Coal India arm MCL has introduced drone technology in coal mines for environmental monitoring, volume measurement and photogrammetric mapping of mines for digitalisation of the mining process.
The technology has been introduced through the launch of a web-based portal ‘VIHANGAM’ along with a drone and ground control system. “The portal allows an authorised person to access real time drone video from the mine through a dedicated 40 Mbps internet lease line near the mines,” the coal ministry said in a statement. There is a control station that flies the drone and the system can be operated through the portal from anywhere.
This pilot project is at present operational at Bhubaneswari and Lingraj opencast mines of Talcher Coalfields in Odisha. Besides deploying state-of-art technology to further enhance record coal production, Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) has also stepped up the use of latest equipment to further increase safety standards. It has recently introduced robotic nozzle water sprayer in its coal stockyard. The companies operating in the coal sector use robot-assisted firefighting and dust suppression advanced technology to carry out difficult and dangerous jobs.
The equipment can spray water up to 70 metres in the form of mist. The nozzle, also termed as swivel nozzle, is installed on a water tanker of 28 kilolitres capacity. Engaged in coal mining activities in Sundergarh, Jharsuguda and Angul districts of Odisha, Mahanadi Coalfields contributes more than 20 per cent of the total coal produced in the country. Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal output.
