique wireless signaling systems (strobe lights) that offer a unique supplement to both voice and text. Strobes can help light the way for escape. Also, a miner in distress can self-activate nearby strobes by pressing an alert button on his wireless tag, notifying others in the area that he needs help. This simple action, much like pressing the button on your garage door opener, lights nearby strobes and dramatically reduces the amount of time before a miner is rescued or receives aid. The best underground communication solutions combine more than one of these approaches so that critical communications can take place under all conditions. MineTracer can even operate together with new or existing leaky feeder systems for mine operators that want everyday voice service. Importantly, since the MineTracer system meets all MSHA standards for performance itself, leaky feeder can be installed much less expensively for everyday service (i.e. the leaky feeder installation need not comply with MINER Act requirement for survivability or continuous coverage in escapeways).

Survivability: When we think about the fact that these systems are intended to operate in the aftermath of a mine accident, we realize that the best systems will be designed to continue to operate despite damage. MineTracer uses redundancy, self-healing, and multiple alternate communications paths between the surface and underground. MineTracer can also be optionally "hardened" against damage such as roof-fall, fire, or explosion.

Standby Power: After a mine accident or a mains power shutdown, when the underground atmosphere is potentially explosive, systems must operate on intrinsically safe standby power. This is a critical requirement because it is the period after an accident has occurred when communication and tracking information is most vital. The Sago rescue effort lasted 41 hours; Quecreek lasted three days. Clearly, operating times on standby power must be able to handle incidents such as these. 48 hours seems to be a sensible minimum, with the system continuing to operate in full-feature mode and across the entire extent of the mine for that number of hours. It is also crucial that the portable wireless devices that are carried by miners operate automatically and continuously for 48-96 hours, without any need for conscious intervention by the person. This is because a miner may be injured, semi-conscious, or incapacitated by the event, and a person in such condition cannot be expected to change batteries underground, or to closely manage turning their device on and off at some pre-scheduled times to preserve battery power. MineTracer provides at least 48 hours of standby power for all underground infrastructure and wireless devices carried by miners.

Reliability and Maintenance: Because human lives are literally entrusted to these systems, they must be robust, reliable and easy to maintain. MineTracer has undergone military standard (Mil-Spec) reliability testing, that far exceeds any requirements of MSHA, and it incorporates self-diagnostics that perform automatic self-health assessments. The earliest MineTracer system has been operating reliably for 18 months in a West Virginia coal mine.

Ease of Use: For a system to be effective it must be straightforward, easy to use, and provide all necessary information clearly. Unnecessary complexity should be avoided because it could reduce miners' willingness to use their tracking system. The operation of MineTracer is very simple, just like browsing an internet website on your home computer. Just move the mouse to a spot on the map, or point to a miner's name, and click. Or select a text message and send. It's all very familiar and intuitive.

Cost of Ownership: Finally, affordability is important, not only in terms of price but also in installation and maintenance costs. The best performing systems do not necessarily cost more; MineTracer is the lowest cost communication and tracking system that meets all MSHA performance requirements for MINER Act compliance. Venture Design guarantees in writing that the system can be configured to meet the MSHA requirements or you will get your money back. "Mines will be very pleased with the price when they do an apples-to-apples comparison," says Jim Barrett - R&D Manager. "And they will be even more pleased when they realize the valuable mine management benefits that go well beyond safety." Les Fox, Superintendant of the Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia says, "It makes us a much more efficient coal mine."

MSHA's new performance rules were recently published and established the minimum allowable standards. But most people in the industry will be driven by their own values to look beyond the minimum to find "the right thing to do" for their mines and their miners.

Jim Barrett, R&D Manager of the MineTracer System

http://www.ventureminetracer.com 509-232-8757

http://www.wholesaleminesupply.com 724-515-4993

SOURCE Wholesale Mine Supply; Venture Design

http://www.wholesaleminesupply.com

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