SAFETY
ventilation system. The Ventsim software has
earned a strong reputation in the market place. It
will remain a stand-alone product, and we will
continue to enhance its functionality,” said Mark
Sanders Senior Vice President, Howden.
Craig Stewart, founder of Chasm Consulting
said: “The combination of Howden and Ventsim
will offer exceptional value for our customers by
providing a key advantage to optimise fan
selection and ventilation system designs. When I
visit clients across the globe I notice that fan
sizing is often neglected, resulting in elevated
operating costs due to low efficiency or fan
replacements/upgrades resulting in costly
production stoppage. Howden will now have the
ability to provide the end-product that the
customers really need – in other words, not just
fans but air. I believe this is a revolutionary
change in the business of mine ventilation. I have
no doubt it will improve ventilation as well as
health and safety. I am looking forward to helping
create the next generation of products and
continuing to work with our existing and new
customers to help design and optimise their
ventilation systems.”
Gas monitoring
One of the global safety equipment
manufacturing leaders, MSA Safety announced
last April “it is redefining expectations for gas
detection technology with the launch of a new
line of advanced gas detection monitors. The
S5000 and Ultima ® X5000 gas monitors – known
collectively as MSA’s Series 5000 Transmitters –
enhance facility and worker safety while
significantly simplifying and minimising system
maintenance requirements.”
The S5000 and Ultima X5000 systems are the
result of a four-year research and development
effort involving three MSA global design centres.
This represents the company’s largest ever new
product development effort in the area of fixed
gas and flame detection.
In use, the Series 5000 Transmitters are
mounted at a fixed point and protect assets and
workers within a facility by sensing low levels of
toxic or combustible gases in the air. The new
systems are powered by advanced and
differentiated technology that provides improved
facility and worker safety at a lower cost of
operation. The nerve centre of this system is
MSA’s line of best-in-class XCell ® sensors with
TruCal™ technology. Among their many
capabilities, these innovative sensors
automatically compensate for environmental shift
and sensor drift, meaning operators don’t have to
touch or calibrate the gas monitor for up to 18
months.
“These systems are true ‘game-changers’ that
will further strengthen MSA’s market-leading
position in the global fixed gas and flame
detection market,” said William M. Lambert, MSA
Chairman, President and CEO. “We know, from a
tremendous amount of voice-of-customer input,
our customers wanted a tough, user friendly and
reliable system they can set, forget, and know
workers are protected. With the S5000 and
Ultima X5000 Monitors, operators can do just
that – and trust these new systems will function
as designed, and do so at a significantly lower
overall cost of ownership,” he said.
MSA’s Series 5000 Transmitters are designed
for a broad range of applications where toxic and
combustible gases pose a workplace hazard. The
two new systems are designed as a replacement
option for the company’s large installed base of
previous generation systems. The S5000 model,
which the company will market under its General
Monitors brand, represents a premium option
designed for use in particularly harsh
environments. For all other applications, the
Ultima X5000 offers the industry’s most intuitive
and user-friendly interface for customers who
want to standardise and simplify their gas
detection program.
Lambert commented that the new gas
detection monitors provide a good example of
how MSA’s core product focus and R&D
investments are yielding innovative safety
solutions that support the company’s growth
strategy and market leadership goals. “At MSA,
we often talk about the value of safety,” he said.
“These new gas detection systems are great
examples of that mindset in action, where we are
using breakthrough technology and innovation to
generate value for all MSA stakeholders.”
Scott Safety, a global leader in innovative
personal protective equipment and safety
devices, has introduced the Protégé SG, a
versatile new reusable single gas monitor that is
configurable to detect 13 different gases. "The
Protégé SG is a truly universal portable gas
detector with advanced features, such as smart
plug and play sensors and a replaceable lithium
battery that provides unlimited life. The
swappable sensors are equipped with a smart
sensor board that automatically recognises
sensor type and updates the gas label on the LCD
display while automatically downloading the
necessary calibration parameters."
With an IP66/67 rating, global regulatory
approvals, multiple languages accessible on the
LCD, and internal data logging for up to 5,000
events, the Protégé SG provides miners maximum
flexibility to focus on the task at hand and not on
their equipment. The Protégé SG is the first in a
new line of cost-effective high performance
portable gas monitors being introduced. All
Protégé devices will have a similar look, feel and
user interface as well as standard features, such
as smart plug and play sensors and
lithium/alkaline battery options that are
interchangeable between monitors.
Fire protection
At the beginning of the year, Johnson Controls
International, makers of leading global brand
ANSUL ® , announced the launch of its factory-
installed fire suppression system program with
Caterpillar. The program provides factory-
installed fire suppression systems on several
models of Cat ® mining equipment, with the
ultimate aim of enhancing vehicle integrity and
longevity as well as expediting machine delivery.
With this factory-installed fire suppression
CAT D10 dozer featuring a factory-installed ANSUL LVS liquid agent fire suppression and Checkfire
210 detection and actuation system
OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining