Software Enhances Monitoring of Electrical Drive Performance


Siemens’ new Midas 2.0 package provides mine operators with an improved, database-driven software solution to boost the efficiency of mining machines that use Siemens electrical drives. The software includes a data logger, a visualization tool and a report generator. Compared with the previous version, the database connection has been updated and the user interface given a simpler and more flexible design. Built on the .NET platform, Midas 2.0 uses an active SQL Server database to deliver substantial performance increases over the previous release. SQL Server Reporting Services generates predefined reports, as well as custom reports spanning any time period and covering any number of machines. This important new feature significantly increases worker productivity by eliminating the need to retrieve data logs from each machine and each shift then enter the data into the database.

Real-time monitoring, or historical review, is now much easier with a new desktop GUI, featuring enhanced animations and user-friendly controls. The user screens use universal icons, not labels, to reduce training time. Midas 2.0 supports multiple languages.

According to Siemens, Midas 2.0 is fully integrated with the development of the Siemens AC drive system itself to offer unparalleled insight into a machine’s operations. This enables the addition of new functionalities with only a limited amount of modification. It offers read/write options whereas other packages have read-only functionality that precludes the addition of new reporting parameters. For example, a user recently requested to include the operators’ identification numbers in reports. This was easily achieved with only minor modifications to the system.

While fully functional as a standalone solution, Siemens says Midas also interfaces with the industry’s leading dispatch and mine planning systems to seamlessly incorporate shovel data into an overall mine monitoring system. The shovel version has been in use since March 2010, and the dragline version is scheduled for release in June 2011.

www.siemens.com/mining

As featured in Womp 2010 Vol 09 - www.womp-int.com