Guduza System Technologies (GST) has answered the call in the mining industry for an ultra- long distance, intrinsically safe pullkey for conveyor belts in underground coal mines.
Launch of the IPS3030 Pullkey
With the launch of the IPS3030 Pullkey system for conveyor belts, Guduza has unlocked a solution to hedge the safety risk in underground coal mines in South Africa. The Pullkey System is for extra-long distance in unsafe areas, which will help mine operators comply with the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA).
Intrinsically safe pullkeys prescribed by law
The MHSA obligates mines to use equipment that is intrinsically safe within a 180 metre region from the coal face, where explosive gases are present. And pullkeys are no exception. In accordance with this legislation, pullkeys for conveyor belts in this area must have an intrinsically safe (IS) or flame proof certification.
Common constraints in long distances (malfunctioning sounder)
Guduza states that there are huge implications of malfunctioning pullkeys in underground mining operations. “Pullkey systems are an integral part of the underground production infrastructure providing the prestart alarm, as well as a lockout mechanism along the length of the conveyor belt. These systems are installed for the safety of mine personnel as well as for operational reasons.”
Guduza cites the pullkey sounder for PSA that is not proven as one of the unsafe problems with regard to conventional type of pullkey. The standard approach to overcoming this problem is by monitoring the current flowing through the sounder, thereby indicating that the sounder is working.
However, this method of detecting a defective sounder is still not foolproof as the sounder could be blocked with mud stopping the sound, giving an unsafe situation.
The IPS3030 pullkey fills the gap
Instead, the most effective approach is to monitor the actual sound coming out of the sounder, which is achieved by placing a pickup (microphone) outside of the enclosure, thus physically listening to the sound. Filling the gap, GST Guduza‘s new IPS 3030 caters for this situation.
Designed with keeping downtime in mind
Ken Swanlund, MD of Guduza, says that the IPS3030 Guduza-developed pullkey systems was designed with understanding of the huge impact of downtime on production in mining. “While, ideally, electronic systems are designed to minimise down time, sometimes they can fail themselves, resulting in downtime of conveyor belts. The design of Guduza electronic systems takes this into account by producing pullkeys known for high reliability and quick maintenance.
The production process in the factory also has an important part to play in maintaining a high quality level, with Guduza’s established quality policy catering for in-process check points in addition to the standard end-of-line quality inspection, reducing the latent faults that cause problems for the mine down the line.”
25 years of commitment to continuous R&D
The launch of IPS 3030 demonstrates Guduza‘s dedication to create practical products that can increase conveyor safety through continuous research and development. It is the latest version of previous pullkey models – Guduza Bulldog Pullkey System, IPS 1000, IPS 2000 and IPS3000.
One would appreciate the lengths Guduza goes to improve efficiency of the pullkey system by looking at the phases of product development in the past 25 years.
Designed to be fully intelligent, the first product, Guduza Bulldog pullkey system, was used in the field for many years before it was retired.
Later, a major mining group in South Africa had briefed Guduza’s engineering team about the need to minimise down time on their conveyor belts. And to achieve this, Guduza reduced the electronic complexity by design, which resulted in the IPS 1000, a semi intelligent system coming into being.
The more complex the electronics (more components,) the lower the reliability.
In addition, the new design also catered for less problems caused by voltage surges and better coped with lightning strikes.
The requirement for an intrinsically safe version, initiated the design of the IPS 2000. Nonetheless, this system could not handle long distances, as this was not the general requirement at the time.
As the requirement for longer I.S conveyor belts became more prevalent, the client needed a pullkey system that could reach 4 km. Guduza directed its design efforts into upgrading the IPS 3000 to the IPS 3030 to cater for extra longer I.S belts and simultaneously also up designed to a fully intelligent system. Finished in the desired time, the design exceeded the client’s requirement and achieved a 5 km distance only using a single power supply unit.
Looking back in the past 25 years, it is clear that Guduza has made giant leaps in the pullkey development arena. This has been rooted in its approach and the effort to continuous improvement will thus continue in the same vein.
