Industrial IoT solutions provider Latium Technologies has launched its Ingenious line of IoT technologies, first introducing the “groundbreaking” E-Sense™ device. Mining operations often depend on networks of high-voltage cables to power electric rope shovels and electric hydraulic excavators – so when a faulty or damaged cable triggers an automatic shutdown, mining firms need a way to quickly determine which segment in a line needs to be replaced in order to interconnected mitigate downtime.
“To date, this problem is solved by teams of electrical engineers walking the cable length and manually identifying the damaged segment, meaning hours of downtime and hundreds of thousands in lost productivity. Worse still are the health & safety challenges this challenge poses: each shutdown requires these teams to interact with hazardous cable segments charged with up to 14,000 volts of electricity.”
The Ingenious E-Sense™ is a non-invasive IoT sensor that provides mining companies with a better way to monitor networks of high-voltage cables for damage or faults. To date, this challenge has been a completely manual process.
“High-voltage cables are an integral piece of infrastructure powering production assets in our mining operation. Identifying damaged segments using current tools can be time consuming and manually intensive. Currently, there is no solution to identify damaged segments and each cable must be checked individually,” says Aaron Somers, Superintendent Asset Health, Rio Tinto.
E-Sense™ allows maintenance teams to immediately identify and replace damaged cables, reducing costly downtime and eliminating manual processes. It is designed to capture the electromagnetic field emitted by HV cables. Each sensor communicates via LoRaWAN, enabling it to transmit messages at distances of up to 30 km and through steel & concrete structures. Each sensor is equipped with millisecond accurate GPS-synched clocks that log the location and sequence of the drop in power.
Long-lasting batteries offer the Ingenious E-Sense up to 5 Years battery life before needing to be replaced. In the event of an automatic shutdown, the devices immediately report to the Job Site Insights™ desktop and mobile interface pinpointing the faulty cable, alerting field operations teams to take immediate corrective action
“The idea for the E-Sense™ came from being told, ‘it can’t be done’,” said Latium Co-Founder and President Tony Pecorilli. “Our mission has always been to push the boundaries on what people think is impossible.” The Ingenious E-Sense™ integrates directly into Latium Technologies’ industry-leading Job Site Insights® suite of applications. “The launch of the Ingenious sensor line is a major step for us,” said Latium Technologies CEO Mark Bryant. “This enables us to provide truly end-to-end digital transformation solutions to our clients that save time, improve safety, and enhance operational efficiency.”
