Mining Goes Digital – Mueller et al. (Eds)
© 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-0-367-33604-2
586
Optimization of material logistics by using leading edge electronic
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in
underground coalmine
Max Thomas Stöttner
Formerly senior planning engineer at RAG Anthrazit Ibbenbüren GmbH, Ibbenbüren, Germany
ABSTRACT: Ibbenbüren Anthracite mine was owned and operated by RAG Anthrazit
Ibbenbüren GmbH, a subsidiary of RAG AG enterprise in Essen/Germany. Mine’s capacity was 2 Million tons per year, average employment before mine was closed in 2018 was
about 2,500. Product sales went into an 838 MW power plant at mine site and in heating
markets. From 2011 until 2014 RAG’s Ibbenbüren mine was participant at international
research project “OPTI-MINE” co-funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS)
of European Commission. First, a redundant fiber optic network in meshed ring structure
and consisting of standardized intrinsically safe network components (switches) with coal
mining ATEX approval was installed. After elimination of the initial difficulties, it was fully
functional and operated reliably. With this new network, a reliable high bandwidth data
transfer and control of production facilities could be achieved. Based on this network and by
integration of RFID and WLAN products systems for personnel communication via handheld, remote control for machine operations and material tracking and logistics support were
designed and created.
1 INTRODUCTION
RAG Anthrazit Ibbenbüren covered Working Package 2 of OPTI-MINE research project.
Objectives of WP 2 were as follows:
• To optimize the overall mining process in a remote production area by unified personal
communications
• To speed up and optimize material logistics by introduction of a network integrated automatic material tracking system
• To enhance mine safety by unified network communications and by using the network for
a later integration of results from RFCS EMTECH project.
• To improve mining process efficiency by optimized conveyor belt skew sensors and integration of controls The overall budget granted for the RAG Anthrazit mine was € 1.350
Million.
This paper is restricted to give a review about the logistic task of the OPTI-MINE
project.
The first step was setting up a meshed fibre optic network. The network was exploited
for the regular operation in the working section Beustfeld and technically adjusted to future
changes. On the basis of this network infrastructure and by deployment of standardized network components consisting of standardized WLAN and passive RFID components Mining Infrastructure Computers (MIC’s) developed by MineTronics, IT-systems for container
tracking, material tracking, container management and for locomotive information could
be built up and successfully operated. Thereby a higher transparency regarding locations
of operating resources in the logistics field could be demonstrated. In connection with these
results a higher logistics efficiency and respectively cost reductions due to an optimized use
© 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-0-367-33604-2
586
Optimization of material logistics by using leading edge electronic
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in
underground coalmine
Max Thomas Stöttner
Formerly senior planning engineer at RAG Anthrazit Ibbenbüren GmbH, Ibbenbüren, Germany
ABSTRACT: Ibbenbüren Anthracite mine was owned and operated by RAG Anthrazit
Ibbenbüren GmbH, a subsidiary of RAG AG enterprise in Essen/Germany. Mine’s capacity was 2 Million tons per year, average employment before mine was closed in 2018 was
about 2,500. Product sales went into an 838 MW power plant at mine site and in heating
markets. From 2011 until 2014 RAG’s Ibbenbüren mine was participant at international
research project “OPTI-MINE” co-funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS)
of European Commission. First, a redundant fiber optic network in meshed ring structure
and consisting of standardized intrinsically safe network components (switches) with coal
mining ATEX approval was installed. After elimination of the initial difficulties, it was fully
functional and operated reliably. With this new network, a reliable high bandwidth data
transfer and control of production facilities could be achieved. Based on this network and by
integration of RFID and WLAN products systems for personnel communication via handheld, remote control for machine operations and material tracking and logistics support were
designed and created.
1 INTRODUCTION
RAG Anthrazit Ibbenbüren covered Working Package 2 of OPTI-MINE research project.
Objectives of WP 2 were as follows:
• To optimize the overall mining process in a remote production area by unified personal
communications
• To speed up and optimize material logistics by introduction of a network integrated automatic material tracking system
• To enhance mine safety by unified network communications and by using the network for
a later integration of results from RFCS EMTECH project.
• To improve mining process efficiency by optimized conveyor belt skew sensors and integration of controls The overall budget granted for the RAG Anthrazit mine was € 1.350
Million.
This paper is restricted to give a review about the logistic task of the OPTI-MINE
project.
The first step was setting up a meshed fibre optic network. The network was exploited
for the regular operation in the working section Beustfeld and technically adjusted to future
changes. On the basis of this network infrastructure and by deployment of standardized network components consisting of standardized WLAN and passive RFID components Mining Infrastructure Computers (MIC’s) developed by MineTronics, IT-systems for container
tracking, material tracking, container management and for locomotive information could
be built up and successfully operated. Thereby a higher transparency regarding locations
of operating resources in the logistics field could be demonstrated. In connection with these
results a higher logistics efficiency and respectively cost reductions due to an optimized use