Elexon Mining has developed the Geo4Sight platform; a wireless system for subsurface monitoring in challenging geotechnical environments where the use of cabled monitoring systems is impossible, or where cables are at high risk of being damaged by moving ground.
Geo4Sight uses a wireless mesh network consisting of rugged battery-powered Nodes to communicate sensor data from deep in the ground to the surface. Geo4Sight Nodes are installed into drill holes at regular intervals to enable data communication along the chain of Geo4Sight nodes. The Geo4Sight platform was conceived to integrate a range of sensors. Tilt and pore pressure sensing are the first solutions that are available.
Geo4Sight is initially offered as two distinct solutions:
Geo4Sight Tilt: Real-time, wireless subsurface movement monitoring.
Detect and manage ground movement to reduce the likelihood of failure, or reduce the impact of a failure, in challenging environments where traditional cable-based systems don’t perform.
Geo4Sight Pressure: Real-time, wireless pore pressure monitoring.
Gives you greater insight into hydrological conditions in challenging environments where regular cabled systems fail or have serious limitations.
Elexon’s systems provide invaluable data that empowers mining companies to make well-founded decisions to improve safety, efficiency and resource conversion.
Wireless Pore Pressure Monitoring
Pore pressure has a significant impact on stability of slopes in rock and soil. Moreover, in the case of large open pits, it is usually the only property that be easily varied (after Geoff Beale et al, 2013).
In the case of tailings dams, changes in pore pressure can contribute to failures with critical consequences. Given the impact of changes in pore pressure on ground stability, monitoring pore pressure is an important aspect of managing associated risks for the mine.
The complexity of installing multiple cable-based pore pressure sensors in a single hole limits the number of sensors. Cable based instruments may be rendered inoperable by ground movement.
Geo4Sight Pressure reduces the complexity of installing many sensors in a single hole. Geo4Sight Pressure Nodes also measure tilt and can be combined with Geo4Sight Tilt nodes in the same hole combining inclinometer and pore pressure monitoring in a single wireless system.
Wireless In-Ground Movement Monitoring
Wireless In-Ground Movement Monitoring
Geo4Sight Tilt provides the following advantages over traditional systems:
- Work in three axes and include magnetic orientation of tilt
- The currently achieved tilt sensor’s sensitivity equates to a movement of 0.3mm over 1 meter or a change in angle of 0.02 degrees
- Can be queried at real-time
- Remote operation without human interaction
- Can be installed in long holes (100s of metres)
- Can be installed at any angle, up-, down- or horizontal holes
- Even after ground moving up to several metres, the system still operates
- Monitoring can continue after cut-backs without the need for drilling and installing further instruments.
“For over a decade we have worked with leading specialists from mining companies and mine research organisations around the world. We identified that existing cable-based monitoring systems fall short in challenging geotechnical environments, where cables are easily and often damaged, disabling monitoring. These failures often happen when mines most need to know what is happening below the surface; at times of significant geological activity.”
Would you like to trial Geo4Sight At Your Mine?
We’d like to engage with progressive mines and geotechnical engineers who are open to trying new technology that improves your mining outcomes. We’re offering the opportunity to work together on a trial of this new system, should site and circumstances be suitable. Click the ’email us’ button to get in touch, or visit our contact page for more contact details.
GeoHive Analysis Software
GeoHive is an Elexon Mining data 3D visualization and analysis software for block/sub-level caving, open pit and waste monitoring applications. With seamless integration with Geo4Sight, GeoHive is the optimal software for data collection and analysis in conjunction with our geotechnical solutions. Alongside comprehensive data graphing, any beacon movement or stability changes reported by Markers can be visualized in the context of site topographies and infrastructure via the DXF import functionality of GeoHive.
Recently GeoHive 23B was released and features various new updates including:
- Faster load speed times for start-up and analysis
- User defined attributes so that you can store custom information about your devices
- Functionality to combine multiple data types into one export (e.g. tilt in degrees + temperature + tilt in millimeters)
- 3D viewer upgraded to visualise ITCAMS and CaveTracker Detectors
- Improved status reporting for Cave Tracker and Geo4Sight receivers
For further information on GeoHive 23B please see the video below:
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