Transcript Selecting & Defining Command and Control Systems for Mine

Selecting & Defining
Command and Control Systems
for Mine Ventilation
Presented By:
Sancar James Fredsti
Abstract:
 Harsh Environment for Equipment
 Communication between components is critical.
 Robustness of system configuration is essential to
successful design approach.
 As systems age, often the configuration becomes
unmanageable as equipment becomes obsolete.
 Flexible design, ease of maintenance and
expandability are paramount considerations.
Introduction:
 Huge offering of equipment in market place overwhelms
system designer with choices.
 Incompatible communications methods and protocols
leads to cumbersome system configuration.
 Often systems created from ‘available’ components will
become dysfunctional over time because of software and
hardware upgrades.
 Implemented on University of Nevada, Reno ventilation
on demand simulator system. Which desired real time
data collection, simplified operation and easily modified
structure and design.
Pre Modification System
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20 Manual pressure sensor points.
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4 Anemometer sample points
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National Inst. Analog & Digital I/O Interfaces
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Regulator control through simulated stepper motor control
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Fan control through analog driver, fed from remote analog speed
transducer.
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Centralized instrument and control points
System Description & Design Approach
 Old system design approach inadequate
 Need to simplify system
Old System Operations Approach
Design Methodologies Available
• Design by use of off the shelf components
• Design by adapting system to fit network
• Custom design from the ground up
Design By Using Off The Shelf Components

Selection of components with compatible specifications is difficult.

Interfacing different manufacturers equipment is arduous and
consumes system software development resources.

Communications often uses multiple protocols and layers,

Lack of definitive data and control topologies common across many
manufacturers makes getting system pieces to play nicely together
difficult.

Comfortable for system designer to use familiar equipment but
usually results in a system that has adaptors, interfaces and
translators.
Design System By Adapting To Specific Network

Selection of components with compatible communications limits the
availability of hardware. No one offers everything.

Critical to select most useful communications protocol for the
application and physical topology.

Keep the hardware and protocol layers similar. Mixing different
protocols on the same physical layer leads to errors, failures and
potential hazards.

If communications protocols require translation keep this
equipment simple and close to the equipment terminus.

Be willing to break network up into manageable sections

Separate and define long haul and short haul as independent
sections, this may require a mixture of hardware layer equipment.
Design System From Ground Up

More difficult to accomplish, requires hardware and software
development team effort.

Ability to define hardware and interfaces specifically for the
application at hand, helps eliminate forcing of hardware to work by
software modification and adaptation.

Large selection of networkable controllers, processors and
interface equipment.

Ability to define custom networking and interfacing of incompatible
equipment.

Ability to design distributed and localized processing of collected
data making system efficient and keeping network traffic to a
minimum.

Easily accommodate long haul and short haul networking with
custom interfaces.

Custom hardware design and building costs can be substantially
less than cumbersome software development alone.
Custom Designed UNR System
 Simplified system operation while expanding capabilities
 Replaced manual pressure sensor system with custom designed
networked 20 node dual sensor system
 Replaced Interface and control cabinets with networked drivers
Final Custom Network and Hardware Design
Applying Design and Selection Philosophies
Previous single approaches may yield disappointing results,
but a mixture of design philosophies usually results in a
successful final product.
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Define all parameters required.
Discard approaches that require too much work
Don’t be afraid of designing new hardware
Distribute intelligence throughout the system
Communications is paramount
Use a Top Down approach, define what to do
before defineng how to do it.
 Keep maintenance and serviceability in mind
Custom UNR Control System
Custom designed instrument module. Note: all
power, data communications and control signaling
is accomplished through a single 4 conductor wire
interface. This bus is shared by all modules on the
network.
Picture shows instrument cluster. 20 Pressure Sensors, 3 Variable Speed Fans, 4 Regulators, 4
Anemometers, 5 CO2 Sensors 4 CO2 Injection points and an Outside Barometric Pressure and Dew
Point instrument.
Cluster of modules on data network.
Note: all power, data communications and control signaling is accomplished through a single 4
conductor wire interface. This bus is shared by all modules on the network.