My name is Karen Figueroa I will be your moderator for today’s webinar.

If you have questions, just type them in the Q&A panel or send a tweet with the hashtag
GoWireless. We will just email our responses for questions that we won’t be able to cover today.
We will also record this webinar and make a copy available for you.
Now, lets meet our speakers.
First, we have Vincent Le Borne. Vincent has hands-on, field experience in managing large
monitoring systems for mines in Canada and currently provides technical guidance regarding
installation execution, sampling, logging and monitoring measurements, data management and
quality control. He has published papers pertaining to instrumentation and conducts training for
professionals and university students in Québec and Ontario. Vincent, go ahead and say hi.

Next, we have Denis Guilhot. Denis has over ten years’ professional experience in research and
development and technology transfer. As project manager at Worldsensing, he is involved in
several innovative initiatives in the field of mining, addressing aspects of exploration, raw materials
storage, industrial trends and safe operations including safety regulations and tailings dams
monitoring. Denis, feel free to welcome our viewers today.

Finally, we have Juan Perez. Juan is the product owner of the globally recognized wireless
monitoring system Loadsensing since 2013. He has more than 14 years of experience and
knowledge of geotechnics, construction site management, instrumentation, data management,
data acquisition systems and low-power wide area networks. Juan, why don’t you say Hola to our
guests.
Denis Guilhot has over ten years’ professional experience in research and development
and technology transfer. As project manager at Worldsensing, he is involved in several
innovative initiatives in the field of mining, addressing aspects of exploration, raw
materials storage, industrial trends and safe operations including safety regulations and
tailings dams monitoring.
First of all, allow me to highlight some global initiatives that have been undertaken in the past few
years. After the tailings dam disasters of 2014 at Mount Polley and 2015 at the Mariana dam,
initiatives such as the Review of the Management of Tailiings dams and the Investor Mining and
Tailings Safety Initiative were initiated. Unfortunately, they did not have the real impact expected.
After the Brumadinho dam disaster in 2019, the Global Tailings Review was initiated. On the right-
hand side, you can see some of the organizers of such initiatives, including prestigious entities such
as ICMM or the UN. Although these intiatives, which normally start after a big disaster, are very
important, they do not always have a real long-term impact. There seems to be a change in mindset
now though, since countries like Brazil and China have tightened the rules on tailings dams safety.
One of the key messages is that there is no official database of tailings dams. Some estimations
peak at 3,500, others at 35,000. It also depends whether you are looking at active dams or if you
include the closed ones. The Global Tailings Review aims at solving this lack of data. Based on data
from the Investor Mining and Tailings Safety initiative, we estimate a total number of 18,000
tailings dams, less than 4,000 of which would be active.
Another key fact is that, although the total number of failures in the last few years has dramatically
decreased, the number of serious and very serious failures has not. Fortunately, companies such as
Vale have demonstrated their commitment to improve this trend, as have other companies,
something that is demonstrated by the fact that 47% of the companies contacted within the
Investor Mining and Tailings Safety Initiative voluntarily responded to the survey.
ICMM has identified some of the biggest challenges currently faced by the industry, including land-
based instrumentation being subject to errors for different reasons. The lack of ability for both
remote viewing and assessment of data using secure connection and controlled access, and fast
collection, management and display of data from various monitoring instruments and remote
sensing technologies in a single, georeferenced software/hardware package have also been
identified. Finally, remote sensing technologies can generate very large spatial data sets, but they
can be difficult to manage and make it difficult to identify potential data errors. We will now see
some ways to solve some of these challenges.
Juan Perez is the product owner of the globally recognized wireless monitoring system
Loadsensing since 2013. He has more than 14 years of experience and knowledge of
geotechnics, construction site management, instrumentation, data management, data
acquisition systems and low-power wide area networks.
Wireless monitoring can address some of the challenges listed.

For instance, regarding the first challenge, with the implementation of a wireless monitoring system, you start collecting readings in
near-real time instead of sporadic readings. By increasing the frequency of acquisition and with network monitoring tools, it is possible
to immediately detect any issue caused by aging equipment or vandalism and take action to fix the issue at the proper time.

