Linear Heat Detectors (LHDs): the best alternative to detect and prevent fires with no ongoing servicing costs
Linear Heat Detectors (LHDs) can help detect in real time any fire hazards in your mine and also prevent incidents with our Early Warning System that triggers alarms before a flame even occurs. Our reliable technology works with a single fibre optic cable in harsh industrial environments such as underground coal mines. As we know, coal mining refers to one of the most hazardous industries worldwide[i] and need proper technologies in place to mitigate these risks.
Our LHD technology is one of the few cutting-edge technologies that do not require downtime replacement costs even if a fire occurs: our cables support up to 750 degrees centigrade for two hours! With this solution, human exposure to a fire event can be minimised without incurring interruptions on production and expensive maintenance.
This feature ensures maximum savings and safety beyond all previous technologies: safeguarding lives, assets and your daily operations. A single fibre optic cable monitors temperature on a real time basis and readings are fully integrated to your mine’s SCADA system.
The fibre optics technology has been used worldwide in coal mines to detect fire incidents in real time and with the benefits of our Early Warning System. In Australia several mines are already using our technology, including leading mining organisations such as Glencore, BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and Harmony Gold.
Technology advantages
Our Linear Heat Detectors (LHDs) have several technical advantages over traditional technology to prevent and detect underground fires: A single fibre cable does the monitoring and covers large areas to ensure the safety of your asset, staff and operations. A brief overview of our technology advantages include:
- A Fire Retardant and Non-Corrosive cable, fire rated for 2 hours up to 750 degrees centigrade;
- Minimal cable replacement costs even if a fire occurs;
- Maintenance-free solution after installation;
- Lowest Cost of Ownership (TCO);
- 40-year product life expectancy;
- 5 adjustable setpoints per zone minimize false alarms;
- Immune to Electro Magnetic Interference;
- Early Warning System that detects heat before a flame occurs;
- Explosion Safety: low laser light power allows fibre cable to be installed in explosive atmospheres, such coal mines, gaseous and dusty environments;
- Compliance: solution certified by FM Global, UL, ATEX and EN54 part 5 and 22.
Our system is suited to very harsh environments as the cable is Fire Retardant and Non-Corrosive (FRNC), fire rated up to 2 hours at 750 degrees centigrade. This is a very important feature as even in case of a fire our system will still be running and sending information about the incident and where the fire is moving to, a critical advantage for mining clients.
Another important aspect is that our low laser light power allows sensor cable to be installed in explosive atmospheres with the presence of gas, dust and humidity and is immune to electro-magnetic interference. The system has up to 5 adjustable setpoints per zone which does not allow false alarms to happen and has maximum accuracy, unlike any other market product.
The sensor cable is also a long-lasting solution, with up to 40 years of design longevity and has one of the lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the industry – offering long term benefits for the mine after installed. The solution also delivers many layers of Cybersecurity to ensure maximum safety to your data and daily operations and is fully certified by global leading organisations such as FM Global, UL, ATEX and EN54 part 5 and 22.
Fibre-optic cable immune to EMI
All these factors are relevant for a safe and reliable mining practice that effectively addresses and mitigates risk to human life, prevents accidents and safeguards your mining operation with maximum productivity. Especially in underground coal mines, it is essential to have safety management technologies and systems to mitigate risks in such harsh operating conditions – you can have it all covered with our LHD technology. Minimal replacement costs for new cables, contractors or mine downtime: a long-lasting solution that helps you save time and resources with the best proven technology.
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References
- [i] S. Paul, “Predictors of work injury in underground mines – an application of a logistic regression model,” Mining Science and Technology, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 282– 289, 2009.
- An Approach for Understanding and Promoting Coal Mine Safety by Exploring Coal Mine Risk Network – Yongliang Deng , Liangliang Song, Zhipeng Zhou and Ping Liu Available at: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/complexity/2017/7628569/
