COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH AT

BRUCETON SAFETY RESEARCH MINE

Howard E. Parkinson
Supervisory Electrical Research Engineer
U.S. Bureau of Mines
4800 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 152 13

ABSTRACT

An environment monitoring and communication system has been installed in the

Bruceton Mine, and research is under way to improve mine safety. Standard day-to-day
mine communications are available, along with additional systems installed to permit
experimentation with wireless radio, through-the-earth phones, along-the-roof paging, and
mine face machinery communications.

Research is continuing and the essential concepts for a dependable whole mine
comnlunication system, providing simple environment monitoring, improved day-to-day
communications and post-disaster comn~unications,will be demonstrated in a larger mine
with about 900 feet of overburden.

INTRODUCTION

Some fifty years ago the U.S. Bureau of Mines experimented with seismic and
electromagnetic mine communicati'ons. The experimentation closed with the thought that
electromagnetic communications had promise as ;a means of co~nmunicati~lg through the
earth.

During the early- and mid-1940's, the U.S. Bureau of Mines experimented further with
electromagnetic communications. The experimentation resulted in the development of
trolley wire communications for mine motors.

In 1969 the Federal Government enacted coal mine hc:ilth and safety legislation.
Followil~g the enactnlent, the Bureau of Mines co~ltractcclconlm~~l~ications research. A n
in-house reser~rchprograxn was started in 1970. During 197 1 the I~ldt~strial l-Iazards and
Conlm~~tlicatiollsgroup was formed and mine con~n~unicatiolls research is now a cooperative
effort of ul?ivcrsities, private industry, the coal industry, other governmental agencies and
thc Dureau of Mines.
 ' PRESENT COMMUNICATIONS

The present mine telephone and trolley phone systems (Table 1) provide for vital
operational efficiency. The coal industry has recognized this, and has accepted amplified
telephone equipment that extends the selective area ring into individual paging and provides
communications to the mining section. The industry has also accepted the trolley phone, an
ingenious device that aids in expediting rail haulage.
TABLE 1

PRESENT SYSTEMS
Medium Typical Equipment Uses
Telephone Line Magneto Phone Fixed Stations
Amplified Phone Dispatcher to Mine
Sections and Shops
Trolley Wire Carrier Phone Mobile
and Rail 88-100kHz Dispatcher to Motors
Hoist Ropes Carrier Phone Cage to Hoist operator
88-100kHz
Power Lines Carrier Fan Monitor and Circuit
Breaker Control

However, mine communications are still plagued by the problems of broken lines due
t o roof fractionation and the opening of temporary splices, and the problem of not being
able t o reach the vital operating extremities of the mine. These problen~snot only affect
mine operational efficiency, but inhibit the maintenance of safe operating practices.

COMMUNICATIONS OBJECTIVES

To maintain safe operating practices, general mine communications must encompass

post-disaster rescuing, environment monitoring, and day-to-day operating communications
as an integrated whole (Figure 1).
4

Whole Mine
Communications
for
Safety
and
Efficient
Operation

FIGURE 1 A NEW PERCEPTION OF MINE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

 The day-to-day operating mine communications must help achieve the following
objectives:

To know the working environment is safe

T o assure efficient and safe mine operation
To provide communication in rescue operations

The Bureau has "fire-truck" type equipment which has been deployed to determine
the conditions of the in-mine environment and to provide seismic and electroinagl~etic
comlnunicatioils during rescue operations. The response tinle limits the effectiveness of the
"fire-truck" concept.

Recent post-disaster rescue efforts have brought into focus the simple fact that rescue
operations involve more frequently the recovery of bodies rather than the rescuing of
miners. What more beneficial uses can be envisio~zedfor post-disaster con~murzications?

First, novel ideas used in post-disaster communications can be inte-

grated into day-today operations to overcome the weaknesses of
existing day-to-day communication,s.

Improved day-to-day mine comm.unications systems can, in turn,

provide instant post-disaster co~nm~unications.

Finally, environment monitoring from the surface via the mine

communications systems can be used to anticipate and prevent
disasters.

Having perceived these three potential benefits, the Bureau is evaluating and demon-
strating a number of communications concepts for economically providing the desired
improved mine communications.

