Monitor & Control Underground Mine Pumps!

Submersible pumps are frequently used in underground mines and installing mine pumps is not a challenging task. Pump installation may not be a challenge but management of mine sumps has frustrated mine operators for years. Mine pumps have always been necessary but they are  definitely not a focus in the day to day operation of a mine. That is until pump costs begin spiraling out of control and impacting financial performance or pump failures wash out roads or flood work-areas.

Mine sumps can be an inconvenience as they fill up with silt from mining activities and require periodic cleaning.  When they fill with silt mine water will bypass the sump and, as there is no fluid reaching the the pump, it will run dry and sustain damage.

Another common scenario is when underground operators notice that a mine sump is filling with water but the pump is not running. Believing they should take action they switch the pump into manual mode, start the pump and leave to perform other duties. In manual mode the pump continues to run regardless of the sump water level.  Often the pump runs dry and fails pump fails. Unfortunately this is an everyday occurrence in underground mining.  These failures are an everyday occurrence but are totally avoidable.

What is the SC10 Pump Controller

The SC10 is a microprocessor-based pump controller for controlling Submersible pumps in mining.  It has digital inputs, digital outputs and a Modbus RS485 communications port. The Modbus RTU protocol is used to support HMI, SCADA or PLC communications.

The pump controller is designed to manage submersible pump operation and sump level control using snore detection.  The unit monitors motor current.  It detects the pump snoring (when minimal fluid is being pumped) by detecting a reduction in electrical current.  When snoring is detected the controller places the pump in pause mode.  (See below for more on Snoring.)

 

level controller SC10

Snore controllers have been available for some years but they have not evolved. The SC10 has added the following:

  • Communications for monitoring and control from SCADA.
  • Intelligent, adaptive pause control to optimise the pause times.
  • Support for Starting without switching to Manual Operation to prevent damage.
  • Safety features so that you can make adjustments without working in a live starter.

The SC10 manages the duration of pump run and pause time using an advanced adaptive control algorithm.  It increases and decreases run and pause times based on operational history to produce the most efficient parameters. The pump can also be started at anytime during the automatic cycle using the pump starter panel start button and ensures the pump can never be left in manual to run dry.

Why Not Monitor Your Mine Pumps?

Today the majority of underground mines have leaky feeder radio or Wi-Fi communication systems installed making it very easy to get information from underground to the surface in real time. In the past to monitor your pumps it required the installation of additional equipment such as programmable logic controllers (PLC) in pump starters, this required additional technical expertise to install and program each pump starter. This works, but is expensive and you still require a solution for the effective operation of the pump and sump level control.

Today there is no reason not to monitor your underground infrastructure including pumps.

In the past to monitor your pumps it required the installation of additional equipment such as programmable logic controllers (PLC) in pump starters, this required additional technical expertise to install and program each pump starter. This works, but is expensive and you still require a solution for the effective operation of the pump and sump level control.

The SC10 is a practical solution for montoring mine pumps

 A practical solution is to use a specifically-designed pump controller that has communication capabilities so you can connect to your communications network and display on your mine control system. The you can start, stop and monitor the status of all your submersible pumps from a central location. It couldn’t be easier than this! Install an off the shelf pump snore controller, connect it to your underground communications network with a Modbus to Wifi convertor or Modbus radio Modem and configure you mine control interface.

What is pump Snoring?

Pump snoring is a condition that occurs when a pump is running with a mixture of water and air during operation.  This phenomona causes mechanical and thermal stress reducing component life.

When there is not adequate fluid flowing to transport sediments away they accumulate within the pump and cause premature wear to pump parts driving costs up.

Detecting this event is quite simple as the the motor load current (Amps) decreases and is used as a signal to stop the pump. While there are other options to control sump levels snore detection isthe best solution for mine and construction activities.

Level Controller

What is Modbus RTU Protocol?

Modbus is a very widely used industrial communications protocol.  It is supported by all major SCADA packages, many communications interfaces and an enormous number of controllers and field devices.

Modbus was originally developed by Modicon and today it is managed by the Modbus User Organization. Modbus is an open Master/Slave application protocol, that can be used on several different physical Layers. Modbus is an application-layer messaging protocol, positioned at level 7 of the OSI model.

It provides client/server communication between devices connected on different types of buses or networks. Modbus-RTU (Remote Terminal Unit) means that the Modbus protocol is used on top of a serial line with an RS-232, RS-485 or similar physical interface.

Numerous automation systems have Modbus-RTU interfaces for communication. Modbus devices are certified by the Modbus User Organization for interoperability and conformance to the Modbus specification.

With a Modbus communications port the SC10 is enabled for connection to your communications network for monitoring and control of your sump pumps locally or remotely.

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