TECHNOLOGY
Robyn Grimsley
I-CAT’ s Fire Division hosts monthly fire information sessions, combined with live fire demonstrations, at the South African Emergency Care fire-training facility in Modderfontein.
In addition to the excellent performance of I-CAT’ s fire suppression technology, I-CAT director Anton van der Merwe explains that there is another reason to look at the company’ s fire suppression solutions.“ All of our applications and product offerings are environmentally friendly, because they use water rather than chemicals, and so there is no danger of contaminated run-off,” he explains.“ Even the extinguishers that include a foaming agent are more environmentally friendly than similar products on the market, partly because of the additive itself, and partly because we only add 0.5 % foaming agent to the mix, compared to the approximately 6 % the industry usually adds.”
The TRT – VPS – FM system was designed to protect valuable production vehicles and assets against fire, to reduce downtime and clean-up after activation, and to not have activation of the fire system cause any additional damage to the equipment should a fire occur. It can be used on a wide range of vehicles, including mine haulage trucks, Bobcats, dump trucks, light delivery vehicles( LDVs), front-end loaders, excavators, backhoe loaders, waste
MYTH-BUSTING TESTS management fleets, and many more. It is also easy to install and operate.
Low-cost, long-term benefits TRT – VPS – FM systems are designed to improve and save on maintenance cost. Once a system has been activated, it will only require a refill, an antibacterial tablet, and re-pressurisation with nitrogen to put the system back into service. All TRT – VPS – FM systems have a sixmonth or 1 000-hour service interval, as stipulated by the National Fire Protection Association( NFPA).
The system comes in two options: automatic detection and suppression, and manual activation. All TRT – VPS – FM systems come with detachable Schrader valve gauges. The system cylinder pressure can be verified by simply screwing off the gauge while observing if the gauge loses pressure, and screwing it back on, observing the gauge re-pressurising. This ensures that you can always check whether the system is active and ready, giving the user peace of mind that the system will activate when needed. An audible alarm
I-CAT and other industry players spent two years conducting extensive industry tests at Sasol Secunda’ s Twistdraai test facility to determine the effectiveness of water and foam mist systems on conveyor belt fires. During this time, it was discovered that widely accepted fire suppression equipment failed badly, even in controlled test environments, raising the question of whether most firefighting products( which originate from Europe and the US) deployed in the mining industry have even been tested for the harsh African conditions. The tests also conclusively proved that dry chemical powder extinguishers are ineffective against conveyor belt and tyre fires.
Robyn Grimsley also warns the operator when the system has activated. While linear heat detection is recommended for machinery, any type of detection can be used. The system can operate at temperatures ranging from-30 ° C to 60 ° C
Despite the impressive results that people can see first-hand at I-CAT’ s monthly demonstration days, there are still some challenges affecting market uptake of the technology. One of these challenges is the fact that much of the equipment used in mining and construction comes into South Africa with factory-fitted fire suppression technology already in place. When the machine arrives, operators want to get it on site and producing as soon as possible, and not have it standing around for another three weeks so that a custom fire suppression system can be installed.
Other products In addition to its vehicle protection system, I-CAT also has a wide range of other products, including the TRT – LPS – FM local protection system, which was designed to protect production and industry equipment such as transformers, hydraulic power packs, conveyor belts( high-risk areas like tail, head, and tensioner pulleys), and fuel storage tanks.
I-CAT’ s Blaze Buster is a rapid-response, self-contained foam mist system comprising four 230l self-contained and premixed foam cylinders with a large cannon and a retractable mist hose reel. The cannon has a discharge range of about 40m, and the hose reel is fitted with an additional gun that
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MARCH 2018