Mining

Fire incidents

The results can be dramatic when a fire breaks out on a mining vehicle. Expensive repair or replacement of valuable equipment is the apparent consequence. Extensive downtime and business interruption can result in even greater expenses as this equipment often takes many months to repair or replace. Further on and most importantly, a fire on a mining vehicle can mean severe injuries to the machine operator and miners and, in some cases, also lead to geological instability in the workplace.

Dafo Vehicle fire suppression system

Dafo Vehicle offers the most reliable and effective fire suppression systems for off-road vehicles/ heavy-duty mobile equipment and processing equipment designed to survive demanding conditions and challenging working environments to secure the safety of operations.

The systems are designed to mitigate losses due to fire and reduce the impact on investment, reduce downtime, secure business continuity, and increase the end-user's productivity. Dafo Vehicle's robust system protects against individual hazards within the vehicle. Still, it is also a system that can easily be maintained and refilled on-site, reducing downtime and operational costs with very low TCO. 

How the system works

The Dafo Vehicle fire suppression system consists of four integrated elements; Detection, Alarm, Suppression and Control, which work together in a coordinated, fast and efficient way to suppress fires. The detection system consists of a linear heat detector wire. It has a fixed temperature sensor with an alarm signal triggered when the activation temperature of 180°C is reached. This signal punctures the burst disc of the propellant gas cartridge, which releases nitrogen into the agent container.

The Forrex liquid is distributed to the nozzles through the pipe system. At the same time, the alarm system is activated, and an alarm horn in the vehicle and a light signal in the panel will warn the driver. The liquid agent will push away the oxygen, cool down the overheated engine parts, impregnate the burning material, stick to surfaces and effectively prevent re-ignition. The Forrex is non-corrosive and environmentally friendly. 

The control unit has a Real-time Clock and Event Log that allows access to historical data, making it possible to analyze previous events.

Quality control

To secure that Dafo Vehicle’s fire suppression systems are fit for purpose in challenging environments, the systems are thoroughly tested for fire performance ability and environmental durability such as Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), vibration, corrosion and temperature extremes according to international vehicle standards to ensure the highest performance.

Sustainability

Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection continuously works with sustainability, meaning environmental sensitivity, without compromising safety. A potential fire in a mining environment would significantly impact the operation and surrounding environment. Dafo is measuring and mitigating impacts from manufacture to end-of-life. By choosing a Dafo system, our customers can rest assured that it favourably contributes added value to their sustainability work.