This is the second Pempek system fitted to a continuous miner since the underground coal mining industry was put on notice in May last year to get all remotely controlled equipment into compliance with AS4240 or MDG5001.
At the time the NSW Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) issued an alert related to unplanned movement of a continuous miner in a NSW mine. Investigations of the incident found that a single electrical fault on the radio transmitter can cause unintended hazardous motion of a machine. See the related article.The DMR recommended all remote systems be assessed.
Since then, a retrofit of the odd 100 continuous miners operating in the industry has been in full swing. The only two systems that comply with the AS4240: 1994 "Remote controls for mining equipment" are Joy’s JNA system and the system supplied by electronics engineering company Pempek.
Pempek and Waratah are working together to offer the Pempek system to the industry with Waratah offering the expertise to retrofit any continuous miner with the Pempek system. The two companies have also co-developed the BK2002 flameproof electrical enclosure which replaces the current arrangement of 3-4 boxes into one simplified unit.
This configuration, dubbed the “Cirrus System” by Pempek, has been fitted to the Joy 12CM12 in Waratah’s workshop.
A further add-on for monitoring and data logging facilities should be available in about 2-3 months time, once Pempek has completed product development. (Any system retrofitted with the new Pempek radio system will be able to undergo a minor upgrade to have data logging.)
The data logging system will gather maintenance and production information which can either be downloaded once a shift through the battery charger or on-line through the power cable. Pempek managing director, Bert van der Broek said data related to things like load on cutter motors provided a very good idea of how much coal was being cut.
“Sampling this data at intervals of 0.1 seconds gives you the unadulterated story of what’s going on at the face,” he said.
The information would be most useful for operators and equipment hirers’ with cost per tonne arrangements in place, he said.
Over the next few months eight continuous miners will be fitted with Pempek systems. One of these includes the Voest Alpine continuous miner which is part of the Rapid Roadway development project. See the related story .
Waratah general manager Mark Kingshott said engineers and managers from the Australian underground coal mining industry were being invited to view the 12CM12 machine, which is part of Waratah’s hire fleet, and see Waratah’s overhaul workshop facilities.