CONCEPTS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Telephone and trolley phone systems are limited. Most phone lines are extended as the
inine extends. The longer the phone line, the more difficult it is to reach the last station and
the more likely the line will be broken by a small "'roof fall" (Figure 2).
 T Dispatcher Phone

A Phcne Line

I 1- North Section
I 2- North Section
0 Phone 0 Phone

FIGURE 2 EXISTING PHONE SYSTEM

What can be done to improve these systems? Two basic communication system
concepts will help, namely looping and selective pathing.
..
Looping

Systems engineering can plan for an overland return phone line (Figure 3). This phone
line will not always be at the "in-most" point of the ever-extending phone line, but it will be
a loop back and an alternative line to reach the in-most phones. By returning the telephone
line to a surface point, the primary phone line can be monitored.

' Selector
A
0 v

Dispatcher Phone

;.
,;,>*;'
.::
.::.t:,.'-A?
..:. .
!.... .....
...
...

I A
v
Phone Line
1
I I

@ In-Mine Phones

FIGURE 3 LOOPED PHONE SYSTEM

Each message going into the mine also comes out. If the message is not received the
surface phone can be switched to the overland line and an effort made to reach thc in-most
phones. Since signals can be provided t o each side of a break in a phone line, com-
munications are not necessarily interrupted by a break in a line.
 Selective Pathing

Selective pathing (Figure 4) is a technique that helps make the best out of a difficult
situation. Some mines have the trolley phone systems connected t o the telephone system. Is
this a good idea? Yes and no. Yes, because it provides a means of extending trolley phone
range. No, because i t interconnects two independent communication systems and results in
both being overloaded. A selective pathing connection overcomes the negative, and results in
an overall positive conclusion. The selective pathing permits the dispatcher t o select a path
connection of the trolley phone and telephone. On a "looped" telephone system, tlie
selective connection of the telephone-to-trolley phone also provides an alternative path for
the trollcy phone t o return t o the surface. Oiten a small "roof fall" breaks the phone line,
but not the trolley line. Selective pathing provides a possible means t o get beyond the phone
line break with a signal; also, if the trolley line and phone line break, there is a possible
means over the "looped" phone line of reaching the mine motor beyond the break.

Pathing Switch / b /
r

Dispatcher Phone

1 Phone Line
I 1 I
I

FIGURE 4 SELECTIVE PATHING COUPLER

Looping and selective pathing are things that can be done. Ilorvever, other experi-
mental activities also have immediate promise.

Through- the-Earth Communications

Through-the-earth paging by amplified pager-telepl~ol~e output (Figure 5) has been

demonstrated through 1,700 feet of overburden. Amplified pager output was connected t o a
grounded dipole through an impedance matching transformer. A galvanic current circulated
tlirough the various layers of overburden, ancl a signal was received on a small ferri tc loop of
a "manpack" receiver. In another experiment, the signal voltiige was taken from two roof
bolts, amplified, and placed on the mine telephone line t o be received in the teleplionc
handset.
 Dispatcher Phone Amplifier Transformer

FIGURE 5 THROUGH-THE-EARTH TELEPHONE

The range of coverage is very good. The mhoslmeter typical overburden conduc-
tivity of a coal mine allows signals to be received through 1000 ft of overburden when the
in-mine pickup and the surface dipole have over 1200 ft of offset.

The trolley phone likewise can be used for through-the-earth communications (Fig-
ure 6). A trolley phone unit was modified, separating the transmitter and receiver signal
connections. The surface transmitter was connected to two ground rods, and the receiver
was connected t o a 27db gain amplifier with input connected to a third ground rod. The
in-rnine unit was similarly modified, and the transmitter was connected t o two roof bolts,
the receiver amplifier being connected to a third roof bolt. The range was checked out with
up to 600 ft of overburden. The system provided two-way voice communications.
Received Signal

1
?.p?.:..i.::;-;s; ;:;p:::='..?.;:.:< :,* >:.%:'..:.:"::::. ;:. x.,; ::::y;,-.:,
n
,~i5:~4.47v,::
..-.->..: :2;;$;c;2;c,,.,:::,.: , .>.;,..:-.
;,:;{. ;:; ....-. ,. >;,:>:<:;:<;$>:;::>:;.; :.:
.2..7: ,;..:
.. .,: .
1
-
.
: .... . .
L. #

Speaker
n
Trolley
Phone
t_<l
A
I
Received Signal I
Transmitted Signal I
FIGURE 6 THROUGH-THE-EARTH TROLLEY PHONE
 Many mines have exploration core holes. A telephone cable has been inserted in the
core hole, and a quick-open enclosure located in the mine houses a standard sound-powered
telephone (Figure 7). A junction box with a plug-in receptacle for a sound-powered handset
is located on the surface. An explosion eva1,uation must be made i11 the Experimental Mine
and the system checked for functioning after the explosion.