In addition, as a wireless network is a distributed data acquisition system, the traceability of the sensor is also improved because the
wireless datalogger is close to the monitoring point. The mobile app used to configure the wireless nodes could also be used to collect
the most relevant information related to sensor installation (serial number, depth, initial reading, etc.) to avoid any issue caused by
poor tracking.

Regarding security concerns, wireless networks can be secure. In our system, data are encrypted end-to-end to keep information secure
at the sensor, communication and application levels.

On the other hand, sometimes is not easy to display data from different monitoring technologies in a single software. To address this, it
is important the flexibility of the different monitoring systems in terms of data access. A monitoring program will require hybrid
solutions and it is important to consider how the data visualization software and other software are going to interact with data collected
by these systems.

Finally, large data sets coming from remote sensing technologies are out of the scope of low power wide area networks. However,
Worldsensing works with other partners in some pilots to integrate data from different sources including remote sensing.
This table is a proposed classification of different wireless networks: Local Area, Cellular and Low Power Wide Area networks.

Most wireless technologies depend on local area networks (LAN) which includes well known technologies such as Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wifi
or other mesh Technologies (2.4 GHz) such as wireless hart. These are mostly used for short distances between 50 and 100 meters, but
they are not sufficient to cater for most tailings dam monitoring needs or for the geotechnical market.

While cellular technologies such as 3G and 4G can reach longer distances and allow frequent data collection, their disadvantage is that
mobile devices have higher power consumption rates. On top of this, both LAN and cellular technologies are dependent on network
signal and line of sight (LOS), which can be difficult to achieve in tunneling projects. In order to reduce power consumption, it is common
for tunnel application data to be sent only once a day or once a week, so it is not suitable for real-time or near real-time data acquisition.

LoRa, which stands for Long-Range communication, is based on IoT (Internet of Things) technology and so far, it addresses the issues of
LAN and cellular technologies on range and power consumption. With this low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN) technology, data can
be transmitted over large distances while only needing very little power. Batteries can last very long as devices only ‘wake up’ when they
have to read and transmit data and go back into sleeping mode after.

Loadsensing, for example, was developed using LoRa technology because it offers the possibility to deploy private networks, enabling
clients to have more control and to be less dependent on the large operators.
LoRa (Long-Range) is a long-range, low-power wireless platform that has become the
de facto technology for Internet of Things (IoT) networks worldwide
As shown in this image, a wireless system may be deployed to suit most mining monitoring needs -
it can be used in open pits, tailing dams, underground, worksites and monitor key weather
parameters such as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and water evaporation. Just by
using just one gateway, it can cover the whole extension of a mine and reach distances of around
15kilometers or 9 miles.

For example, Boliden uses wireless technology to control pore-pressure by means of 120
piezometers installed in 40 boreholes in their Aitik open pit mine situated outside the town of
Gällivare in the very north of Sweden, and also uses sensors connected to robotic equipment at its
underground Garpenberg mine; the sensors feed data in a central above-ground control room.

Shafts are drilled at underground mines to provide access for vehicles and workers to the ore.
There is no network available underground, so shafts are used to install optic fiber, leaky feeders
and access points via wifi. While wifi features high battery consumption and limited distance
coverage, IoT wireless technologies such as LoRa provide an alternative last mile option from the
gateway to the actual sensors that may be installed in galleries spanning from 100 meters to 2
kilometers. Since galleries range from 2.5-6 meters in height, which is just enough to let scoop
trams and trucks pass through, there is minimal space available for cabling; making easy-to-install
and to adapt monitoring solutions an attractive alternative.
In terms of battery life, Loadsensing nodes for example, have been designed to function
autonomously and unattended over long time periods, even up to 10 years. The system’s low-
power components remain on sleep mode and are only activated at predetermined times. Once a
unit has gone into active mode to read data from a sensor and sends it to a gateway, it goes right
back into sleep mode.
Here is an example of how a LoRa-based wireless monitoring system works. Sensors are installed at
their specific locations and wired to dataloggers which collect data from these sensors. The data is
broadcasted via radio signal to the gateway. For Loadsensing, currently the radio server and the
dataserver are both hosted in the gateway and users may access the data readings, basic
visualization and network management via web. As part of the evolution of the technology,
Worldsensing is also working on launch a cloud-based version with new features such as multi-
gateway, high-performance networks.

