IoT-based Mine Ventilation Control System Architecture with Digital Twin

Abstract

The paper considers a dynamic ventilation system of the underground mining. The research is relevant from the point of view of safety and energy saving of mining operations, since the process of ventilation of underground mining companies consumes from 30 to 50% of all company electricity. Existing methods of ventilation control often do not ensure rational energy consumption, as they do not take into account the dynamics of air distribution and changes in environmental parameters. The proposed method includes basic algorithms for calculating the interrelationship of physical parameters of general natural draught between the trunks. The method includes: calculation of the draught’s power; calculation of productivity and the choice of the required mode of operation for the main fan unit (MFU) considering the inertia of the ventilation system; dynamic calculation of the control signal on the fan unit taking into account the impact of the general natural draught. The method is focused on the implementation of the TICK stack used to create IoT applications as part of the Cyber-Physical System (CPS) for ventilation based on the InfluxData platform. The proposed CPS architecture consists of four subsystems: physical object subsystem, IoT network and computing infrastructure - ICT infrastructure, digital twin, user interface. CPS architecture provides processing of data from energy meters, controllers and air environment parameters, implemented in on-line and off-line calculation units.