@P Junction Box

Hand Set
Sound Powered

FIGURE 7 CORE HOLE PHONE

Along-the-Roof Paging

How often has a dispatcher paged a section foreman without getting an answer? The
operational difficulty arises when the section pager, located near the section loading point,
is far removed from the face, and the face area is noisy. In scveral experiments a standard
trolley phone with the signal connected to two roof bolts provided an electromagnetic signal
along-the-roof, and the page was received throlughout the section (Figure 8). A self-
contained pocket pager was modified t o receive an 88kHz signal.

Roof Bolts
:.T.,./:;~y;i;.:,:.,;y,?:. i: -:., ; .:.. v.:::...:
. ,, . . ,. ,< , ,.>! .::: ;.;.;:{:;::;,. ..::.:-:'
. :'.'."'.'.
'.;.'.'.'.:f r::;:-. 1
.,.,.;;......>::::..'
;- .-;:~ .-....A..

Converter-Loudspeaking 88 kHz Pocket Pager

Phone to 88 kHz
Section
Foreman
....>...'. '.-. . "". :,>-:,,,-7..:.
..>:~:;;ir;~;;r'*iI~~>;~!;;;;I';:;~.;~:;;2.
8: 1 ;:;:..
.:;-., ' , ;'-i:;;;i;;
' .. . ..,; .:1 .,,.;.:,;. ..., .!:.,;
.'...".'.'.:,.7.f.,:-. . ::,:;..,:.:;: .-',:-.,.:.,*;
, ,.;.:.;.:
.-,.,": ',.. ....,. ,:..-. >..*.,;,.- . :!T! , ,:
. ..:,;. "'.( '.'i"..~::'..:'.-~:-..~..'.:.~~.:,::::.::;
-.-.... ...>...... -::!.y,^.I::.-,.. I; .,...v.:..-..<:: . . ...:.:..:..;..;::,.~.~_; ,.:,;-.,.\.. .!. ..-.-. .. .......,.-.
. _ ..-,.. -.*-'
, ,
,,
. '*
.Ti.-.'.... ...... .. L

FIGURE 8 ALONG-THE-ROOF PAGING

 This idea has been extended into a selective section paging system, allowing for a
number of different sections to be paged one at a time by dialing into the mine from the
public phone system.

Power Line Methods

Power mains 2nd face trailing cables can also be used: the along-the-roof page signal
enters the mine on the ground check wire of the 440V AC power mains (Figure 9). Mine
face machinery is powered from trailing cables. Trolley phone devices can be connected t o
AC or DC lines up t o and including a 600volt line. The trolley phone, powered from a
12 volt battery, was tried on a face machine. Communication was established between the
face machine and the surface of the mine.
25146 k V Hi Line
Main Power
Circuit Breaker

416017300 Volts
Two-way Repeater Ground Rods

Main In-Mine / Power Transformer Sled

Power Disconnect 4501500 V, 60 H z

. ..... ,... . .
,-:;,;:~<$;~$~~$(.+;~;~.;
a;...:

..' ...-.. .-;

.i'"'".
!;v::.:,..*
L C .....'.
&
. ,,.*;,

FIGURE 9 POWER M A I N A N D FACE MACHINERY TRAILING CABLE METHODS

Though it has not been tested, an AC continuous miner could communicate with a DC
shuttle car. Permissibility for 12V equipment is anticipated.

Another project extends the permissible pager t o a face machine. Modified trailing
cable includes a twisted pair of #18 wires. The section pager line will be connected to the
trailing cable phone line. The manufacturer indicates the cable presents no unusual manufac-
turing problems.