An additional software layer can be added by the client to manage alarms and build further
calculations by sending data from the gateway directly to its platform via FTP/Modbus/API Calls.
Here is an example of how a LoRa-based wireless monitoring system works. Sensors are installed at
their specific locations and wired to dataloggers which collect data from these sensors. The data is
broadcasted via radio signal to the gateway. For Loadsensing, currently the radio server and the
dataserver are both hosted in the gateway and users may access the data readings, basic
visualization and network management via web. As part of the evolution of the technology,
Worldsensing is also working on launch a cloud-based version with new features such as multi-
gateway, high-performance networks.

An additional software layer can be added by the client to manage alarms and build further
calculations by sending data from the gateway directly to its platform via FTP/Modbus/API Calls.
In addition to the remote sensing technologies, it is important to highlight in-ground sensors.

In fact, one of the advantages of in-ground sensors like piezometers and inclinometers is that they
can monitor not only the surface deformation but also the causes of these movements. Remote
sensing technologies often just measure surface deformation (consequences) but rarely the original
causes.

By analyzing monitoring data from in-ground sensors, users may identify evidence of any deviations
from the expected performance and any deterioration of the performance over time. Therefore, in-
ground sensors enable the implementation of remedial actions at the right moment, revealing
unknowns and reducing uncertainty inherent in geotechnical work.

It is important to note that mining companies also dedicate significant efforts to in-ground sensors
because the installation of these sensors is expensive due to the drilling costs. However, most of
these sensors are still manually read in many tailings dams or are read with standalone loggers like
the water level loggers. This is probably because of the complexity of the earlier data acquisition
solutions in terms of connectivity and power requirements.
So how does a wireless system work for monitoring a tailings facility?
Water plays an important role in the stability and behavior of a dam.

The distribution of pore water pressure within the embankment, the position of water table and
saturated and unsaturated regions are related to the stability and behavior of a dam.
Rainfall is a triggering factor influencing the stability of soil embankments.

It is important to monitor rainfall and to estimate rainfall infiltration to verify these boundary
conditions for the seepage models and to properly evaluate the water movement within the dam.
Proper water management requires the monitoring of the pond level. The elevation of the surface
water within the tailings pond is a surface boundary condition for the saturated/unsaturated
seepage models

Radar level sensor

Ultrasonic level sensor
Hydrostatic level measurement with submersible pressure sensor
Lateral deformation over depth within the embankment and within the bedrock is a critical
parameter to evaluate the performance of the dam in terms of stability.

Incipient horizontal deformation over depth can determine the need and timing for corrective
measures.

Note: In-place inclinometers are an alternative to manual survey of borehole inclinometers using
portable probes and requiring an on-site operator
Internal erosion and piping within embankment dams may start in cracks caused by differential
settlement or desiccation, in cracks caused by hydraulic fracture and in very poorly compacted
layers of soil.

Field inspections and effective monitoring of cracking as a precursor to internal erosion is then
required in a proper risk assessment.
Predicting settlement of embankment dams during and post construction is a critical design
consideration.

Total and differential settlements relative to the surface of the subgrade can be measured with
vertical extensometers anchored in bedrock and at intermediate points within the embankment.
The abutments of a tailings dam are significant elements in the foundations of the dam, providing
stable support for the embankment and sufficient resistance to seepage.

The abutments are often rock which are exposed on steep slopes and may be mantled by deposits.
To stabilize the abutments ground anchors may be required depending on the design
considerations.
Monitoring water quality in wells covering kilometers / miles downstream of the tailings dam
enable the implementation of remedial measures at the right moment, like cut-off trenches for
containment of the pollution source.

