Radio detects mine hose wear

A UHF radio link, designed and built by Benbro in Sydney, has been tested at the large Candelaria copper mine in Chile and will now become a permanent fixture.

The link was designed for Linatex, a mine-equipment supplier, to connect its hose-wear monitor to a computer system, also designed by Benbro, which alerts the miners when a flexible hose is nearing the end of its life.

The Candelaria mine, in the ore-rich Punta del Cobre district of northern Chile, is renowned for its application of advanced technologies.

With the larger hoses costing up to AU$30,000 each, being able to delay replacement until really necessary, without a danger of rupture, is a major economic saving for the mine. The flexible hoses are used to carry earth, rock and gravel to the processor in a liquid slurry and the rough material can be very abrasive.

To meet the problem, Linatex uses sensors in the hose material which trigger an alarm when they are exposed to the slurry.

Benbro provides the electronic terminal, which identifies each section of hose, the UHF radio connection to above-ground and the final computer interface.

The first system was installed in Chile in April.