Synergy Automatics · Industrial IoT
Energy-Consumption Monitoring
Measure electrical use by area and asset to expose demand drivers, inefficiency and abnormal consumption.
What this connected-mine application does
Measure electrical use by area and asset to expose demand drivers, inefficiency and abnormal consumption.
The practical objective is not simply to collect more data. It is to establish a trustworthy measurement chain, detect abnormal conditions, preserve the relevant operating context and route information to the team that can act on it.
- Voltage, current and frequency
- Real, reactive and apparent power
- Power factor and demand
- Energy by shift, asset and operating state
- Power quality indicators
- Meter, feeder and communications status
| Primary field devices | Revenue or sub-metering power meter; Current transformer and voltage interface; Protection-relay or VFD data interface; Edge energy gateway; Energy dashboard and historian |
|---|---|
| Data update pattern | Event-driven alarms with periodic telemetry. Critical events should be timestamped and transmitted immediately where the communications design permits. |
| Connectivity options | Industrial Ethernet, fibre, Wi-Fi, leaky-feeder, LoRaWAN or private LTE/5G as site conditions permit. |
| Alarm and analytics | Alert on overload, unusual baseload, poor power factor, excessive demand, voltage anomaly or lost meter data. |
| Common integration | Common interfaces include dry contacts, 4–20 mA, Modbus RTU/TCP, OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, CAN/J1939, MQTT, SNMP or REST APIs where supported by the source equipment. |
| Data continuity | Timestamp at the edge, monitor signal quality and device health, and use store-and-forward buffering so short network outages do not create silent data gaps. |
| Environmental design | Use mine-suitable enclosures, protected cabling and glands, appropriate ingress/impact resistance, and certified equipment wherever the hazardous-area classification requires it. |
A five-layer implementation pattern
Measure
Approved sensors and machine interfaces capture the required physical or operating state.
Control locally
Existing PLCs, protection and safety systems retain their required local authority.
Acquire at edge
A rugged gateway timestamps, buffers, normalises and validates incoming data.
Transmit securely
Mine communications carry telemetry and alarms with health and quality monitoring.
Visualise and integrate
Dashboards, historians and APIs support response, maintenance and reporting.
Where the solution can be applied
- Main incomer and underground substation
- Fan, pump and conveyor feeder
- Crusher and workshop
- Charging station and utility distribution
Potential benefits
- Energy allocation by process and asset
- Identification of inefficient operating modes
- Peak-demand visibility
- Verification of energy-saving projects
- Early indication of electrical or mechanical problems
Design details that determine success
- Use correctly rated metering and installation practices
- Synchronise meters and production context
- Separate billing-grade and operational measurements
- Protect electrical networks and credentials through segmentation
Alert on overload, unusual baseload, poor power factor, excessive demand, voltage anomaly or lost meter data. Dashboard alerts, remote notifications and analytics should complement—not replace—certified protection, local interlocks, emergency procedures, statutory inspections and competent decision-making.
Continue exploring the connected mine
Implementation questions
Can Energy-Consumption Monitoring connect to existing PLC, SCADA or mine systems?
Usually, yes. The preferred approach is to reuse approved source data and add isolated field instrumentation only where required. The final interface depends on available protocols, network segregation, data ownership and the source equipment vendor.
Does the IoT layer replace local protection or safety controls?
No. Protection relays, safety PLCs, emergency stops, gas trips, fire systems and other approved local functions remain the primary safety and control layer. IoT adds visibility, history, notifications and decision support.
What happens when underground communications are interrupted?
Critical local functions continue independently. A suitable edge gateway buffers timestamped data, raises a communications-health alarm and forwards retained records after the connection returns.
How are sensors and alarm levels selected?
Selection starts with the mine risk assessment, required decision, environmental classification, measuring range, response time, maintainability and applicable rules. Alarm and trip levels must be approved for the specific site and jurisdiction.
Discuss Energy-Consumption Monitoring
Discuss field instrumentation, edge connectivity, dashboards and integration with the Synergy Automatics team.
Engineering note: Instrument selection, hazardous-area certification, alarm limits, interlocks and network architecture must be validated against the mine risk assessment, applicable legislation, equipment approvals and site operating procedures.