Written by: Oliver Stohlmann, a global communications leader with over 20 years of experience working for several life-science corporations
In recent years, inertial sensor solutions have been transforming the capacity, safety and productivity of global industries such as mining, structural engineering and railway, and its sensitive infrastructure (including bridges, tunnels, dams and power stations). In addition, the mobility, commercial vehicle, aerospace, agricultural engineering, transport and general shipping sectors all benefit from innovative sensor technologies, just as much as wind turbine, geothermal and other sustainable energy operators do.
For these and similarly demanding applications, the German inertial sensor specialist ASC Sensors has developed a particularly robust range of high-precision flexible sensors: the ASC OS series.
From the benefits realised for these industries in challenging settings, it is a small step to expecting similar advances for the mining industry.
This is particularly true since high-precision monitoring, guidance and control systems for drilling, excavation, stabilising shafts or modeling surfaces have been shown to improve results for mining operators. In addition, they will typically help achieve the desired outcomes faster, with fewer disruptions, overheating, wear and tear and the associated loss of time, effort and precious resources compared with traditional approaches.
These sensors can also help with the testing of new machinery and component parts, to make them fit for demanding purposes and extend their life, with less investment. When maintenance is required, however, the appropriate sensor system helps predict the optimal point in time – before the occurence of a costly breakdown, replacement or accident.
Mining projects are frequently carried out in locations with extreme geological and climatic conditions, these might include deserts near the equator, polar circles, mountains, the ocean or rainforests. Therefore, beyond their precision and long-term stability, sensors utilised in these demanding settings must also be extremely robust.
As such, the ASC OS series for example, offers highly accurate uniaxial, biaxial and triaxial accelerometers to meet tough measuring tasks while enduring difficult conditions, according to the company. The sensors are based on two proven MEMS technologies and a capacitive operating principle. With available measurement ranges from ±2g to ±400g, the LN (Low Noise) models of the ASC OS series provide noise performance from 7μg/√Hz to 400μg/√Hz. Their high signal-to-noise ratio, in particular, is required to demand the smallest frequencies and amplitudes. The MF (Medium Frequency) accelerometers provide measurement ranges from ±2g to ±200g while featuring a wide frequency response range of 0Hz to 7kHz (±3 dB), the design is robust with shock resistance of up to 6,000g. In addition, the integrated electronic circuitry enables a differential analog voltage output of ± 2.7V (FSO, MF) or ± 4.0V (FSO, LN) and flexible power supply voltage from 5VDC (MF) or 6VDC (LN) to 40 VDC.
With operational temperatures ranging from -40°C to +100°C, the ASC sensors feature stainless-steel housings with protection class IP68 and an integrated cable of configurable length with connectors. This compact, hermetically sealed housing has been designed to make the OS series suitable for tough applications and environments, such as mining or geothermal energy drilling as well as other deep and surface drilling, high-frequency sheet pile vibrating/driving, ramming, pressing, hydraulic hammering, trench cutting or soil mixing techniques.
In all these endeavors, the use of appropriate sensor technology to ensure precise results is of crucial importance. Knowing exact drilling paths or working patterns, and keeping neatly to them, is essential. This is also true of shock and heat resistance, to prevent strong vibrations and high temperatures from skewing measurements and outcomes.
In addition to its own capacitive sensor solutions, ASC also represents high-performance servo quartz-based accelerometers manufactured by Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Ltd (JAE). These, too, feature high temperature ranges, significant shock and vibration resistance as well as low/medium measurement ranges. Their resolution of 1µg, low noise and long-term stability of scale factor and bias makes them ideally suited for inclination measurement and other high-demand applications in mining and geological drilling, according to ASC.
A partnership with the company means that clients now benefit from the combined portfolio of inertial sensor solutions as well as ‘thorough customer service’ this is conducted through one supplier, which helps to add business value and minimise risks for mining operators and adjacent sectors.…Read more by
