The development of user requirements as a framework for the design and evaluation of a fit-for-purpose missing person locator system for underground mines

Entrapments are a huge risk in underground mines. This happens when miners (or any other persons who have entered underground) survive the initial event of an accident, become trapped or lost in unknown and life-threatening locations after evacuation, and remain unaccounted for. At this point, every second counts, and emergency response is highly desired for any chances of saving survivors. The survival chances of the missing persons depend on how quickly they can be located. Rescue teams are often deployed to search for the missing persons underground. However, the rescue teams are forced to search in random and presumed areas of the mine. This is due to the unavailability of information pertaining to the whereabouts of the missing persons. Not only the provision of accurate locations, but various other types of information such as post-accident two-way communication can enhance the survival chances of the missing persons. This information can be provided by a fit-for-purpose missing person locator system. A wide variety of missing person locator systems are already commercially available, some are in testing phases and others in prototype and development phases. This includes tracking, tracing, location detectors and post-accident two-way communication systems. These systems have unique functionalities, capabilities and limitations; making it difficult for mines to select the most effective, applicable and suitable system specific to their mine. In this study, the user requirements for a fit-for-purpose missing person locator system were developed. The purpose of the user requirements was to provide a guideline to facilitate the system selection process. The user requirements can also be used as a tool to measure and evaluate the performance of the selected missing person locator system. The user requirements were also used to predict the success of the selected system under different missing person incident scenarios. The development of the user requirements showed a potential for many other benefits for missing person locator systems.The MHSC. Open access funding provided by University of Pretoria.https://link.springer.com/journal/42461hj2024Mining EngineeringNon

Diseño e implementación de un sistema de telemetría en apoyo a la optimización de la productividad en la unidad operativa Inmaculada, de la compañía minera Ares

En la mina subterránea Inmaculada, de la Compañía Minera Ares, el procedimiento de adquisición y registro de información de producción, del proceso de extracción de mineral, no se realiza de manera óptima y presenta distintas falencias, ya que, por ser un procedimiento manual, no se encuentra exento del error humano e interpretaciones durante la adquisición y registro de datos, lo cual genera incertidumbre y desconfianza en la información de producción obtenida. Asimismo, esta información es actualizada una única vez al día, lo que ocasiona demoras con los datos recopilados, y conlleva a una respuesta y toma de decisiones tardía. Adicionalmente, debido a que solo se cuenta con información, declarada manualmente por operadores, respecto del trabajo realizado por los vehículos que forman parte del proceso de extracción de mineral, no es posible obtener una medición exacta de su rendimiento. Con el sistema de telemetría desarrollado en el presente proyecto, haciendo uso de tecnologías inalámbricas y sensores, se logra automatizar y contar con un eficiente procedimiento de adquisición y registro de información de producción, correspondiente al proceso de extracción de mineral, minimizando la intervención y error humano, reduciendo el tiempo de adquisición de datos, y monitoreando de manera remota el rendimiento de los vehículos, lo que permite obtener información precisa y oportuna para la correcta toma de decisiones y optimizar la productividad de la operación.Campus Lima Centr