Page 15 - EngineerIt July 2021

ICT MINING

A world Wi-Fi first
“Our Wi-Fi dialogue with Datacentrix
started as a casual conversation,” Joubert
explains. “The Datacentrix team really put
its head on a block when it came to the
proof of concept (PoC) project we rolled
out last year. The technology put forward
is not typically used within the mining
context, making it the first time in the
world that underground distributed Wi-Fi
has been attempted at this scale.”
Shawn Marx, Business Unit Manager:
Converged Solutions at Datacentrix said:
“The technology proposed to Two Rivers JJ Joubert Reynard Cronje
had to be ‘ruggedised’ to withstand the
harsh mining environment, including to the extent that we can now even run virtual meetings underground.”
blasting taking place underground. It also One of the major values realised via the PoC to date is the enablement of location-
needed to be customised to meet the based services. The project incorporates a service engine that provides location tracking
client’s specific requirements, so an off-the- as well as triangulation, which is able to distinguish between machine, man, and other
shelf type product was out of the question. assets within the mine. The tracking function used can display patterns, such as employee
“Mines are dynamic environments that routines for specific days, heat mapping for certain times, and also extensive contact
are always changing, and the solution tracing functionality for added health and safety benefits.
needed to be able to adapt as the mine “Communications are immediate, and technicians are empowered to carry out faster
evolves and, as the face moves forward, fault finding and closing out. Equipment, such as our underground mining load haul dump
so does the infrastructure.” (LHD) loader, boom drill rig and utility vehicles, is also feeding live data, so the status of
After testing several potential each machine is available for proactive maintenance purposes, from diesel running low to
scenarios, the most effective solution an engine over-heating.
comprised the use of Wi-Fi. “This “In addition, emergencies can now be fast tracked via the Wi-Fi network. Where
particular proof of concept leverages the previously the control room may not have been able to envisage the issue, now both video
cost effectiveness and ease of integration footage and photos can be communicated, accelerating the right response.
of Wi-Fi,” Marx adds. “We believe that these advantages will completely set Two Rivers Platinum apart going
The distributed architecture installed forward, as our improved ability to react to challenges makes fully autonomous mining a
incorporates a central access point possibility, as well as providing us with access to even greater innovation. This technology
capable of connecting up to 48 easily is set to take mining into the future,” says Joubert.
installable remote antennas. The benefit “Datacentrix’ strong relationship focus and its willingness to engage have again been
of this technology is that it makes use of a brought to the fore. The company spent time learning about our particular challenges to
single frequency network, so all antennas find the right technology for Two Rivers and adapted it according to our unique needs.
and end points connect on the same They really listened to us, understood the ecosystem, and were interested in what we
channel, therefore reducing interference. wanted to achieve,” he concludes.
The smart antennas provide for Wi-Fi As a Huawei Gold Partner, Datacentrix provides Huawei’s portfolio of enterprise
6, the great enabler for convergence wireless solutions. Datacentrix has achieved its IT Certified Service Partner (CSP) 3-Stars
between information technology (IT) and certification from the global ICT infrastructure provider, further qualifying the company to
operational technology (OT) networks, better solve the challenges of digital transformation through the partnership. n
while enhancing signal strength and
coverage area within specific spaces. For more details: www.datacentrix.co.za.
They are also equipped with Bluetooth 5,
used for location-based services.
i-Fi 6, brings with it some significant performance improvements that aim
to address limitations in older generations. It became part of the official
Enabling a major comms
advancement WIEEE specification in September 2020 ushering in a wave of updated devices
“This proof of concept with Datacentrix touting new wireless capabilities.
802.11ax, also known as “high-efficiency wireless,” is the same thing as Wi-Fi 6. It’s
was the first time in 10 years in the board just easier to say Wi-Fi 6 than 802.11ax.
and pillar mining industry that we’ve This is a new naming standard set by the Wi-Fi Alliance, with previous generations
made a breakthrough with underground
now being known as Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n).
communications,” states Joubert. “While To achieve those improvements, 802.11ax implements a variety of changes
previously we have not been able to including several multi-user technologies which have been borrowed from the cellular
achieve a stable network, we’re now industry – namely MU-MIMO and OFDMA – techniques that greatly improve capacity
seeing very reliable communication and performance by enabling more simultaneous connections and a more thorough use
coming from underground. of spectrum.
“It’s live, immediate and working –

EngineerIT | July 2021 | 13