A range of new nondestruc- tive testing (NDT) prod- ucts, which can be used to improve mine safety, was introduced by sensing systems manufacturer GE Measurement & Control Solutions at the World Conference for Non-Destruc-tive Testing, held in Durban in April.
These products include new portable and wireless X-ray detectors, an innovative measurement system for remote visual inspection (RVI) and a computed tomography system, which can vastly improve and speed up quality control and metrology in the inspection of castings and composites, says inspection and technologies GM Jeff Anderson.
NDT products find application throughout the mining industry, he says.
“The two main benefits of using NDT in the mining sector are the improvement of safety and productivity,” he points out.
Safety can be improved as NDT assists in spotting numerous safety hazards, including fraying ropes, cracked axles, sticking valves and corroding pipes. This prevents equipment from failing while in use and injuring personnel, Anderson explains.
As a result of this improved maintenance, productivity is improved because the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns, which lead to downtime and loss of production, is mitigated, Anderson explains.
The four main NDT technologies used in mines can be compared with technologies currently used by the healthcare sector, says Anderson.
Ultrasonics is the interpreation of the reflections received from a pulse of ultrasound introduced into a metal. In the medical sector, ultrasound is used to look at fetuses in the womb. It uses the reflected sound in exactly the same way, he notes.
Radiography is a familiar medical technique and formerly used film, which had to be developed after exposure to radiation. This rarely happens in today’s modern hospital as X-rays are digitally processed and transmitted from the X-ray department directly to a doctor’s computer. “This is exactly the situation in industrial radiography,” explains Anderson.
A recent development has seen the use of computed tomography (essentially three-dimensional radiography) in the examination of core samples and geological specimens to aid decisions on where to sink a shaft or drill a well, he says.
RVI also owes much to the medical sector, where endoscopes are routinely used to carry out keyhole examination and keyhole surgery, he adds.
GE Measurement & Control Solutions’ inspection technologies are used worldwide, especially in the mining sectors of the US and Asia, says Anderson.
“However, the potential for the use of NDT technology in the South African mining sector is promising.”
The company sees sub-Saharan Africa as an important emerging market, which is why it has significantly increased its workforce in the area over the last year.