SAFETY
PREVENT YOUR EXCAVATOR FROM GOING UP IN SMOKE!
Aside from the safety features built into
modern excavators themselves, ASP
Fire can assist mining operations in
mitigating this risk, which has a major
implication for productivity and the
bottom line.
The design and installation of a vehicle
fire protection system requires that
mining vehicles are subjected to a hazard
identification and risk assessment (HIRA)
of potential fires, ASP Fire CEO Michael
van Niekerk explains. Each vehicle
needs to be assessed carefully within
its specific operating environment, to
understand what hazards and fire risks a
vehicle is exposed to.
During the assessment, the inherent
fire risks in the vehicle are identified,
such as the turbo chargers and the brake
system, which could overheat, as well
as high-pressure hydraulic systems and
electrical equipment that may ignite a
combustible or flammable component of
the vehicle. Such assessments run the
gamut, from excavators to haul trucks
and even draglines.
ASP Fire designs systems to suit
individual vehicles and their specific
requirements. This means examining
the conditions not only inside the
vehicle, but also within the surrounding
environment. Although dry chemical
powder (DCP) extinguishers are highly
effective in firefighting, they offer
minimal cooling properties. This results
in re-ignition of flames, especially in
liquid fuel and rubber fires, thereby
increasing the risk of property damage
and loss of life.
The powder inside DCP extinguishers
can also compact due to vibration
when placed on a moving vehicle. This
compacted powder increases the risk of
malfunction when activated. As a result,
DCP extinguishers placed on mobile
equipment need to be serviced more
frequently, Van Niekerk highlights.
DCP extinguishers also pose serious
operator and environmental hazards.
When used in confined spaces,
they can affect the fire respondents’
visibility and capability to effectively
suppress the fire, or to safely evacuate
an area should the fire grow out of
control.
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Mining vehicles such as excavators are high-value assets operating under harsh conditions where
there is an inherent danger of a fire breaking out.
Inherent fire risks such as turbo chargers and the brake system overheating, or high-
pressure hydraulic systems and electrical equipment that may ignite combustible or
flammable components of the vehicle, are assessed to assist mining operations to
mitigate risk.
A much more effective and ‘greener’
solution is a range of water-mist special
risk and handheld fire extinguishers
distributed by ASP Fire. Using water
as the main agent and nitrogen as
a propellant, this handheld range is
capable of extinguishing most types of
fires, including rubber and plastic, diesel
and petrol fires, and electrical fires rated
up to 245kV.
The atomised mist generated by the
extinguisher increases the surface area
of the water by more than a hundredfold.
These micro-droplets turn rapidly into
cold steam when coming into contact
with burning or very hot materials,
further increasing the surface area by 1
600 times. The endothermic reaction of
water converting to steam, rapidly and
effectively cools down any hot surfaces
in the immediate environment.
This not only extinguishes the fire,
but cools down hot spots, without
any thermal shock. It also creates a
thermal heat radiation barrier between
the operator and the fire, allowing the
operator to get close to the fire without
the risk of getting burnt when operating
the extinguisher.
The system also includes a protection
mechanism to eliminate any false
alarms. This consists of a heat-sensitive
pressurised activation tube that requires
heat to rupture and open a differential
valve on the main cylinder to activate
the system.
In addition to pure water-based
systems for use inside the operator’s
cab, ASP Fire also uses an aqueous film
forming foam (AFFF) solution, which
provides superior fire extinguishing and
vapour suppression for hydrocarbon
fuel fires. The AFFF blanket blocks
oxygen supply to the fuel, and cools
any hot flammable liquid by effectively
sealing the surface.
“It is essential to undertake pre-
shift and weekly inspections on mining
vehicles that operate in demanding
environments to ensure that the fire
system is in working order. During the
inspection, the technician needs to
check that the nozzles are still attached
correctly, covering the high-risk areas
effectively; that the blow-off caps are
still on; and that there is sufficient
pressure in the detection line and in the
system,” concludes Van Niekerk.
MAY 2019
29