Guided Wireless Radio

Some of the projects indicate that quick returns can be anticipated by adapting
selected ideas into day-today mine colnmunication systems. Others require a completely
new mine communication system. During the Sunshine Mine postdisaster rescue operation,
465mHz wireless radio was used (Figure 10). The signal was guided by a small gauge
insulated wire droppsd on the mine floor. Non-line-of-sight commu~iicationswere estab-
lished a t a distance of 2,300 feet between two portable units, and with one portable over
 300 feet from the wire. Extensive experimenting is being done with guided wireless radio.

B - Base Station
G L - Guiding Line
ZR - Matched Load
MI, M2 - Mobile Sets

FIGURE 10 GUIDED WIRELESS RADIO

The experimenting is not yet conclusive as to the desired frequency or type of guide.
Three frequency ranges, 27mHz, 17OmHz, and 406mHz to 4GOmHz have been tried. Studies
also indicate that even higher or lower frequencies -might have advantages. The guides we are
experimenting with are a simple insulated wire terminated to a roof bolt col~nection,an
inexpensive coaxial cable terminated in 70 ohms, a special heliax cable, and a specially
designed quasi-antenna spaced throughout the length of a coaxial line. Our experiments have
resulted in the development of a special in-mine repeater that greatly extends the range of
the base station to the portables. The guided wireless radio system can provide communica-
tions between surface and motor, surface and section, and between two roving miners. A
surface radio loop-back has also been established by an overland 40GmHz radio link. By
multiplexing, all in-mine monitoring, pager, trolley phone, and wireless radio sigl~alsare
being looped back to the mine foreman's office.

Some essential benefits and costs of the phone systems discussed are summarized in
Table 2.
TABLE 2
SYSTEM CONCEPT EVALUATION

Relative Cost Function Effectiveness

Fixed Fixed Motor Between Through Along

System to to to Roving the the Hard
Equipment Line Fixed Motor Motor Miners Earth Roof Guided Wired

Telephone l Yes No No IJo Good OK

Good
Not Good
Very

Trolley Phone UOhl 0 Yes Yes Yes No OK Good OK Good

--
@
Radio Phone El 81 q 6 to Not Not Not
Yes Yes Yes Yes
1
Good Good I Good

O r 1 Unit of Equipment Cost

0:1 Unit of Line Cost

0 No Cost
 BRUCETON INSTALLATIONS

The communications systems installed in the Bruceton Safety Research Mine are aimed
at developing an emergency communication system, based on available technology, that is a
practical extension and modification of existing general-purpose mine communications
equipment. Table 3 is a list of some of the sub-systems operating or being installed at this
time.

TABLE 3

SUBSYSTEMS-BRUCETONSAFETY RESEARCH MINE-OPERATING OR BEING INSTALLED

Mine Monitoring - 10 Major Locations

-
Mine Paging Telephones Main Operating Points
Monitor-Trapped Miner Locator - Communicator Station - 3 Fixed Locations
Soundpowered Telephones - Explosion Test Area
-
Telephone Through-the-EarthPaging Throughout Mine
Power Cable Telephone - Face Machine
Public Phone System Tie to Mine Paging Telephones -Telephone Building
Battery Operated Motor - Haulage Communications
Trolley Phone Along-Roof Paging - Working Section
Pilot-Wire Power Cable Trolley Phone - Face Machine
Through-Earth Trolley Phone - Fixed Rescue Point
Overland Power Line Carrier - Office to Mine Section Borehole
Loop Back on Power Line Carrier
Haulage Communications
Wireless Radio - Main Operating Areas
Overland Radio - Foreman's Office to Mine Section Borehole
Loop Back on Overland Radio
Haulage Communications
Mine Paging Telephone
Wireless Radio
Mine Monitoring

The Mine (Figure 11) is a gathering point of a variety of systems for the purpose of
evaluating and demonstrating the preceding concepts. The concepts are iinplemented with
the goal of providing system confiyratioiis that will permit instant communications d u ~ i n g
an emergency, togzther with providing both operatior.;!l communications and continuous
monitoring of the underground environment. The basic systems-engineering details of the
Bureau of Mines cxperimental work will be covered in future articles. Details of environ-
ment monitoring and other communication concepts will be given by several participants in
this conference.