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The Most Overlooked Monitoring Spots Underground

Views: 0     Author: Site Editor     Publish Time: 2025-09-19      Origin: Site

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Blind spots hide in plain sight. Crews walk past them daily. Rainy months raise the stakes. A small gap turns into a flooded sump. Pumps then chase spikes, not trends. We want early signal, calm action, zero drama.

This guide maps seven hotspots, offers quick checks, shows low‑cost fixes, calls out classic pitfalls. We lean on KJ117(A) screens for trends and alerts. We add short field moves for bends, returns, and goaf edges. We keep it simple. We keep it fast. We talk like a crew on shift.

You can paste the tables into a binder. You can stick the mini charts near control panels. You can brief new hires in one break. Small prep now, huge payoff later.

Why blind spots appear

  • Geometry turns change flow regime. Pressure pulses bounce around corners.

  • Hydraulic highs and lows trap air pockets. Gauges then drift from reality.

  • Return lines stir the pool near pump rooms. Real inflow gets masked.

  • Temporary works reroute water paths. Old points then lose meaning.

  • Legacy layouts remain frozen. Mines evolve. Sensor grids must evolve too.

Seven hotspot categories at a glance

  • Bends and T‑junctions

  • Pump‑room return sections and discharge headers

  • Goaf boundaries and barrier pillars

  • Shaft stations and sumps

  • Pipeline high points and air pockets

  • Weir drops and gate up/downstream zones

  • Temporary works and cofferdams

Master table: risk, checks, fixes, pitfalls

Use this as a one‑page field card. Print large. Add check boxes for each site.

Hotspot Why risky Quick check Fix or upgrade Frequent pitfall
Bends & T‑junctions Direction flip, local turbulence, hidden back‑eddies Compare upstream/downstream curves for "decoupling" during calm hours Place sensors on straight runs before and after the corner, add a second point for cross‑check One probe in the bend center, noisy data, no trend
Pump‑room return & headers Return flow disturbs level and pressure, masks true inflow Watch a "step" when pumps cut or switch, then see how baseline settles Add points on both sides of the return merge, include a flowmeter at the mix Read only pump outlet, ignore the merge zone
Goaf boundary & pillars Unknown connectivity, slow rebound after rain, long lag Compare night windows 24–48 h after first storm, look for gentle rise Densify points along the edge, consider a TEM scout scan for "bright lines" Long flat line interpreted as safe forever
Shaft station & sump Many inlets, sediment, bubbles around probes Visual check for foam or mud lines, compare to nearby pressure Fit guards, raise the probe a bit, add redundancy one meter away Probe sits too low, eats mud, lies about level
Pipeline high points Air pockets distort pressure readings, cause jitter Vent the high point, then compare pre/post pressure shape Place pressure and flow sensors at both a high point and a low point, add auto vents Obsession over averages only, no look at variance
Weir drops & gates Turbulence and head jumps create false oscillations Compare head loss across the weir to the design delta Move probe to a calming section, or switch to ultrasonic/radar Noise mistaken for an anomaly, alarms trigger all night
Temporary works Flow path gets rerouted, old points turn blind Compare 24 h before vs 24 h after the change, seek curve breaks Add temporary redundancy, restore original grid after demob Site reopens, grid never gets fixed

A quick visual map

Simple placement sketch for a bend. Place sensors in calm segments, not at the apex.


Simple placement sketch

Now a return merge view. Put eyes on both sides of the mix.

return merge view

Field reading: three rules

  1. Hunt for decoupling between neighbors. Same weather, same shift, curves drift apart → blind spot.

  2. Search for "steps" during pump events. A crisp step plus fast settle → machinery effect. A step plus slow rise → inflow change.

  3. Scan night windows. Quiet hours reveal soft climbs from goaf zones.

Mini cheat card:

Decoupling → blind spot or interference Step + quick settle → machinery only Step + slow night climb → external inflow Jitter near high point → trapped air

The 3‑step blind‑spot audit

  • Curves first. Overlay neighbors in KJ117(A). Look for drift, lag, spikes that ignore pump events.

  • Site second. Walk bends, high/low points, returns, gates. Use ears and eyes.

  • Action third. Add sensors by criticality, not by old habit. Shift thresholds for night hours near risky zones.

Priority levels:

Level Scene Action
A Goaf edge, return merge Add redundancy now, enable mobile alerts
B Bends, T‑junctions Two points flanking the corner, finish in one week
C Weir drop, high point Move probes to calming sections, verify next week

Placement recipes per hotspot

1) Bends and T‑junctions

  • Goal: clean signals before and after the turn.

  • Recipe: two probes on straight runs, five to eight meters from the apex. Cables routed away from heavy power.

  • KJ117(A) tip: build a paired trend view for both probes. Lock a 24 h overlay for pump cycles.

2) Pump‑room return sections

  • Goal: separate process noise from true inflow.

  • Recipe: place one sensor upstream of the mix, one downstream. Add a compact flowmeter near the merge.

  • Note: a clean "step" during pump cut often comes from return eddies. Real inflow shows a slow build after the step.

3) Goaf boundaries and pillars

  • Goal: more resolution where geology hides surprises.

