Accelovant installs fibre optic sensors at Zambian copper mine

Vancouver-based Accelovant has deployed its proprietary fibre-optic temperature sensors at the Kansanshi copper and gold mine in Zambia.

Accelovant's sensors will be used in "smokestack scrubbers" to reduce plant downtime and enhance processing capacities.

The mine which First Quantum operates is described as "one of the world's largest and most productive copper mining and smelting sites."

As noted in the statement, the new fibre-optic sensors will replace obsolete technology devices "that were highly prone to failure under the extreme operating conditions within the wet electrostatic precipitators (ESP)."

The ESP is implemented to "scrub" toxins and pollutants in gas streams produced by copper smelting.

"Accelovant specialises in high-temperature fibre-optic sensors, which are also immune to electrical noise and interference," said Michael Goldstein, chief executive for Accelovant. "Our patented Kristonium material has created a new class of fibre-optic temperature sensors that offer long service life at temperatures exceeding 450 degrees Celsius. In systems like the ESPs at the Kansanshi mines, the sensors replaced electrical devices that could not survive the harsh high voltage and electrical noise environment."

Operating in these extreme temperature conditions has been challenging, explained Pieter Oosthuizen, control instrumentation superintendent at the Kansanshi plant.

"In this kind of environment, there is tremendous electromagnetic noise and induced currents in anything that is conductive, or that utilises electronics," said Oosthuizen. We tried many different sensor types, but in all cases, the electronics would burn out and fail due to the stray electromagnetic fields -until we installed the Accelovant sensors."……………

Mining Magazine: Asset-management 28 April 2023 Comments. Georgia Williams