Sensors for Mining

City Technology’s (UK) gas sensors are the heart of personal and fixed gas detectors, protecting lives and facilities in inhospitable environments and dangerous industries such as mining. The industry has grown rapidly during the last five years in China, SE Asia, Africa and Latin America to meet the increasing demand for minerals as these economies develop. With individuals’ lives potentially at risk, reliability is critical, so all our sensors are tested under extreme conditions to ensure that they will function flawlessly throughout their design life.

City’s sensors are approved to the demanding specifications issued by the mining industries in emerging regions as well as more established markets of North America and Europe. The challenges vary widely: in deep coal, precious metal and rare earth mines, extreme temperature changes, rapid humidity variations and significant pressure changes are experienced as miners travel down from the surface. In South African mines, hydrogen cross-sensitivity is a major issue; in both deep and open cast coal mines methane gas is an ever-present hazard.

John Warburton, City Technology strategic marketing manager, said, “Our products are designed to meet the most stringent global requirements. We have a strong, field-proven portfolio and our most recent developments have been specifically designed for mining applications. 4OXV, our latest oxygen sensor, is highly stable under rapid pressure change, and our new carbon monoxide sensor, 4CM, offers the fastest response and recovery times in the industry. Our robust Pellistors are poison-resistant and offer outstanding shock and vibration immunity, a critical requirement for the mining industry. We are the approved sensor supplier for the majority of instrument manufacturers who serve these markets. As our sensors are trusted to protect people’s lives in these industries, we are confident that they will perform reliably and faultlessly in all other applications.”