Technology and innovation
Maintenance prevents fire
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I-Cat
It is essential to have a well-implemented maintenance regime in place to prevent fire incidents on mining vehicles. Poor maintenance and bad operator practice are some of the biggest contributors to fires in mining vehicles.“ In some cases, the bad installation of the fire suppression system was the cause of a fire, as the suppression hoses allegedly chafed against the fuel or hydraulic lines, causing them to rupture and spray fuel on hot engine surfaces,” says Andro Gibhard, head of the fire division at environmental management company I-Cat.
One of the biggest underground fires in South Africa was caused by an operator running a vehicle with the emergency brake on. Parked next to other vehicles during a shift change, the brakes overheated, and the tyres caught fire. The fire spread quickly to other vehicles and the mine had to close the shaft.
A fire-suppression system is meaningless if there is no action plan in the event of an incident, or proper training of operators on how to respond if there is a fire.“ A major problem in the mining industry is that customers often install fire-suppression systems simply to be compliant, without proper understanding of the system itself or its specific requirements. Most procurement decisions about what to install are based on cost, which often means the cheapest system is installed, and not necessarily the correct system for that particular application,” says Gibhard.
I-Cat recommends a proper risk assessment, especially given that the same mining vehicle might have a totally different risk assessment in two different environments.“ A major factor easily overlooked is that fire-suppression systems are generally not installed to protect the vehicles or equipment, but to save the lives of the operator and those around the vehicle. Therefore, it is important to conduct a formal risk assessment agreed upon by all stakeholders, including the client, consultant, and service provider,” says Gibhard.
“ Providing unique technology patented around the world, we are currently at the leading edge of technology advances in the vehicle fire-suppression market internationally,” Gibhard stresses. An example of this innovation is the I-Cat Fire Division’ s TRT-VPS-FM system, an acronym for T-Rotor Technology – Vehicle Protection System – Foam Mist. T-Rotor Technology is the internationally patented lowpressure mist system powering the division’ s extensive product range.
This includes protection for not only vehicle systems, but also for conveyor belts( drive, take-up, and tail-end), hydraulic power packs, transformers, and generators.
These are all stored-water pressure systems, which means that an external water connection is not needed for them to be operational.
ELB EQUIPMENT HEAD OFFICE:
Tel: + 27( 0) 11 306 0700 E-mail: Elb @ elbquip. co. za
BRANCHES & DEALERS SOUTH AFRICA:
BRITS • CAPE TOWN • DURBAN EAST LONDON • GEORGE KIMBERLEY • MIDDELBURG POLOKWANE
DEALERS – SOUTHERN AFRICA:
BOTSWANA • LESOTHO MOZAMBIQUE • NAMIBIA
• SWAZILAND • ZAMBIA ZIMBABWE
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APRIL 2018 MINING MIRROR [ 39 ]