Hazard evaluation methodology for computer-controlled mine monitoring/control systems

Journal Article · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TIA.1983.4504222· OSTI ID:5456641

Nutter, Jr, R S

A summary of results of the development of a methodology for identifying safety hazards inherent in underground monitoring and control equipment is given. Under a US Bureau of Mines contract, a methodology has been developed for determining the inherent design items that affect safety hazards. Though serious consideration has already been given to the normal intrinsic safety and explosion-proof characteristics of a system, the problem may be the system itself rather than the more immediately noticeable system components. In monitoring or controlling items located in underground coal mines, the hardware reliability of a system is seldom recognized as a potential safety hazard. The software or program operating such a system is never considered as a potential safety hazard because it is, in many cases, located outside the hazardous area. In reality, electronic technology is outstripping the industry's normal view of safety and it quickly growing unseen potential safety problems. These unseen problems are a combination of hardware and computer software that must be identified and analyzed. The methodology developed for analyzing electronic and computer-based hardware/software systems and the results of analyses completed by the West Virginia University (WVU) research team are presented. A WVU-designed distributed microprocessor-based mine environmental monitoring/control system and two other commercially available systems have undergone detailed analyses. As a result of the developing methodology, a set of design guidelines has been developed to ensure that known system design difficulties can be identified from the outset for designers of new mine monitoring/control systems. This technique could prove valuable to other system design engineers as well.

• Research Organization: Dept. of Elec. Eng., West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV 26506
• OSTI ID: 5456641
• Journal Information: IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl.; (United States) Vol. IA-19:3; ISSN ITIAC
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
012000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
COMPUTER CODES
COMPUTERIZED CONTROL SYSTEMS
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
CONTROL SYSTEMS
DESIGN
ENGINEERING
EQUIPMENT
EVALUATION
FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS
FAULT TREE ANALYSIS
HAZARDS
MINING
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
SAFETY
SAFETY ENGINEERING
SYSTEM FAILURE ANALYSIS
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
UNDERGROUND MINING
US BUREAU OF MINES
US DOI
US ORGANIZATIONS