Mining

Campbell Scientific measurement and control systems are used in the mining industry to monitor ventilation systems, slope stability, convergence, equipment performance, water resources, weather, and air quality. Our rugged, low-power instruments are used world wide, and are reliable even in harsh, remote locations. They are compatible with a wide variety of sensors and communication peripherals to fit your exact needs.

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Mining applications include:

Coal and soft rock mining

We have battery-powered, stand-alone measurement systems that can be used where intrinsic safety is not required. Due to a lack of available parts, our MSHA-approved CR10QM and 21XQM systems are no longer available.

Mine ventilation

To help you maintain your ventilation system, our weather stations can continuously monitor barometric pressure, air temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity.

Slope stability

Common parameters measured by our systems include displacement, water level, tilt, soil moisture, and precipitation.

Convergence

Our systems can measure distance, strain, load, in-situ or hydraulic pressure.

Equipment performance

To help you keep your equipment at peak performance, our systems can monitor temperature, pressure, RPM, velocity, power, acceleration, position, torque, and strain.

Water resources

Our data acquisition systems are compatible with many water level and flow sensors. Our systems can also monitor many water quality parameters including pH, conductivity, temperature, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen.

Mine weather and air quality

Meteorological and air quality parameters measured by our systems include wind speed and direction, air temperature, precipitation, snowfall, barometric pressure, relative humidity, solar, gases, particulates, and atmospheric stability class.

Data Acquisition

The versatility of our systems allows them to be customized for each application. We offer a range of dataloggers from the most basic system with just a few channels, to expandable systems that measure hundreds of channels. Scan rates can be programmed from a few hours to 100,000 times per second, depending on the datalogger model. Measurement types, processing algorithms, and recording intervals are also programmable.

Our systems have powerful on-board instruction sets—simply choose sensor type, scan rate, measurement channel, etc. On-board mathematical and statistical processing allows data reduction in the field and allows measurements to be viewed in the desired units, whether that be microstrain, centimeters per second, revolutions per minute, meters, amperes, or inches.

Their versatility extends to control as well. Our systems can monitor and control external devices based on time or measured conditions, allowing savings in time and equipment, and possibly preventing, or warning, of dangerous conditions. They are rugged enough to be in use in geotechnical studies and mines world wide.

Our systems are stand-alone. Once programmed and powered, no human or computer interaction is required, although data are typically downloaded to a PC for further analysis. A telecommunications or hardwire link allows data to be monitored and graphed in your office rather than in the field. Data from a number of stations and from a number of applications can be monitored from a single laptop or desktop computer.

The low power drain typically allows our data acquisition systems to be powered by solar panels and batteries. If 110/220 ac power, vehicle power, or external 12 Vdc batteries are available, you can use those as well. Non-volatile data storage and battery-backed clock ensure data capture and integrity.

Sensors

The versatility of our systems begins with sensor compatibility. Our systems can measure virtually every commercially available sensor, allowing them to be used in a variety of ways for a variety of measurements. For example, the CR10X can be used in slope stability, water quality, or equipment performance applications. Typical sensors that can be used include:

    Carlson strain meters
    vibrating wire strain gauges
    foil strain gauges (in quarter, half, or full bridge strain configurations)
    inclinometers
    crack and joint sensors
    tilt sensors
    piezoresistive accelerometers
    piezoelectric accelerometers
    capacitive accelerometers
    borehole accelerometers
    servo force balance accelerometers

Because our dataloggers have many channel types and programmable inputs, all of these sensor types can be measured by one datalogger. Channel types include analog (single-ended and differential), pulse counters, switched excitation, continuous analog output, digital I/O, and anti-aliasing filter. Using switched or continuous excitation channels, our dataloggers provide excitation for ratiometric bridge measurements.

Communications

The availability of multiple communications options for retrieving, storing, and displaying data allows systems to be customized to meet exact needs. On-site communication options include direct connection to a PC or laptop, PC cards, storage modules, and datalogger keyboard/display. Telecommunication options include short-haul, telephone (including voice-synthesized and cellular), radio frequency, multidrop, and satellite.