Reviewed by Alex SmithSep 9 2021
Rajant Corporation and ESG Solutions have successfully completed testing with Rajant as the mainstay for transmitting microseismic data to the surface.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com/ Parilov
Rajant Corporation is the provider of Kinetic Mesh® wireless networks, while ESG Solutions is an industry-leading microseismic solutions provider for the oil and gas, mining and geotechnical industries. Benefits will be gained by underground and open-pit mining customers with both companies beginning their deployment trials in October 2021 as the final step in the qualification process.
Many mines install microseismic systems for rockburst monitoring and to collect data from microseismic events that can lead to a better understanding of rock mass deformation. ESG Solutions installs microseismic systems that rely on sensors (geophones and/or accelerometers) to record digitized seismic waveforms with our ESG Paladin® data acquisition units housed in junction boxes.
Tony Butler, Technical Sales Advisor, ESG Solutions
“Each Paladin® unit must be accurately time-synchronized across the network for optimum seismic event location determination. Data and system timing signals are currently transmitted to and from the Paladin units via fiber-optic networks. To reduce initial system costs and ongoing fiber system maintenance, clients have been asking if it would be possible for our systems to operate on a wireless system,” added Butler.
The main hurdle to a wireless approach for microseismic monitoring has been the ability to provide accurate seismic system timing synchronization between the Paladin units. With Rajant Kinetic Mesh, we are overcoming the time synchronization issue with Precision Timing Protocol (PTP) system timing of 30 microseconds (+/– 10 microseconds) being achieved for networked Paladins.
Tony Butler, Technical Sales Advisor, ESG Solutions
Butler continued, “Together, we have demonstrated in the lab that Rajant and ESG can do seven hops through the Kinetic Mesh and maintain extremely accurate system timing. This development will allow Rajant’s wireless network to be considered for microseismic system monitoring in the field for up to 10 kHz sampling rates. This system timing accuracy is more than sufficient for the vast majority of microseismic systems installed that use geophones and/or accelerometers.”
Rajant provides voice and data communication at the working face for mines. Deployed in 230+ of the largest mines globally, Rajant’s fully mobile, autonomous V2X/M2M for underground mining eliminates the struggles of a voice-only leaky feeder with multi-radio high-speed connectivity.
Darrell Gillis, Sales Director for Canada, Rajant Corporation
“Next-generation technology, such as what ESG provides, has mission-critical requirements to function ‘no fiber required’. Rajant offers a robust, reliable, and redundant alternative to fiber that is easy-to-install and maintain. Rajant supports very accurate system timing, which is impossible with a Layer 3 solution, making Rajant Kinetic Mesh unique, not only for mining but for other IIoT applications, such as oil fields and civil projects,” added Gillis.