Power management for Wireless Sensor Networks in underground mining

Due to the challenging working conditions in the underground mining, some difficulties are being experienced in sensing and monitoring of important physical environmental parameters. The requirement for a Wireless Sensor Network has gained significant importance in recent years for the measurement and transmission of various data from different areas of an underground operation to a central monitoring station. The sensor nodes in Wireless Sensor Network, capable of microcontroller controlled wireless data transferring, could work with electricity in the main roads of the underground mine, however, the necessity of using sensor nodes using batteries in various fields like production and abandoned areas emerges. The working life of each sensor nodes depends on the efficiently managed battery lifespan. The battery life depends on the battery type selection, the standby and active mode power consumption of microcontrollers, wireless transmitters and receivers, sensors and miscellaneous electronic circuits. In this study, applicable methods to reduce the battery consumption for Wireless Sensor Networks in underground mining are examined.