Sensors & Transducers


Telco industrial sensors for the mining industry

July 2013 Sensors & Transducers

The superior performance and robustness of Telco’s photoelectric sensors ensure that there are no limits to the solutions it can provide in the toughest and most contaminated conditions imaginable. Recently, the company introduced a belt monitoring unit that can effectively monitor transport conveyors and prevent damage.

How it works: The unit makes use of Telco infrared sensors which monitor the belt position at all times. These infrared sensors are robust and can handle the extremely harsh mining environment without problems. Sunlight, water, dust, dirt, vibration and alignment do not adversely affect them.

The unit can be installed in various configurations depending on a customer need. The most basic option is detection of belt tear in the centre of the belt only. The next level is detection of belt tear and alignment. These can be installed with an alarm indication, or voltage free contacts which can be incorporated into the PLC and scada systems.

The unit has been installed and tested in extremely harsh environments and has passed all tests subjected to it. In one example, the sensor head was damaged by coal build-up and continued to work reliably.

The frame: The frame is designed with pipe bent into a U-shape to fit around the conveyor with no sharp edges that can damage it. The pipes are powder coated and can be supplied in various colours as per the customer’s preference.

The electronics: The system consists of two infrared transmitters and two infrared receivers, one on each side of the conveyor. These can be increased for greater protection if required. The amplifier is not situated with the transmitters or receivers but as a standalone unit separate from the sensors. It can incorporate a 10 second time delay to eliminate unwanted trips. The system is designed to be failsafe, meaning that a power or system failure will stop the conveyor. The system can be supplied from 24 VDC or 24/110/ 220 VAC. The voltage-free contacts are rated to 10 A with the amplifier and relays installed inside an IP65 rated housing.

Integration and maintenance: The voltage free contacts can be used by system integrators or mine personnel to connect to a PLC and scada system. Testing can be conducted at regular intervals by manually disconnecting the transmitters and holding them in line with the receivers.



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Enhanced automated weld inspection system
Sensors & Transducers
SmartRay is offering the release of new hardware for its weld inspection system, JOSY, delivering elevated performance and flexibility in the process.

Read more...
Leaders in sensor technology
Gail Norton Instrumentation Sensors & Transducers
Photoelectric eyes have always needed perfect working conditions, but in the workplace there is no such thing. Steam, water, light and dirt interfere with most photoelectric eyes, but never with a Telco sensor.

Read more...
Easy parameter setting of vision sensors
ifm - South Africa Sensors & Transducers
Contour verification and object inspection are two of the most important functionalities in industrial imaging. With the new O2D5xx series, ifm now offers a solution that perfectly masters both functionalities

Read more...
Keeping a close eye on product quality and purity
Endress+Hauser South Africa Sensors & Transducers
Colour measurements are necessary in many processes to avoid product losses and ensure safe production and batching. The Memosens Wave CKI50 process spectrometer from Endress+Hauser is a compact, robust and process-friendly device allowing quality, batching and phase checks to be performed by a single instrument for the entire visible colour spectrum.

Read more...
The sensory reaction of building management systems
Schneider Electric South Africa Sensors & Transducers
Today’s building management systems (BMS) cannot function properly without sensors. This is so critical that if sensors start failing, they can become ‘blind’.

Read more...
High-precision automated inspection
Sensors & Transducers
Delivering advanced inline metrology to an expanding range of challenging industries, SmartRay is launching the smallest field-of-view 3D sensor of its cutting-edge ECCO X series.

Read more...
Long-range laser distance measuring sensor
Vepac Electronics Sensors & Transducers
The MS-100A is a long-range laser distance measuring sensor with a range of 150 to 1000 mm. This sensor excels in applications requiring extended measurement capabilities, such as quality control and logistics.

Read more...
The power of smart maintenance for securing water supply
Omron Electronics Sensors & Transducers
The water industry plays an essential role in delivering safe drinking water and effective wastewater services to society and various industries. A lack of maintenance could have severe consequences, as even the failure of a single component can significantly impact operations, and maintenance expenses represent a substantial part of the overall costs of water and pumping systems.

Read more...
Rotary atomisers for efficient paint spraying
Instrotech Sensors & Transducers
Painting the bodywork is an integral component of vehicle manufacturing. Keller supplied intrinsically safe pressure transmitters and intrinsically safe temperature sensors to a client producing paint robots for the car industry.

Read more...
The smallest most powerful infrared sensor in the world
Sensors & Transducers
The superior performance and robustness of Telco’s infrared sensors ensures that there are no limits to any mining and industrial applications.

Read more...