The fire suppression and cooling capabilities of the TRT-VPS-FM vehicle protection
system were demonstrated using a constructed vehicle engine bay.
The Blaze Buster is a rapid-response, self-contained foam mist system that can be fitted
to a single or club/supercab pick-up or trailer.
I-CAT also has a product range specifically
designed to deal with vehicle fires – a
significant risk for both man and machine,
given harsh mining conditions and
confined spaces. Vehicle fires occur when
least expected, and can cause major damage
to equipment, resulting in production
losses and, more importantly, may result
in human fatalities. I-CAT’s TRT-VPS-FM
vehicle protection system is designed to
protect valuable production vehicles and
assets against fire, while its TRT-LPS-FM
local protection system is designed to
protect production and industry equipment
such as transformers, hydraulic power
packs, conveyor belts (high risk areas like
tail, head and tensioner pulleys) and fuel
storage tanks.
“Our T-Rotor Water Mist patented fire
suppression system is a new concept in
South Africa, but I think the industry is
ready for something new,” says I-CAT
director, Anton van der Merwe. “The
response has been really positive,
particularly in the mining and industrial
sectors. We’ve had people come from as
far away as Mozambique and Zambia to
attend our live demonstrations and see our
fire suppression systems in action. Sasol
Secunda, for example, recently adopted both
our fire extinguishers and the Roto-Fire-Pac
backpack extinguishing system.”
Speaking of the I-CAT extinguishers,
Marco Biffi, lead for mine ventilation at
Anglo American, says, “The principle is
exciting because it combines both cooling
and knockdown capacity. I have had the
opportunity to use traditional dry powder
extinguishers on a fire – we used about 80
extinguishers, but that wasn’t enough to put
it out, and the fire ended up burning down
a transformer of a main hoist on surface,
leaving us standing for a few months.”
“What I like about the system is that it is
both compact and effective,” Biffi adds, “and
its rapid cooling effect prevents reignition.
There are a lot of positives from what I can
see: it's innovative, it's made locally, and
its customisable depending on the exact
requirements of the mine site.”
One challenge affects uptake of the
technology is that much of the equipment
used in mining and construction comes
into South Africa with factory-fitted fire
suppression technology already in place.
“When the machine arrives, you want to get
it on site and produce as soon as possible,”
says Biffi. “What you don’t want is to have it
standing around for another three weeks so
SAFETY
While traditional dry powder extinguishers put fires out, the lack of surface cooling
leaves the way open for re-ignition.
QUARRY SA | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 _ 29