Wireless monitoring for tailings dams
Acquire pore-pressure and deformation readings remotely.
Ackcio Beam connects supported instruments across your tailings facility to a wireless acquisition network. Bring scheduled readings into your monitoring workflow, with Self-Healing Mesh that uses alternative radio paths where available.
- Connect piezometers and displacement instruments
- Self-Healing Mesh across changing site layouts
- Remote access to readings and node configuration
Tailings deployment evidence
Remote readings.
Real tailings facilities.
Pore pressure and displacement measurements brought together through wireless data acquisition.
Kalgoorlie · Australia
AustraliaPore pressure, then embankment deformation
Eleven vibrating wire nodes transmitted piezometer readings to one gateway every 30 minutes. The network later expanded with two digital nodes for in-place inclinometers.
- 30 min
- piezometer reading interval
- One gateway
- for both instrument types
Measurements: pore water pressure and embankment deformation
Acquisition: vibrating wire and digital nodes
North West Province · South Africa
South AfricaMultiple measurements on one network
Piezometers, inclinometers and settlement sensors connect through vibrating wire and digital nodes to a gateway.
Measurements: pore water pressure, subsurface displacement and settlement
Acquisition: vibrating wire and digital nodes
Related tailings experience: dry-tailings monitoring in Limpopo
Limpopo · South Africa
Custom instrumentation with TANDM
A separate dry-tailings project connected piezometers, liner-strain and soil-moisture sensors through Ackcio’s wireless acquisition network.
Read the published case study ↗“Ackcio’s support has been excellent throughout the setup and commissioning phase.”TANDM Project Team · Limpopo dry-tailings facility
From measurement to review
How Ackcio fits your monitoring setup
The instrument output, reading interval, site layout and data destination determine the system configuration.
01 / INSTRUMENT + NODE
Match the interface
Connect supported instrument outputs to the appropriate acquisition node. Check the exact sensor model, excitation, output and power needs.
Analogue Nodes Vibrating Wire Nodes Digital Node
02 / GATEWAY
Collect the readings
The gateway receives data from the Beam network. Plan its location, power and backhaul around the facility and the required workflow.
Explore the Gateway
03 / SOFTWARE
Review and integrate
Manage the network and sensor data through Snape. Send readings to compatible third-party platforms or your own software using supported API or FTP integrations. Confirm the data format, destination and access requirements for your project.
Explore SnapeWork with the instruments you use
Select the node by the instrument’s electrical output: analogue, vibrating wire or a supported digital interface. The instrument category alone does not determine compatibility.
Check output type, excitation, power, channel requirements and reading interval for each model. Ackcio sensors and compatible third-party instruments can form part of the same monitoring plan.
Fit your existing data workflow
Choose where engineers will review the readings: Snape, a compatible monitoring platform or an internal system. Plan the gateway connection and integration around that destination.
Confirm supported interfaces and data formats with the project team before specifying the system.
The wireless differentiator
Self-Healing Mesh
Embankment geometry, equipment and changing site conditions can affect radio links. Ackcio Beam automatically selects communication paths, using alternative routes where available.
Mesh reroutes radio communication. It does not repair instrument cables, faulty sensors or lost power. Beam Mesh and TM-L LoRa use different communication systems.
How Ackcio Mesh works
Explore sensors, acquisition and visualisation
The Ackcio approach
Sensors. Data acquisition.
Visualisation.
Start with the measurement, then select the instrument, connection and review workflow. Ackcio supplies sensors and data acquisition products, and supports compatible third-party instruments.
Choose the right sensor
Match tilt, displacement, strain, load and environmental measurements to the facility’s monitoring plan.
Explore Ackcio sensorsBring readings together
Connect suitable instrument outputs to the appropriate Ackcio Node. For Beam deployments, Self-Healing Mesh provides the wireless communication network.
Understand Self-Healing MeshPut data to work
Use Snape for network and data management, with integration into supported monitoring software where required.
Explore SnapeWhat can you monitor?
Six areas. A connected view.
Explore the facility from weather and pond level to foundation movement and data quality. Pair each monitoring question with suitable instruments and an acquisition plan.
Monitoring area 01
Weather and pond level
What are weather and pond conditions doing across the facility?
- Rainfall and weather
- Rain gauges and weather stations record rainfall, wind and temperature at selected locations.
- Pond level
- Level instruments track water-level changes at the pond and decant.
- Freeboard
- Interpret water level against surveyed crest elevations and the facility’s reference levels.
Relevant Ackcio products and connections
Explore connection options ↗Instrument selection and interpretation
Weather stations, rain gauges and pond-level instruments are third-party instrument categories. Confirm the interface, datum and freeboard calculation.
Monitoring area 02
Embankment movement
Where is the embankment displacing, settling or tilting?
- Horizontal displacement
- In-place inclinometers and suitably installed displacement arrays provide subsurface horizontal displacement profiles.
- Settlement and heave
- Settlement cells or appropriately oriented displacement instrumentation measure vertical displacement.
- Tilt
- Tiltmeters record angular change at suitable, stable mounting locations along the crest or structures.
Instrument selection and interpretation
Tilt is angular change, not direct settlement. Select the array orientation and installation around the required displacement component.
