This document discusses conveyor belt fire safety and introduces a proactive fire protection system. It notes that conveyor belts have high fire risks at areas like tail pulleys and transfer areas. While belts don't spontaneously combust, friction from slippage can generate enough heat to ignite belts over 400°C. The proactive system uses temperature monitoring, preventative detection at risk areas, and efficient cooling suppression. It features a liquid agent that cools, inhibits chemicals, and forms a protective film to prevent re-ignition without flooding or downtime. The system has been installed successfully in several South African mining operations and offers advantages over traditional reactive detection and suppression.

1. Conveyor Belt Fire Safety
A new proactive way to protect your conveyor belts

2. Conveyor Belt
Open-pit mines
Process plant
Materials handling/ transport.
Underground mine operations

3. Conveyor Belt Fire safety
High fire risk areas on conveyor belt
Tail Pulley
including Snub pulley
Transfer Areas
Head Pulley
including Snub Pulley
Take-up, bend /
Tensioning Pulleys
Pulley Bearings

4. Conveyor Belt Fire safety
Flammability of conveyor belts
• The conveyor belts don’t spontaneously burst into flames,
• on the contrary, is need excessive amounts of heat energy over a period of time to get
non-fire retardant conveyor belts to burn and even more for fire retardant conveyor belts.
• Conveyor belts only ignite in excess of 400°C
o General ignition temperatures:
o PVC 460 °C for 14 seconds
o Neoprene 430 °C for 23 seconds
o Rubber 410 °C for 30 seconds
• Friction - Research indicates that belt slippage is the main cause of conveyor belt fires,
due to a belt losing traction and slipping on the drive roller, or due to a misaligned belt
slipping off the rollers and jamming. This may generate sufficient heat to ignite the belt.
• A typical conveyor belt can easily travel more than 40 meters within the 15 seconds.
This can allow the belt to carry flames over a potentially dangerous distance
• One kg of rubber contains as much energy as one kg of oil. A conveyor with a weight of
1 000kg has the same energy to burn as 1 000kg of diesel oil.

5. Conveyor Belt Fire safety
Usual System: reactive fire protection system
• Detect and suppress a burning belt
• Detection of high ambient temperature or flames from burning
conveyance system components and then applying Water to extinguish
or at least suppress the burning conveyance system components.

6. Conveyor Belt Fire Safety
DAFO System: proactive fire protection system
• Real time detection and cooling a hot belt
• Early detection of operational temperature rise, dramatically reduces ignition
potential.
• Designated area protection. Detection of overheating and cooling with a wet
agent system to below ignition temperatures.
• No Fire = No flames, fumes or smoke.
• No flooding and associated operational issues.
• Compact and efficient.
• Increased operator safety, minimized down time.

7. Conveyor Belt Fire safety
New methodology - Proactive fire protection system
Preventive Detection
( DAFO System )

8. The proactive fire protection system consist on 3 individual but integrated system
1. Real Time Temperature Monitoring Across Conveyor Network
2. Preventive Detection - Fire detection on identified high fire risk areas
3. Suppression - Efficient cooling and/or fire suppression over identified high fire risk areas
Conveyor Belt Fire Safety
DAFO System: proactive fire protection system

9. Proactive fire protection system
Real Time Temperature Monitoring Across Conveyor Network
LIOS - LHD 2 CH Linear Heat Detection
LIOS - Optical fiber sensor cable
LIOS - Charon visualization and monitoring software

10. Controller
813 m
Fiber optic sensor cable
Evaluation
m
C°
813 m
Calculated temperature profile
Proactive fire protection system
Real Time Temperature Monitoring Across Conveyor Network
LIOS De. Tect Distributed Temperature Sensing
Laser
1450 1550 1650 λ [nm]
Intensity
laser light
Principle of the Raman effect
Measurement
Anti stoke Stoke
Lattice vibration, change in
backscatter behavior.

11. Proactive fire protection system
Suppression - Dafo FORREX
• Dafo Forrex is a unique patented liquid agent.
• Acting on a three pronged approach.
o Cooling
o Chemical Inhibition
o Film Forming
FUEL
• The Dafo FORREX system is primarily focused on the friction contact surfaces.
• These surfaces are most likely to start burning first.
• Heat transfer to the other surface is very poor,
• Unlikely that the conveyor belt would start burning on the outer surface initially.
• The Dafo System also covers on all pulley areas including the plumber blocks.

12. Proactive fire protection system
Dafo FORREX - Benefits
• Strong cooling effect
• Film forming effect to prevent re-ignition
• Pressure-less container
• Freeze protected down to -50°
• Easy maintenance
• Easy to refill on site
• Easy to clean up after discharge
• Non corrosive to steel, rubber, plastics
• Environment friendly
• And is certified for 10 Years
FUEL

13. • SBF127
• SPCR 183
• TÜV / VDS
• FK 127:2011-4
• ECE 10.3 EU standard for vehicles in traffic
• Russia N 123-F3
• Chinese approval CCC
• ECI "Standards Institution of Israel“ IS 6278
• EN 60529
• EN 60068-2-64
• EN 10305
• EN 853
• 97/23/EY
• ISO 9001
• ISO 14001
• UL
• During this year we will have the FM certification
Proactive fire protection system
Dafo FORREX - Norms & Approvals

14. Country Company Site System Description Installed
South Africa Lonmin Platinum
Karee 3
Concentrator Conveyors Forrex SV-K 30250 (750 L Forrex) 2015
South Africa Lonmin Platinum
Marensky
Concentrator Conveyors Forrex SV-K 10250 (250 L Forrex) 2015
South Africa Lonmin Platinum
Karee 4
Concentrator Conveyors Forrex SV-K 7250 (175 L Forrex) 2016
South Africa Lonmin Platinum EPC Concentrator Conveyors Forrex SV-K 12250 (300 L Forrex) 2016
South Africa Lonmin Platinum EPL Concentrator Conveyors Forrex SV-K 10250 (250 L Forrex) 2016
South Africa Bakubung Platinum Styldrift Mine Conveyors Forrex SV-K 40250 (1000 L Forrex) 2017
South Africa African Rainbow Minerals Two Rivers Platinum Conveyors Forrex SV-K 4250 (100 L Forrex) 2017
Proactive fire protection system
Installation References