Modern Mining July 2019

PRODUCT News

Booyco’s VDS intervenes to improve safety and underground environments.

As a leader in proximity detection sys- tems, Booyco Electronics is well known for its proximity detection system (PDS) that keeps pedestrians safer in the under- ground mining environment. Its next advance has been to develop a vehicle detection system (VDS) that triggers inter- ventions to prevent vehicle-to-vehicle accidents in line with EMERST guidelines. Booyco Electronics’ new VDS is an innovative evolution of the company’s vehicle-to-vehicle detection system, and now incorporates the necessary high level of accuracy to introduce interventions in the operation of the vehicles. According to Booyco Electronics engi- neer and developer Frank Schommer, the Booyco VDS is applicable in both surface

at a distance of 50 metres,” he says. “If no action is taken after that warning, and the distance between the vehicles is reduced, then a second zone is entered, and a com- mand is generated for the operator to reduce speed. If speed is not reduced and the vehicles continue to get closer to each other, an intervention is triggered by the system to slow the vehicles down.” The accuracy of the system ensures that there is sufficient reaction time after warnings are given for the operator to act, reducing the possibility of a collision. While the system caters for larger vehi- cles with longer distances between them – such as on-surface load and haul opera- tions – it is also applicable underground as it can measure long distances between machines through tunnels. Booyco Electronics’ tried and tested PDS system – which is based on very low frequency (VLF) wave transmission – can penetrate tunnel sidewalls underground; this allows the detection of pedestrians who are out of sight around a corner, but over shorter distances. “It is therefore optimal to use the VDS and PDS systems together on the same vehicle to achieve higher levels of safety,” says Schommer. “Combining these tech- nologies allows mines to improve safety between vehicles – where the distances to be measured are longer – as well as between vehicles and pedestrians – where it is important to detect workers who are closer but not visible to the operators.” Booyco Electronics, website: www.booyco-electronics.com

because they do not permanently alter the item undergoing inspection, making NDT a valuable tool that can save both money and time in condition monitoring and inspections. The new rope testing division provides specialist cable strength assessment and is manned by seven of only 12 people in South Africa who are qualified to conduct these tests. The technical compliance division pro- vides expert guidance to assist companies to comply with regulatory requirements, and how to rectify violations or problems highlighted during audits. Prior to merging with WearCheck, AFS operated as part of Anglo’s Technical Division under the Anglo Research section, where it provided specialist NDT and materials con- sultancy services to Anglo Group companies and other clients on a global basis. WearCheck, website: www.wearcheck.co.za The system can measure the distance between the vehicles in a range from 10 m up to 100 m, with a measuring accuracy of 1 m; not only can it determine the position of a vehicle but also the direction in which it is travelling. “This means that the operator will be informed if another vehicle is close by, as well as the number of vehicles there are in the proximity,” says Schommer. “Based on a high frequency wave transmission, the new VDS technology has been developed to comply with the latest safety regula- tions for moving vehicles on mines.” While these high frequencies do not penetrate rock in underground mining environments like low frequencies can, they are able to perform the vital duty of detecting other vehicles at a greater distance. Like the pedestrian PDS, the Booyco VDS’s functionality is based on different ‘zones’ within the radio field around each vehicle that is created by a transmitter; the distance of each zone from the vehicle can be defined by the customer, depending on their actual conditions and specific vehicles on site. “For example, the system can be set so that it delivers a warning to the operators

Booyco Electronics’ VDS technology is an innovative evolution of the company’s vehicle-to-vehicle detection system.

WearCheck acquires reliability testing company Durban-based condition monitoring spe- cialist WearCheck has bought Anglo Field Services (AFS), which adds three new established divisions to the company’s comprehensive reliability solutions portfo- lio, including non-destructive testing (NDT), technical compliance (TC) and rope condi- tion assessment (RCA).

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The fourth AFS division – asset main- tenance management (AMM) – has been absorbed into WearCheck’s existing Reliability Solutions team, boosting the company’s manpower in this section as well as adding technical expertise and additional instrumentation. Branching into Non-destructive Testing means that WearCheck now conducts a range of analysis techniques through which the properties and condition of a com- ponent or system are evaluated without causing any damage to it. NDT methods are gaining popularity

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44  MODERN MINING  July 2019