NHP’s TemRack iR is enabling workers to rack air circuit breakers outside of the switchboard room, keeping them safe from arc flashes and other electrical risks.
As the mining industry transitions to clean and renewable energy, more aspects of operations are becoming electrified. But while electricity is the way forward in terms of sustainable mining, it also represents a safety hazard to workers that needs to be controlled.
There are many risks associated with electricity, but none make such a terrible impression as an arc flash, a phenomenon where a flashover of electric current causes an explosion of energy.
Arc flash temperatures can reach thousands of degrees Celsius, with a significant range of effect. Owing to the sudden release of high heat – likened to a bomb – they can also be fatal to workers.
According to the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety in Western Australia, around 25 significant arc flash incidents occur each year on the state’s mine sites.
“Mines can be quite prone to arc flashes because they’re harsh environments, they’re dusty, and there’s lots of vibration,” NHP Electrical Engineering Products business development consultant Jeff Davis told Safe to Work.
“There’s lots of things that could go wrong.”
Davis has been on committees to design electrical standards including EL-06-08 Switchboards, EL-001 3000 Wiring Rules, EL-001-17-01 Construction and Demolition, EL-001-17-02 Transportable Structures and EL-007 High Voltage Switchgear. He said the threat of an arc flash is compounded in switchboard rooms, which on mine sites are often narrow spaces – not ideal when confronted with the risk of an electrical explosion.
But the TemRack iR by NHP is changing the game.
When it comes to switchboards, an air circuit breaker (ACB) is often used as the key protection device allowing power into a building. TemRack iR has an automated racking function that permits safe isolation of the ACB, meaning there is no physical interaction between workers and the live ACB.
“The riskiest time during any switchboard’s life is racking components out, and an ACB is meant to be racked out. In Australia, that is statistically where the vast majority accidents occur,” Davis said.
“The TemRack iR allows personnel to turn the ACB on and off and rack it in and out all while outside the switchboard room.
“That way we can keep people completely out of the danger zone.”
The TemRack iR is designed with no live parts exposed, minimising the risk of electrocution during racking.
“It’s just a matter of going into the room and swapping out the ACB. Then you can leave the room, rack the new ACB and switch it on remotely,” Davis said.
The fact the TemRack iR is encased with the ACB means maintenance is significantly safer.
“All the working components are in the body of the ACB, so there’s nothing left in the switchboard that needs to be maintained in any way, shape or form, meaning personnel don’t have to make contact with it,” Davis said.
“Not only in this a huge safety benefit, but it also gives mine sites 100 per cent uptime of their switchboards.”
Thanks to TemRack iR’s self-contained design, NHP can easily retrofit these remote rackers to Terasaki TemBreak AR ACBs, a service companies across the Australian recourses sector have been lining up to access.
“It’s been a hit in the mining industry because everyone is pushing to get people out of the switch rooms,” Davis said. “On a mine, unlike in other applications, these rooms can be entirely containerised. If something goes wrong in these small spaces, it can be catastrophic.”
NHP has a nation-wide network of service technicians and application engineers to help integrate and maintain the TemRack iR at even the most remote mine sites.
Beyond the TemRack iR, NHP offers an entire suite of electrical solutions suited to the mining industry.
Concept Tough is NHP’s heavy-duty distribution board specialised for rugged Australian conditions.
“Mine sites present so many unique and problematic factors, like excessive dust,” Davis said. “Dust can build up and the sheer weight of it can damage the panelboard.
“We have spent an enormous amount of time looking at common materials around Australian mine sites and designed the Concept Tough to keep dust from building up.”
Davis said the mounting points of Concept Tough are also uniquely external, which keeps dust out of the box.
NHP also recently launched the CUBIC Outdoor Modular, a modular switchboard system that can be built up.
“The CUBIC Modular has been specifically designed to stand out in the sun with 50°C beating on it all day while the electrical equipment inside can run safely without overheating,” Davis said.
A trusted partner
It’s not just electrical safety that NHP can help with. The company is an exclusive distributor and service provider of Rockwell Automation products in Australia. Known for its industrial automation and information solutions, Rockwell is considered a giant in the resources industry.
In the context of mining, Rockwell’s solutions include remote asset monitoring, control systems for mineral processing and metal refining plants, automation solutions for material handling, general mine digitalisation, and much more.
“Our technicians and engineers are based all around the country, and we’re also an authorised service provider for Rockwell Automation,” NHP safety and sensing product manager Stefan Stainwall said.
“All the work we do comes with rigorous training from Rockwell. Our engineers work at a standard enforced globally by Rockwell Automation, which is a $10 billion company and growing.
“As part of that partnership, we’re also able to provide machine safety risk assessments in accordance with Australian Standard 4024, which provides detailed guidance on how to ensure machinery has suitable levels of functional safety.”
Rockwell is also a provider of industrial cybersecurity services, an area where Stainwall said NHP has seen a great deal of movement.
“Cybersecurity has become a hot topic in the mining industry in the last year or so following a few security incidents,” he said.
“A data breach can shut down operations very quickly, and it’s very costly to fix.
“That’s another area where NHP can help the mining industry.”
From optimising mining operations with Rockwell Automation solutions to protecting workers against arc flashes with the TemRack iR, NHP’s presence in the resources sector is as broad as it is impactful.
This feature also appears in the January-February issue of Safe to Work.