Capital Equipment News August 2016

ELECTRA MINING AFRICA

LEADING ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT for safer mines

H aving secured the foremost market position with its Pedestrian Detection System (PDS), Booyco Electronics has launched its fully integrated Asset Pro- tection System (APS) for surface equipment. Anton Lourens, managing director of Booy- co Electronics, says that the APS represents latest generation technology and facilitates effective communication between surface vehicles. “Visitors to the Booyco Electronics stand at Electra Mining Africa 2016 will be able to ex- perience first-hand how we have leveraged this electronic technology to enhance vehicle and operator safety in surface mining opera- tions,” Lourens says. He explains that as a leading supplier of reli- able innovative mine safety related products, Booyco Electronics combines its in-depth un- derstanding of conditions in both underground and surface mining operations with best prac- tice engineering and manufacturing expertise to produce a line-up of technologically profi- cient solutions. “The APS was developed, in addition to our underground VLF system, and it has been optimised for both the detection of pedestri- an movement and more accurate detection of fast moving machinery in relation to each other,” he says. The Booyco Electronics APS transfers infor- mation between users via the company’s Human Machine Interface and because it is able to process large amounts of data rapidly it meets the critical requirement for vehicle to vehicle proximity detection. When pedestrians or other vehicles are de- tected, the PDS and APS deliver specific appli- cation appropriate alerts which could include an initial warning, controlled slow-down zone of the vehicle and a stopping zone. Technology use allows the system to create narrow band zones in close proximity to the side of the vehicle and determine zone shaping to meet specific operational requirements. The PDS and APS incorporate full self-diag- nostics, which are visual and voice display activated in the case of a warning or system failure. In addition, the systems are supplied with testing equipment for both the surface and underground areas to ensure maximum functionality.

Quality control ensures that all Booyco Electronics PDS and APS products provide reliable information to facilitate safety interventions.

Also on display on the stand will be the Booy- co Electronics Biometric Control System. This innovative system, developed specifically for the operating environment in the mining sec- tor, uses fingerprints to facilitate access to restricted areas and to validate licensed ma- chine operators. Use is made of personalised smart cards on which an individual’s fingerprints and other relevant data such as licensed capabilities and expiry dates are stored. This provides the ideal solution, allowing controlled access to moveable items such as earthmoving and mining equipment, blasting boxes and carts, as well as conveyor starter panels. Booyco Electronics has established itself as a provider of reliable sensors capable of pro- viding accurate information and optimising safety, both on surface and underground. The locally manufactured products are engineered to withstand the harsh conditions in a mining or petrochemical environment. The ESI Smart Sensor for fixed locations and the handheld Sentient Sensor will be on dis- play at Electra Mining Africa 2016. Another feature is its ‘drop protection’ capa- bility that automatically switches the device off should it be dropped. The Sentient, which measures relative humidity as a standard of- fering, is IP68 rated and available with Fire

Booyco Electronics has leveraged its electronic technology to enhance vehicle and operator safety.

The Booyco Electronics PDS and APS transfer information via the Human Machine Interface.

Patrol capabilities. The Fire Patrol Sentient unit has a bright red seal and is inserted into outstations located in specific areas under- ground or on surface. The device then records date, time, gas and humidity measurements at that specific location. b

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS AUGUST 2016 28