How to keep a lid on leaks

Compressed air leaks can arrange chaos on a mining point. Fortunately, Flir has a solution.

AIR compressors are widespread in the mining industry, especially in the underground sector.

The underground mining uses a wide range of drilling methods, which are strongly dependent on compressed air systems for rinsing and cuttings.

Air compressor systems also play a major role in blowing up and producing high -speed streams that safely trigger explosives.

In fact, they have become such a staple in the mining industry that they can be found in almost any corner of a mine.

But while the compressed air has made mining safer and more efficient, it is not without challenges.

Compressed air systems can be susceptible to leaks that can increase the energy costs of a mine due to wasted air. In fact, a compressed air system can lose 25 to 30 percent of its air against leaks.

In response to this, Flir Systems, a company of Teledyne Technologies, developed a solution: acoustic image of image cameras.

“In order to counter the challenges of the mining industry, mining companies can turn to technology, whereby the focus is on monitoring the condition,” said Flir.

“The FLIR SI2 acoustics image offering camera offers a powerful solution for condition monitoring and is specially designed for the discovery of compressed air leaks and partially discharges as well as storage problems and detection of some gases.”

The FLIR SI2 detects ultrasound frequencies of a compressed air leak for the compressed air system through its 124 mems microphones with low noise (microelectromechanical system) and real-time sound visualization.

And with the free Flir Acoustic Camera viewer, pictures of the problem can be quickly visualized and uploaded to immediate analysis.

“This service offers users valuable insights such as the energy costs of compressed air leaks and the classification, the evaluation of the severity and the recommended corrective measures,” said Flir. “The camera requires minimal training and is easy to include in the maintenance cycle of a mining company, even in the loudest environments.”

The Flir SI2 is known for its one-handed operation, and with the acoustic imaging camera, the operators can also carry out the inspections up to 10 times faster than conventional methods.

“By using acoustic imaging cameras to immediately grasp and remedy LECKS, mining operations can improve their energy efficiency and reduce the total energy consumption,” said Flir.

This leads to reduced operating costs and an improved environment footprint, which improves the safety of a mine.

“The FLIR SI2 accommodate 124 sensitive microphones that are advantageous for high -voltage systems and stations and enable the operators to maintain a secure distance when inspection of the devices supplyed with energy,” said Flir.

“The non -contacts camera works from a operation of 0.3 m to 200 m, so that constant maintenance in large areas can occur safely and efficiently and without operation.

“As a result, mines can immediately alleviate the security risks and at the same time optimize the performance of their equipment.”

Compressed air leaks can lead to a costly problem for a mining point, so it is essential to get to it.

“Lecks in compressed air systems can adversely work on the mining process, increase energy costs, reduce the efficiency of the tool and increase the maintenance requirements,” said Flir.

“The FLIR SI2 acoustics image camera offers a powerful solution for condition monitoring in mining systems, captures early lacquer leaks and improves operational continuity.”

This function appeared in March 2025 edition of the Australian mining.