The results of the monitoring will also be useful to validate the assumptions of groundwater
contamination models and implemented water management.
So how does a wireless monitoring system work? Sensors are installed at their specific locations and
wired to dataloggers which collect the data from these sensors. The data is broadcast via radio
signal to a gateway, from which is automatically sent to an industrial server via the Internet. Finally,
data can be automatically displayed through network monitoring or visualization software.
Wireless system may also be deployed to monitor underground mining.

In this case, and considering the layout, it is required to deploy several gateways. For this, it is
important to be able to deploy a multi-gateway network.

In addition, Worldsensing is working to launch more cost-effective gateways to offer a proper

wireless solution for these applications.
Vincent Le Borgne has hands-on, field experience in managing large monitoring systems for mines
in Canada and currently provides technical guidance regarding installation execution, sampling,
logging and monitoring measurements, data management and quality control. He has published
papers pertaining to instrumentation and conducts training for professionals and university
students in Québec and Ontario.
Monitoring of tailings systems and water control systems has been, and sometimes still is,
conducted manually. However, modern operations are often closely managed and require more
consistent and real-time updates of the measurements than can be obtained from manual surveys.
In large-area open-pit Canadian mines, the cold winters, rough terrain and long distances make
manual data collection unreliable and infrequent for most of the year.
This mine is located near Labrador city, Canada. It’s a subarctic region in the Canadian Shield. The
region is well known for rich iron deposits.
This concentrate is shipped out directly by rail with residue stored on-site.
The mine owner conducted an upgrade to automate the process and transmit data directly to the
control center.
Point 1 : Backwards compatibility was critical. They currently have VW piezometers and not that
many data loggers are available.
Point 2 : Automation and reliability are a requirement. Due to the cost-saving requirements, we had
to dispense not only of the manual data collection but also of as much maintenance as possible,
such as replacing batteries or having to troubleshoot radio problems.
Power requirements are very easy to meet with this technology because we are looking at a 10
year battery life for these vibrating wire piezometers.
It was critical to convince the client to run radio tests due to the geography of the site. We were not
convinced that we could easily reach all the nodes. We were able to test beforehand what locations
might be problematic and to ascertain that the technology would fulfill the project requirements.
We basically drove around the site from piezometer to piezometer to test radio communications at
each location. The antenna can be seen sticking out of the truck at the top.
Installation took place mostly in the fall. There are cold weather constraints to take into account for
worker safety and equipment handling.
The protective enclosure for manual readings can be seen in the back. The node was installed next
to it.
We use protective enclosures to protect against winter storms and ice build up on the nodes
themselves. The grounding wire can be seen at the bottom. We use heavy duty antennas.
The gateway is located in a central location at the top of a silo.
Overhead view of the site. The gateway is at a low point on top of a building with an internet and
power connection.
For instance, for antennas located 2 km apart for 900 MHz frequency radio waves, the radius of F1
is approximately equal to 12.9 m. It follows that in this specific application, antennas should be 5.1
m (i.e. 40 % of 12.9 m) off the ground for an acceptable transmission quality. Antennas were rarely
installed more than 3 m off the ground, so every radio linked had to be assessed for data integrity.
The following table summarizes this information for selected nodes at Mine 2 . Node 5 provides
very strong and consistent signal. Node 15, over 4 km away, has acceptable signal strength (-120
dBm being the cutoff) and very few, if any, messages dropped. However, node 10, located
approximately 2 km away from the gateway has very poor signal and a very high fraction of
messages dropped. The silo where the antenna is located was chosen in part due to its central
location, but it has the drawback of being at a lower elevation than other parts of the mine. For
node 10, both the node antenna and the gateway antenna are lower than the summit of the pile
located between them, blocking line of sight and the Fresnel Zone. To address this issue, the
acquisition frequency of node 10 is multiplied by 6, ensuring that enough data reaches the gateway
in all conditions
Example A: Piezometers
Tailings dam instrumented with:
20 single VW piezometers in boreholes
15 boreholes instrumented with 3 VW piezometers each

Costs of wireless monitoring include: Additional cost of nodes, gateway, software and monthly
maintenance.