Monitoring area 03
Pore pressure and seepage
How are water conditions changing within the embankment and drainage system?
- Pore water pressure
- Piezometers record pore pressure at selected depths and locations.
- Phreatic conditions
- Interpret pressure readings with installation elevations, soil conditions and the ground model.
- Seepage and toe drains
- Appropriate flow meters, weirs and level instruments record drainage flow and water levels.
Instrument selection and interpretation
A piezometer measures pressure at its installed point. Inferring a phreatic surface requires engineering interpretation and an appropriate instrument layout. Generic piezometers are not restricted to one output technology.
Monitoring area 04
Decant and structures
How are the decant, spillway and retaining structures responding?
- Structural strain
- Surface, embedment or rebar strain gauges measure local strain in selected structural members.
- Anchor load
- Suitable load cells measure load at specified anchors and retaining-wall connections.
- Cracks, joints and tilt
- Crackmeters track opening and closing at structural cracks or joints. Tiltmeters measure angular change on the structure.
Relevant Ackcio products and connections
Ackcio strain gauges ↗ Ackcio Load Cell ↗ Ackcio Crackmeter ↗Instrument selection and interpretation
Install crackmeters across structural cracks or joints, not loose embankment fill. Strain needs material assumptions for stress interpretation. Confirm load paths and mounting details.
Monitoring area 05
Foundation movement
At what depth is displacement developing beneath the facility?
- Subsurface horizontal displacement
- In-place inclinometers and suitably installed arrays measure displacement through instrumented boreholes.
- Settlement and heave
- Settlement cells or other suitable displacement instruments record vertical change at selected locations.
- Weak layers and shear zones
- Interpret displacement profiles against the ground model to assess change across identified layers.
Instrument selection and interpretation
GeoArray is an Ackcio product. In-place inclinometers, ShapeArray and settlement cells may form part of a compatible third-party instrument plan. Displacement instruments do not directly determine liquefaction susceptibility or prove stability.
Monitoring area 06
Data health
Does a change reflect site conditions or a measurement or communication issue?
- Device status
- Review available battery, communication and temperature indicators for the deployed equipment.
- Gaps, spikes and noise
- Investigate missing or unusual readings alongside site events and instrument checks.
- Self-Healing Mesh
- Alternative radio routes can carry readings when network design and site conditions provide another viable path.
Instrument selection and interpretation
Check the status fields available for the installed hardware and software. Radio rerouting cannot repair a disconnected cable, faulty instrument or lost power. Physical faults still require investigation.
Between inspections
A measurement record
between site visits.
Remote acquisition adds readings between manual visits. Their value depends on the instrument layout, acquisition interval and the team’s review and response process.
Periodic observations
Inspections and manual readings capture conditions at particular times. Remote locations and access restrictions can limit how often instruments are read.
Configured acquisition
Connected instruments provide scheduled readings for review alongside rainfall, pond operations and site observations. Engineers determine the significance of trends and the required actions.
Start with your asset
A monitoring plan
built around your facility.
Define the measurements and acquisition requirements for the operating stage, ground model and engineering questions.
Operating facilities
Coordinate pore pressure and displacement readings with deposition and pond records.
Embankment raises
Plan instrumentation and radio coverage around construction and changing geometry.
Foundations
Target identified layers with a suitable borehole and settlement instrument layout.
Decant and spillways
Select structural strain, anchor load, crack and tilt measurements at defined locations.
Dry tailings
Specify moisture, pressure, strain or displacement measurements around the facility design.
Closed facilities
Plan access, power and maintenance for the required monitoring period.
Define the question
Identify the asset, engineering concern, required parameters and the people responsible for reviewing the data.
Plan the deployment
Select the instruments, acquisition method and network layout. Agree access, power, installation and commissioning requirements with the project team.
Review, then extend
Validate readings and the response workflow before extending the system. Use actual project costs and access requirements to assess the business case.
Build a project-specific business case
Consider site visits, access arrangements, installation, connectivity and ongoing maintenance. Savings depend on the actual monitoring scope.
Keep engineering decisions with the team
Monitoring supports assessment. Inspection, engineering interpretation and the agreed action plan remain essential.
Common questions
Before you specify a system
Can existing instruments connect to Ackcio Beam?
Assess the exact sensor output, excitation, power, channel needs and acquisition interval. Suitable analogue, vibrating wire and supported digital instruments can use the appropriate node. A sensor category alone does not establish compatibility.
How often should the instruments be read?
Set the interval around the engineering question, sensor capability, power budget and review process. Kalgoorlie’s 30-minute piezometer interval is a project example, not a universal specification.
Does tilt measure settlement or heave?
Tilt is angular change. Use suitable settlement or displacement instrumentation to measure vertical change, and appropriately installed arrays or inclinometers for subsurface horizontal displacement.
What can Self-Healing Mesh recover from?
It can reroute radio communication where an alternative viable path exists. Cut instrument cables, faulty sensors and lost power still require maintenance. Beam Mesh and TM-L LoRa are separate systems.
Can monitoring demonstrate dam stability or compliance?
Monitoring provides evidence for engineering review. Stability assessment, inspections, site investigation and the agreed response plan remain essential. A monitoring system alone does not establish compliance or guarantee sufficient warning.