  • Recipe: tighten spacing along edges. Raise sampling near storms. Consider YCS2000A TEM for a fast line scan, then mark the "bright belt" for extra care.

  • Night focus: look at 02:00–04:00. Pumps sit quiet. Small climbs become visible.

4) Shaft stations and sumps

  • Goal: avoid mud bias and bubble bias.

  • Recipe: mount probes slightly above sediment line. Add a guard. Install a second probe one meter away for cross‑check.

  • Routine: skim foam, clear debris during weekly rounds. Log photos.

5) Pipeline high points

  • Goal: kill air‑pocket lies.

  • Recipe: install vents. Place pressure sensors at the high point and at the nearest low point. Compare shape, not only mean.

  • Tell‑tale: jitter fades right after venting, then returns slowly as air accumulates.

6) Weir drops and gates

  • Goal: remove turbulence noise from decision logic.

  • Recipe: shift level probes into calming pools. For harsh turbulence, switch to ultrasonic or radar sensors rated for spray.

  • Cross‑check: confirm head loss against the design delta monthly.

7) Temporary works and cofferdams

  • Goal: keep eyes on the new route, then restore the old grid after demob.

  • Recipe: drop a small redundant pair along the diversion. Mark a calendar item to remove or reposition sensors after the job.

  • Evidence: two 24 h overlays, before and after the change.

Low‑budget upgrades that punch above their weight

  • Turn on mobile alerts for A‑level zones first.

  • Add tiered thresholds for night hours near goaf edges.

  • Use split‑screen overlays in KJ117(A) for upstream vs downstream pairs.

  • Route cables off wet floors and away from heavy power racks.

  • Print mini cards for decoupling rules and stick them at pump panels.

Worksheet for a 15‑minute deep pass

Use this when time allows. It adds depth on top of the five‑minute sweep.

Task Steps Evidence Time
Bend audit Measure distance from apex, confirm straight‑run seating, photo before/after Two photos, cable route sketch 3–4 min
Return merge audit Record head delta pre/post merge, capture a pump cut event Trend screenshot, event timestamp 3–4 min
High‑point vent check Vent once, log pressure shape for 2 min, note jitter drop Two mini plots 2–3 min
Sump probe bias check Visually check mud line, lift probe 10 cm, compare level Photo, level delta 2 min
Goaf edge night scan Overlay last seven nights, mark slow climbs PNG export 2 min

Two micro‑diagrams that crews love

Bend logic:

Bend logic

High‑point logic:

High‑point logic

Mini case story

A panel in the south district ran calm for weeks. The team still reported minor flooding after two storms. Curves looked clean in daytime. Night windows, once plotted, showed a slow 3–5 cm climb near a goaf edge. Only one probe sat on a bend center close to the edge. The crew moved it five meters upstream into a steady run, then added another downstream. A week later a short storm hit. KJ117(A) raised a "warn" tier fifteen minutes earlier than before. Pumps spun up sooner. Sump stayed under the comfort line. Downtime dropped. The shift lead called it "boringly smooth." Best compliment ever.

Metrics that prove progress

  • False alarms fall by twenty to forty percent over ninety days.

  • Lead time for real events grows by ten to twenty minutes.

  • Offline minutes per key node stay under one percent of calendar time.

  • Pump swap time drops under sixty seconds in drills and in live calls.

  • Bend probes show lower variance after relocation.

  • High‑point jitter decreases right after vent maintenance, then remains low for longer intervals.

A printable quick checklist

□ Bends & T‑junctions → probes on straight runs, not on the apex

□ Return merge → sensors before and after the mix, flowmeter near merge

□ Goaf edge → denser grid, higher sampling near storms, night overlays

□ Shaft station / sump → probe raised above mud, guard fitted, backup probe nearby

□ High points → vents serviced, pressure + flow at high/low points

□ Weir drop / gate → probe moved into calming pool, ultrasonic/radar where needed

□ Temporary works → temporary pair added, calendar set for restoration

□ KJ117(A) overlays → upstream vs downstream pairs pinned on a screen

□ Thresholds → tighter at night for A‑level zones

□ Mobile alerts → live test, 100% ack in ≤ 3 min

□ Cable routes → off wet floor, away from heavy power

□ Photos + logs → saved in the blind‑spot folder for this panel

FAQs

1. Do bends always need two probes?

Not always. High‑risk bends do. Quiet straight runs near the corner give better signal.

2. Do goaf edges need geophysics every time?

Not every time. A short TEM scout line helps during wet season starts or after layout changes.

3. Do we move probes a lot?

No. We place once, validate, then settle into routine checks.

4. Do we see value fast?

Yes. Night overlays show it in a few days.

Conclusion

Blind spots feel sneaky. They love corners, merges, highs, lows, loud water, and messy worksites. We can outsmart them. We scan curves as pairs, not as lonely lines. We place sensors in calm zones, not in turbulence. We keep air out of high points. We keep sumps honest. We add redundancy near goaf edges. We test alerts to real phones. We write things down.


CCTEG Xi'an Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd. was founded in 1956, with the mission of leading the progress of coal technology and supporting safe and efficient mining.

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