Of all industrial production, mining is undoubtedly the most dangerous. With various drill pipes and underground tunnels extending miles below the Earth's surface, miners are at risk of rapid gas buildup, fires and explosions. Because of these and many other hazards, mining operations must always be equipped with detection systems to ensure their areas are as safe as possible. Since methane is in most cases the primary gas that can lead to catastrophic events in these situations, special mining and industrial detectors are used to monitor methane leaks. However, to understand which systems are efficient in these environments, here are some additional details about their capabilities and reliability.
airborne detector
Under federal regulations, all coal mining operations are required to have mining detector technology to monitor methane and oxygen levels that can be dangerously low. As a result, detection equipment is placed on all drilling equipment and is specially calibrated to detect methane levels of 1% or more, which will trigger the detection equipment to sound an alarm. Since it is crucial to protect the electronics in these detectors from dust, dirt and vibration, they come with special protective covers to prevent damage.
Portable Monitoring
In addition to meeting federal requirements for airborne detection systems, many mining operations use portable mining detectors to keep workers safe from dangerous methane leaks. Because these detectors are so small that they can be clipped onto a miner's clothing or belt, hands-free monitoring is possible while working almost anywhere in the mine. Along with this, just like fixed detectors, portable mining and industrial sensors are equipped with wireless technology that enables them to send real-time data to monitoring stations and mining safety engineers.
fast response time
In many mining operations, methane leaks occur when the shafts are first opened. As a result, once drilling operations are stopped and equipment is moved to other locations, methane can be released through cracks in the subsurface or in the rock wall and lead to a dangerous buildup within minutes. Due to the potential for fire or explosion under these conditions, fast response times are required once high methane levels are detected. To this end, mining sensor technology relies not only on specialized electronics and accurate calibration of sensors, but also on detectors equipped with various alarm systems. For most detectors, the alarm system includes sirens, strobes and strobe lights, all of which will be useful when the wellbore needs to be evacuated in an emergency.
