Wireless Channel and Electromagnetic Environments for Through-the-Earth (TTE) Communications in an Underground Coal Mine

Details

• Personal Author:
  Damiano, Nicholas W. ; Zhou C
• Description:
  Through-the-earth (TTE) communication systems are useful for post-disaster emergency communications due to their likelihood of surviving a mine disaster. The wireless channel and electromagnetic environment (EME) are two primary factors that affect the performance of a TTE system and have not been well understood. This paper reports measurements made in an active coal mine to characterize the wireless channel and EME of a TTE system operating at frequencies up to 25 KHz. TTE transmissions were successfully demonstrated in a mine location with a depth of 567m (1860 ft) by using ground rods installed on the surface and existing roof bolts in the underground mine as electrodes. The results show that the EME in the mine is dominated by the 60-Hz signal and its harmonics for both the surface and the underground environments. The signal attenuation caused by the channel increases for frequencies greater than 90 Hz. This paper provides a measured data set pertaining to realistic EMEs and channels that an E-field TTE system operator or system designer can reference when implementing similar technologies in a mining environment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Electrical Equipment And Supplies Electromagnetic Fields Emergencies Environmental Exposure Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Electromagnetic Environments Coal Mines Communication Systems Disaster Sites Electromagnetic Fields Electromagnetic Noise Electronic Devices Electronic Equipment Emergency Equipment EMF EMI Environmental Exposure Environmental Technology Radio Waves Roof Bolts Through-the-earth Communications Underground Mines

  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9781728180625
• ISSN:
  2164-2958
• Publisher:
  Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  158-160
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062257
• Citation:
  2021 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium (RWS), January 17-22, 2021, virtual event. New York, NY: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2021 Jan; :158-160
• Email:
  czhou@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  2021 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium (RWS), January 17-22, 2021, virtual event
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7328cccb98950337e9551085b0e707ead6adf5333d26da82dc74d38dc1f772b070bd4afb0daaa37cf74288f47a4c5464caaede77595136323f1bd2063880e11f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215383/cdc_215383_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.08 MB ]