RFID technology for tracking and tracing explosives and detonators in mining services applications

The purpose of this study is to assess issues related to the usage of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for certain mining services applications. In addition, it discusses current RFID solutions and inventions related to mining services applications. Main goals of this study are to investigate if RFID technology is suitable for inventory management of detonators and boosters, security, tracing of explosives and detonators, and retrieval of the assembly from the blast debris in the event of a misfire. Attempt has been made to address the best RFID solution for the same. IEEE 1902.1(RuBee) technology may show great potential in this field since it can achieve long reading ranges and it is not affected by proximity of rocks or metals. A hybrid solution that incorporates both near-field and far-field capabilities may be reliable for reading all the boosters and detonators at predefined locations. The safety facets for using RFID with the explosives and in hazardous areas are also highlighted.