Note: Cost estimate for a tailings dam located in a European country; only the costs of data
collection and data management have been considered because drilling, installation and data
analysis costs are the same for automatic and manual readings.
Example B: Piezometers + inclinometers
Tailings dam instrumented with:
20 single VW piezometers in boreholes
15 boreholes instrumented with 3 VW piezometers each
5 borehole inclinometers, 30 m length each

Costs of wireless monitoring include: Additional cost of nodes, gateway, in-place inclinometers (20
IPIs with 1.5 m spacing at each borehole), software and monthly maintenance.

Note: Cost estimate for a tailings dam located in a European country; only the costs of data
collection and data management have been considered because drilling, installation and data
analysis costs are the same for automatic and manual readings.
Range is the most important consideration to select a wireless system because monitoring points
are spread over a large and the distance between monitoring points can be significant. Considering
these points, it is recommended for the monitoring system to be able to cover the long-range.

The monitoring systems should be easy to deploy anywhere and not dependent on signal coverage.

Usually, the costliest in a monitoring project is cable protection and some auxiliary installations like
trenches to extend the cables. Through a long-range wireless system, projects may save kilometers
of cables and keep installation and maintenance costs down.
Check also the network topology of the wireless monitoring provider. A star network topology has a
longer range, is not affected by radio signal obstructions, does not need repeaters or network
planning and is not critical path dependent.

One unbiased parameter to compare radios is the sensitivity. The lower the sensitivity the higher
the distance. As a rule-of-thumb, you can consider that every 6-dBm increase in sensitivity doubles
the possible distance that is achievable. As a result the distance would be multiplied by 32.

Security is central to the protocol implementation to ensure a very resilient wireless system. The
most advanced encryption mechanisms have been used to ensure the solution is ideal for mission
critical applications.
Another important consideration when evaluating a potential monitoring solution is the ability of
the network to automatically adapt to changes in the sensor network setup.

The sensor network needs to be capable of updating itself and shouldn’t require to manual
reprogramming by an expert to prevent wrong readings or to reconfigure the network.

Additional nodes have to be easy to install and remove. Construction sites are environments that
are constantly changing. It is important to select a wireless system that provides to the user all the
tools required to reconfigure the nodes, to remove and reinstall nodes close to the front of the
excavation considering the necessities of the project. Loadsensing for example has an an advanced
network management tool that allows for the automatic addition of new nodes in the network.
Moreover, the network protocols have been designed to be highly scalable, and a single
Loadsensing gateway can manage up to 500 nodes.

The initial monitoring plan probably is going to evolve depending on the measurements and the
progress of the excavation. Flexibility is required.

It would also be good to check if the system enables easy configuration of the nodes. For example,
Loadsensing provides a mobile app which enables users to easily configure the nodes, introduce
radio network parameters, check the readings of the connected sensors and performing signal
coverage tests - several useful field tools that offers flexibility and adaptability.
Taking as an example a tailings dam, it is possible to encounter power supply interruptions or
connectivity issues between the gateway and the network. In order to manage this issue, a multi-
gateway architecture is ideal. Through a multi-gateway network, nodes will broadcast data to
several gateways instead of just to one. Therefore, if the connection between a node and one
gateway fails, there will be another or other gateways that may establish communication with the
node and no data will be lost.
Taking as an example a tailings dam, it is possible to encounter power supply interruptions or
connectivity issues between the gateway and the network. In order to manage this issue, a multi-
gateway architecture is ideal. Through a multi-gateway network, nodes will broadcast data to
several gateways instead of just to one. Therefore, if the connection between a node and one
gateway fails, there will be another or other gateways that may establish communication with the
node and no data will be lost.
It is important to constantly update the monitoring program throughout the tailings facility lifecycle
to confirm that it remains effective and this means that new sensors may be installed at any time.
Every time a new device is included or removed from the network, the sensor network needs to be
capable of updating itself and shouldn’t require to manual reprogramming by an expert to prevent
wrong readings and potential disasters due to human errors.

A tailings dam is raised in succession throughout the life of a particular mine.

