Spiraling in the right direction
BMG has extended its range of Eaton Winner hose and fittings to include Eaton’ s latest generation of 4S / 6S spiral hose and hose fittings, designed for use in high-pressure hydraulic systems used in mobile machinery and equipment.
These new Eaton 4S / 6S hose assemblies— which refer to the 4-spiral and 6-spiral wire reinforcement of the hose approved with respective 4S and 6S series fittings— exceed stringent industry specifications.
“ This new series of spiral hose fittings incorporates major technological advancements in fitting design, which provides a high-performing spiral hose assembly for the most demanding applications,” explains David Dyce, business unit manager: Fluid Technology at BMG.“ Three outstanding features of this recently launched range include the elimination of cool-down leakage, advanced metal fitting corrosion protection, and a simple, user-friendly hose-fitting assembly process.”
Reaching inaccessible places
The Elios collision-tolerant drone was used to inspect a high-vacuum furnace at the SAPREF refinery in KwaZulu-Natal.
The scope of the project was to inspect the hard-to-reach places that are extremely difficult or dangerous for humans to enter. The drone enters the tight or even inaccessible space from the outside of the unit, while the pilot, the CHB expert Visual Observer( VO) and engineers monitor the inspection via a live feed on a monitor.
Flying from chamber to chamber, the drone detects any irregularities on the screen. The VO can report immediately if a chamber is safe to enter.“ It’ s his job to focus on the safety of the drone pilot, while the pilot’ s focus is on flying the drone,” says Skyriders marketing manager, Mike Zinn.
The March 2018 inspection took just a day to complete, equating to a massive time-saving over previous methods.“ All parties were so impressed with the results produced by the drone that we are in the process of putting together a memorandum of understanding( MoU) with CHB for future inspections,” Zinn reveals.
With the drone technology, Skyriders is now able to carry out difficult or high-risk inspections such as those at chemical plants and power generation plants.“ The timing, efficiency, and safety initiatives required with chemical plants, in particular, means that sending a machine into potentially harmful environments, rather than humans, gives us peace of mind, and a huge reduction in potential injuries. Being able to enter difficult places means drones can ensure the areas are safe before general work continues. It’ s definitely the way forward,” Zinn comments.
Compressors’ rugged environments
Drill to deeper depths while using less fuel on average with the dual-pressure PG 1200S-350 ELGi compressor.
Integrated Air Solutions
ELGi has a range of compressors that includes both electric oil-lubricated and oil-free rotary screw machines, high-pressure diesel-driven as well as centrifugal and portable air compressors. The compressor range has shown itself to be suited to southern Africa’ s rugged environment. One of the compressors is the ELGi high-pressure diesel-driven compressor.
Key applications for ELGi’ s highpressure diesel-driven compressors include water well, exploration, post hole, down-the-hole( DTH), and auger drilling. ELGi’ s electric compressor range is finding wide acceptance in the general industry and mining sectors.
The PG 1200-350 is the latest in ELGi’ s compressor range.“ This new kid on the block is the answer to improved efficiency and productivity and reduced operating costs— critical factors in determining the sustainability of any business. This remarkable dual-pressure machine enables the end-user to drill to deeper depths while using less fuel on average,” comments Integrated Air Solutions CEO, Graham Russell.
OCTOBER 2018 MINING MIRROR [ 39 ]