Doran Manufacturing has confirmed its integration with Digital Communications Technologies (DCT) to supply tire monitoring technology to be used in Chilean copper mines via DCT’s integrators in the region, Geoaustral and Cosmos Energy.
The project is part of a safety initiative and will initially involve 36 trucks and off-road vehicles/equipment including loaders, articulated trucks, haul trucks and more at the Codelco copper mine in Antofagasta. Doran tire monitoring information, including tire pressure, slow leak, fast deflation events, and temperature will be displayed along with other pertinent vehicle information on a dashboard developed by Cosmos Energy.
“DCT already has the technology for capturing and converting relevant vehicle engine parameters into actionable data. Nevertheless, tire pressure and temperature is not commonly found on every vehicle’s ECU,” said Digital Communications Technology Commercial Director Carlos Jaramillo.
“That is where Doran’s solution comes into play, by integrating seamlessly with Syrus 4G IoT Gateway, DCT was able to provide tire data that was crucial for the safety solution. Doran can supply that vital safety information which is displayed seamlessly within our cloud platform dashboard.”
External, valve stem-mounted sensors pass tire pressure and temperature data to the DCT system for display on their dashboard in real-time. Drivers can tell at a glance if there’s an issue with one of their tires; they also receive visual and audible alerts for low inflation pressure, rapid deflation events and high tire temperatures. This information is also provided to fleet managers and equipment maintenance teams in real-time.
Monitoring and continually reporting tire pressures and temperatures allows Acciona’s maintenance teams to schedule repairs and corrections to reduce tire-related maintenance costs, extend tread life, protect casings, and minimize catastrophic tire failures, all while significantly enhancing safety.
“Maintaining proper tire inflation pressure significantly enhances safety, which was of primary importance to Codelco,” Doran said. “A rapid deflation event on a loaded haul truck can be catastrophic and potentially life-threatening for the driver and anyone within the vicinity.
“Since the Antofagosta project involves the movement of 9.7 million cubic meters of compacted fill and the excavation of more than 2 million cubic meters of soil, fully loaded articulated haul trucks and other haul trucks will constantly traverse the site over the three-year period.”
In addition to significantly improving operational safety, proper tire inflation maximizes the performance of the tire, leading to reduced downtime while improving efficiency. Designed to handle the extreme environmental conditions found in mining operations, Doran tire monitoring systems account for heat, vibration, and the longevity needed for performance in mines around the world.
“Codelco is well-known and well-respected in the worldwide mining community, and we’re pleased to have earned their trust,” said Doran President Jim Samocki. “We’re excited to partner with GeoAustral on this important safety initiative, and look forward to a long relationship with them, Codelco, and Digital Communications Technology.”
Source: Doran Manufacturing