● Sometimes, the sensors become useless when the dam is raised and new sensors have to
deployed to monitor the performance of the embankment dam, even the starter dike and
the raised one.
● Considering this situation, a low power long-range wireless system is the best choice
because of its adaptability:
● Nodes may be uninstalled before a new raise is added and may may be easily re-
installed after installing new sensors
● No need for an external power source
Check for water tightness, robustness in extreme environments, resistance to extreme
temperatures. The nodes should ideally also not require recasing. For example, Loadsensing units
are IP67 rated and tested from -40C to +80C.
Another item that should be on the checklist is the compatibility of the wireless monitoring system
with the sensors that are going to be installed in the project.

There are different sensor interfaces: vibrating wire, current loop, voltage, potentiometer, full
wheatstone bridge etc. The project can also require the reading of data from chains of digital in-
place inclinometers using a battery-powered node. In addition, 2-in-1 sensor and nodes such as a
wireless tiltmeter or a laser distance node may be considered.

To sight another example, the Loadsensing digital node can read chains of in-place inclinometers
from Geosense, RST, Sisgeo, DGSI Slope, Geoflex, Geokon, and also MPBX from MDT, water level
loggers from In-situ , water multi-parameter probe (pressure, temperature and conductivity) from
Keller and chained digital thermistors from Geokon.
Data access and compatibility with data visualization softwares is another important consideration.

In a monitoring plan, several monitoring methods will be required: geodetic techniques, vibration
monitoring, wireless solutions etc. Usually all this information is presented in a data management
and visualization software.

It is therefore important to see how data from the wireless system may be integrated in the project
software.

For example, Loadsensing dataservers offer different alternatives for access such as push data on
user FTP, Modbus TCP and REST API Calls.

In addition, the Loadsensing dataserver can be hosted into the gateway allowing for installations in
private networks.
Finally, check the provider’s compliance with required certifications and regulations. For example,
Loadsensing has the certificates for FCC (USA), IC (Canada), CE (EU) and ACMA (Australia) and is
certified in other countries such as Korea, Chile and Perú. It also features ultra low-power
capabilities in ISM bands. The industrial, scientific, and medical radio band (ISM band) are
unlicensed bands open for the use of radio frequency (RF) for scientific, medical and industrial
requirements.
We will now review some of the industry trends regarding the innovation for Tailings dams
monitoring, that Worldsensing is also working on.
We have just heard about different technologies for tailings dam monitoring. The next step consists
of a complete solution for tailings dams and storage facilities monitoring that does not only gather
and display the data but also processes the information and automatically triggers alerts and
response plans based on specific business rules defined by the mining operator.
InSAR data can be used to complete the data gathered by physical sensors. Satellite, earth
observation, radar data is processed to track ground movement, which provides a global picture of
the infrastructure, allows the detection of the best locations for the sensors, and supplies additional
information that can be correlated to that of the physical sensors, that provide more specific,
underground and near real-time information about the tailings dams.
We are also looking at increasing the number of data layers, adding UAV data, ground device data,
and deep underground (mainly seismic) data for advanced monitoring, response plans triggering
and cost/risk analysis.
Finally, we are working on an advanced soil mathematical tool that feeds from the data collected by
the Loadsensing devices to improve its model and learn from each new batch of data. This should
allow to predict the behaviour of the infrastructure and its potential failures.
We can see that the mining industry is now attempting to set international safety guidelines for
tailings dams however this is currently a challenge because there is no official database for tailings
dams.
Also as shown by our speakers earlier, we can see that remote, wireless monitoring can be an ideal
solution because it addresses some of the main challenges that mines face in terms of distance,
frequency of data acquisition and network adaptability. However, of course with any technology, it
does have some limitations, but these can be addressed by making adjustments in the monitoring
setup.
Finally, we also got a glimpse of the mining innovations that I believe aims for the mining industry
to be more proactive than reactive.
Worldsensing is a global IoT pioneer. These are just some of our mining references. Our wireless
monitoring product, Loadsensing has been deployed in over 90 mines across more than 20
countries.