Digital twin of mine hoist system

The device for setting and controlling movement (AZKD) provides safe movement parameters in the mine. New AZKD algorithms require careful testing.

The digital twin of the electric drive and the mechanical part of a two cage mine hoist machine was created in the Simulink-Simscape environment. The PCI-1711 card was used for communication with the AZKD hardware. The model was run in Real Time Mode (using Simulink Desktop Real Time Blockset).

Simulation mechanical part and electric drive of mine hoist system in real time mode together with mining safety hardware

Highlights

For the AZKD device, the model provides a complete imitation of work with real mine equipment.

The model takes into account the dynamics of the electric drive and the mechanical part of the mine hoist.

Electric drive model contains:

model of electric motor,
control system with speed and current controllers,
acceleration / deceleration with specified values, according to signals from the AZKD,
applying "retraction speed" automatically when approaching to the horizon,
applying the brake if signal from the over-rise sensors.

Mechanical part model of the mine hoist machine takes into account:

moments of inertia of the gearbox, drum, head pulleys,
elasticity and damping of ropes,
weight of the rope changing depending on reducing / increasing its length in the mine shaft,
weight of cages,
drum design - one rope is wound, the other is unwound,
zone of actuation of sensors of exact stop for 10 horizons and over-rise

The model calculates:

the linear speed of the cages in the mine shaft,
cages positions in the mine shaft,
rotation speeds of the electric motor, drum, pulleys.

Stepper motor was immitate the drum and its rotation speed was controlled according to the calculated speed of the drum. Shaft of stepper motor rotates the encoder shaft of the AZKD, which is installed on the shaft of the drum in the mine.

Achievements

The main function of the AZKD device is to provide safe movement parameters in the mine. Therefore, it is important to test this device in all possible modes, including emergency and abnormal modes. As a result, the developed model and the Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) concept made it possible to obtain a high-quality control algorithm for the automatic control system due to:

HIL simulations in emergency and abnormal scenarios that are impossible or dangerous to implement in real conditions,
development the algorithms for different configurations of mine hoists.

The use of the real-time model together with the HIL concept made it possible to achieve:

reduce the time of launching a new product on the market,
significant savings the development time due to the ability to quickly configure the model for different modes. The tests, including a corrections of the AZKD algorithm, took no more than two weeks,
saving finances. There is no need to spend money on mechanical and electrical components for the configuration of the test equipment, since their virtual models are used,
saving space. Electromechanical components of test equipment take up a lot of space (several cubic meters), have poor accuracy, require servicing by qualified personnel and consumables.

In the video, on the top left - AZKD, on the bottom left - a drum encoder with a stepper motor that simulates the operation of electric drive, on the top right - the AZKD visualization program, on the bottom right - the Simulink window with oscillograms:

cage position in the mine shaft,
cage speed in the mine shaft,
torque given to the motor shaft.

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