Becker NCS is the Australian subsidiary of global mining technology company Becker Mining Systems, based in Germany; with facilities in Townsville, Perth and Kalgoorlie (and in New South Wales soon), the company says it is well positioned to provide superior customer service – which is the essence of the company.

Becker NCS will showcase a range of its communications, tagging, tracking and collision avoidance telecommunications, telemetry and electrical products at the Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition on July 25-27, 2006.

Communications

Becker NCS say its UHF and VHF leaky feeder technologies provide high quality, reliable voice data and video throughout a mine.

“We have installed over six UHF systems in the past year as our clients recognise the benefits over standard VHF,” the company said.

Ken Parker, electrical supervisor at the Newcrest Kencana Gold mine in Indonesia, stated: “I’d never go back to VHF after using UHF now.” Parker said they achieve over 200m of coverage off their UHF leaky feeder system underground.

“With our new range of intrinsically safe communications systems, coal mines will finally be able to enjoy the benefits that reliable two-way leaky feeder systems have been bringing to the hard rock market for many years,” Becker NCS said.

Tagging and Tracking

The Decline Traffic Information System (DTIS) is a new product being jointly developed by Becker NCS and BHP Billiton Cannington mine. The DTIS is designed to allow decline users (light and heavy vehicles) to be aware of the next two approaching vehicles. Displays placed throughout the decline and levels will constantly update to reflect vehicle movements.

The system will primarily be used to improve safety in the decline by significantly reducing the potential for collisions or near misses.

“The production system would comprise active tags placed on all vehicles and approximately 100 tag readers and displays, along with associated hardware,” the company said.

“The system will communicate over a redundant fibre optic loop. Displays will show the vehicle type and approximate location, so that the decline users can apply the appropriate road rules and give way to heavy vehicles and apply caution where approaching traffic is identified.”

The software will also allow many productivity gains to be achieved, by providing operators and management with real-time information on vehicle movements. The system also has the potential to be expanded to include personnel and site assets.

Tagging and tracking solutions that power the DTIS are now being rolled out for many applications in coal and hard rock mines, with the Becker group boasting the most tagging systems installed globally in the mining industry.

Collision Avoidance

The Becker Collision Avoidance System (CAS) allows drivers of large vehicles to be made aware of other vehicles or personnel in close proximity.

The system allows multiple antennas and tuneable read ranges to ensure all types of vehicles can be properly detected. CAS informs the driver via display, lights and/or audibly. The LED readouts will inform the driver of the number of vehicles or people in the area and the direction of those assets.

Telecommunications

Telecommunications are also a strength of Becker NCS, which specialises in fibre optics, including fusion splicing onsite. Networking and data cabling is performed by Austel accredited technical staff and systems range from advanced microwave links to simpler telephony solutions.

“We also provide Wireless LAN [802.11 a/b/g] technologies to expand your LAN underground or over large surface areas,” Becker NCS said.

“We work with a number of key global vendors including Strix Systems [a wireless LAN mesh developer in the US] to ensure our solutions make use of the latest technological innovations while remaining cost competitive and standards compliant.”

Becker NCS communications engineers can design systems ranging from simple point-to-point links through to large-scale mesh networks for both surface and underground applications. The latest client to use the technology is Resolute Ravenswood [Mt Wright] mine, which is also installing Becker’s UHF leaky feeder technology.

Telemetry and Electrical Products

Becker NCS currently provides telemetry solutions for ventilation, pump and borefield control and monitoring. The company has Citect programming expertise and can interface to clients’ existing SCADA packages.

Becker NCS says it is also looking to significantly expand its electrical product range in the near future, adding that all products are backed by the company’s service quality and reputation.

“Our skilled staff are all well trained and experienced in the mining industry. Our solutions are always practical, reliable and cost effective,” the company said.

“To find out more about Becker NCS products, service and future developments in both the coal and hard rock mining sectors, please visit us on QME stand 6032.”