Accelovant Deploys Fiber-Optic Temperature Sensors at Kansanshi Mining PLC
Accelovant, a developer of fiber-optic sensing solutions for various markets, has announced the deployment of its fiber-optic temperature sensors at Kansanshi Mining PLC, a company owned by First Quantum and located in Zambia.
Kansanshi is one of the world’s largest and most productive copper mining and smelting sites. The deployment was made to replace older technology devices that were prone to failure in the wet electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) used to scrub dangerous toxins and pollutants from gas streams generated in the copper smelting process.
According to Michael Goldstein, CEO for Accelovant, the company specializes in high-temperature fiber-optic sensors that are immune to electrical noise and interference.
Their patented Kristonium material has created a new class of fiber-optic temperature sensors that offer long service life at temperatures exceeding 450 degrees Celsius. These sensors replaced electrical devices that could not survive the harsh high voltage and electrical noise environment in systems like the ESPs at the Kansanshi mines.
To operate at peak efficiency, the Kansanshi plant must maintain precise temperature levels between 325 and 340 degrees Celsius through the use of in-stream sensors. However, the wet ESPs’ harsh operating environment, including high voltage, electrical noise, and high temperature, presents a challenge.
Pieter Oosthuizen, control instrumentation superintendent at the Kansanshi plant, noted that the ESP units operate with a typical 45 kilovolt charge. Due to the tremendous electromagnetic noise and induced currents in anything conductive or that utilizes electronics, many different sensor types were tried, but they all failed until the Accelovant sensors were installed.
