Preventative Conveyor Belt Protection in Chile

Codelco, the National Copper Corporation of Chile, sought out a solution for real-time monitoring at one of its operations, a copper refinery and processing plant.

 

The client pursued our fiber optic Linear Heat Detection (LHD) solution in order to implement an onsite system that is preventative and not simply reactive. AP Sensing's technology anticipates critical situations and generates pre-alarms for abnormal temperature conditions. A connection with SCADA via Modbus shows defined temperature zones as well as fiber optic cut signals. This is displayed on the operators' SCADA screens, generating a stop alarm for the conveyor belts in the case of a confirmed alarm due to a temperature increase.

Relays are connected to a central panel of fire alarms using monitoring modules in order to activate the fire suppression system. In addition to integration into the FACP and fire extinguishing systems, the project also uses a wireless communication network to transit information to a central unit within the company.

Our AP Sensing Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) solution is paired with our maintenance-free and highly resilient sensor cable, and SmartVision asset visualization software to illustrate alarm zones, operational status and real-time temperatures. 

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