Industrial Ethernet for Control and Information Interconnectivity in Automated Longwall Mining

This paper describes the adoption of the Ethernet/IP standard in the development of a specification for the interconnection of mining equipment as part of an industry-sponsored Landmark longwall automation project. Longwall mining is used extensively worldwide and accounts for the majority of underground coal production in Australia and the USA. Full automation of the longwall mining process is being driven by issues of occupational health and safety and increased productivity. The Landmark project targets a step change improvement in productivity and safety in longwall mining by combining new enabling technologies and high-level control with existing equipment control systems. The existing proprietary control systems are practically self contained and prior to the Landmark project had little or no provision for external communications. In order to achieve the Landmark automation goals across all commonly used equipment it was first necessary to achieve interconnectivity between existing equipment and the Landmark specific components. Ethernet/IP shares a common application layer with DeviceNet and ControlNet and levers benefits from widespread and rapid developments in Ethernet technology. Distributed wireless Ethernet technology has been employed to provide a reliable Ethernet/IP link to a moving longwall shearer. The Landmark project has secured the support and cooperation of the major longwall equipment manufacturers who are now providing Landmark compliant interfaces to their equipment.