When there is an accident below ground in a coal mine, power is cut off and the miners typically lose all communication with the surface. Finding a way to communicate wirelessly through hundreds of feet of rock has been a challenge for rescuers. But now, a team from Lockheed Martin's Salina division is debuting a system they say could be a lifesaver.
After the Sago Mine collapse in 2006, a Lockheed Martin retiree living in West Virginia thought his former co-workers in Central New York could build a communication system that would connect trapped miners and rescuers.
It turned out that he asked just the right people.
After years of prototypes and research, a team in Salina built a battery powered system that can send voice and short text communication by magnetic waves. Engineers said even basic communication with the surface could have changed the outcome of the deadly Sago Mine collapse
"The miners actually retreated to an area of the mine and waited for someone to fid them. We believe our device could have saved their lives," said Warren Gross from Lockheed Martin.
The mine communication system comes with a phone for voice communication, but engineers believe miners would be more likely to type out a text message in an emergency situation.
"During an event if the ventilation is lost, the environment becomes very poisonous and noxious to the miners and they'll put on their safety gear," said Gross "When they do that, they essentially can not talk via their miner radios or handset."
Engineers also had to make sure the unit had enough power to send the short transmissions to the surface, but not so much power that it could ignite gases building up in the mine. It's a new approach to mine communication and one that Gross said could dramatically improve mine safety.
"We've talked with miners and they're very excited about this. They've said wow, this could make a difference to us, this could save our lives."
Engineers have tested the system in six working mines and are in the process of getting final approval from the Mine Safety Administration. They say the Magnelink Communications System should be available by the end of 2010.
