Telco has designed a unit that can effectively monitor conveyors and prevent damage. Many belt monitoring units can detect a belt failure but are very maintenance intensive; this system has designed to give the user peace of mind.
How it works
The unit makes use of Telco infrared sensors which monitor the belt position at all times. These infrared sensors are very robust and can handle coal-mining environments without problem. Sunlight, water, dust and dirt do not affect them.
The unit can be installed in various configurations depending on customer needs. The most basic option will detect belt tear in the centre of the belt only. The next level will detect belt tear and alignment. These can be fitted with an alarm indication, or voltage free contacts which can be incorporated into the PLC and scada system.
The unit has been installed and tested in very harsh environments and has passed all tests subjected to it. In one example, the sensor head was damaged by coal build-up and still continued to work without problems.
The frame
The frame is designed with pipe bent in a U 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.
The electronics
The system uses two infrared transmitters and two infrared receivers, one on each side of the conveyor. These can be doubled up for greater protection if required. The amplifier is not situated on the transmitters or receivers but as a stand-alone unit separate from the sensors, and can incorporate a 10 second delay to eliminate unwanted trips. The system is designed to be failsafe, meaning that a power or system failure will stop the conveyor. The amplifier and relays are fitted inside an IP65 box, and the system can be supplied from 24 VDC or 24/110/ 220 VAC. The voltage free contacts are rated to 10 A.
Integration and maintenance
The voltage free contacts can be used by system integrators or mine personal to connect to a PLC, which can then also be connected via communication to a scada system. The system can be tested at regular intervals by manually disconnecting the transmitters and holding them in line with the receivers.
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