Mine surveillance – Mining measurements
Mine surveillance is a branch of mining science and technology. It includes all the measurements, calculations and mapping that serve the purpose of research and exploitation of mineral raw materials, and the construction of mining infrastructure on the surface as well as below it. The acquired data is key for the preparation of mine plans, monitoring and planning the excavations, and monitoring the impacts of mining on the environment.
The Mine Surveillance and Geodesy department operates in the fields of mining measurements, engineering geodesy, land cadastre, cadastre of buildings and the cadastre of public service infrastructure, enquiries, analyses and modelling based on CAD programmes and geographic information systems.
The tasks of the Mine Surveillance department include a set of measurement support in the planning and management of the coal mining process and a set of measurement support in the management of events in the exploitation area of the Velenje Coal Mine. Our services are divided into two sets that cover individual fields of work: pit works and surface works, i.e. external mine surveillance and geodesy.
Pit services
Within the scope of mine surveillance services in the pit, we provide services that include measurements for the construction of underground roadways and the accompanying facilities, measurements for monitoring the coal extraction parameters, database maintenance and archiving the mine surveillance documentation. The service is in charge of designing and modifying the map of the mine and the preparation of prognostic profiles of the exploitation area, which represents the basis for the planning of coal extraction and the necessary pit facilities.
Surface services
Within the scope of mine surveillance services on the surface, we monitor the situation regarding the subsidence of the surface, caused by underground coal mining. For decades, we have been performing measurements of the observation networks of the Velenje Coal Mines in the mining area and elsewhere. In addition to the standard geodesy techniques (triangulation, trilateration, levelling, GNSS) the measurements include contemporary methods, such as aerial photogrammetry, terrestrial laser scanning and an automatic GNSS system for monitoring the movements and deformations in real time. We monitor movements and deformations on a total surface of over 1,000 hectares in the Šaleška dolina Valley, we perform sonar measurements to determine the depth of the Šalek lakes and the movements and deformations of buildings.
Based on the results of these measurements and computer modelling, forecasts of terrain movements are prepared for individual periods until the end of the planned extraction of coal in the Šaleška dolina Valley, which enables timely and proper preparation, remediation and regulation of the degraded surface. The main emphasis is on scientific analysis of measurements, terrain movements and their consequences for the environment. The mine surveillance part of each mining project also contains forecasts of the impact of individual extraction sites and the sum of all the sites on the surface, i.e. terrain movements due to the extraction of coal.
For this purpose, the Velenje Coal Mine uses a computerised model for forecasting the movements of the surface caused by coal extraction, which enables the calculation of horizontal and vertical terrain movements for all the monitored points that make up the relief model of the mining area.
State-of-the-art services
One of the fundamental focuses of the programme is the introduction of new technologies, modernisation of equipment with state-of-the-art instruments and computer programmes, while making sure not to neglect the educational component of our employees.