Despite substantial effort taken by countries to reduce risk; explosions are still common events in mining and industry. Refuge shelters are built to provide isolated breathable air when air quality has been compromised. These refuge chambers must maintain positive pressure to ensure hazardous gases in the area do not enter the chamber. There can be no leakage into the chamber from any external point. These chambers need to be maintained regularly because they are relied upon when accidents or explosions happen.
Therefore, these escape pods, need to be airtight in order to maintain its positive pressure and prevents ingress of dangerous gases. Testing of airtightness of the pods for leak sites is vital to complement the gas sensing applications within the pods, such as monitoring the oxygen levels or dangerous gas levels. This ensures the critical infrastructure is fit-for-purpose in the event of an emergency. The Portascanner® AIRTIGHT 520 allows maintenance operators to ensure the pods are sufficiently airtight by locating any leaks and quantifying the air permeability through them.The Portascanner® AIRTIGHT 520 consists of the ultrasound generator and ultrasound receiver. The handheld ultrasound generator produces ultrasonic signal that fills the enclosure and the handheld ultrasound receiver is able to locate and quantify the extent of any leaks through the escaped ultrasound signal through gaps in the seal. Testing for airtightness can now be completed faster, better and more efficiently, and therefore cheaper, with the Portascanner® AIRTIGHT 520. Leaks with a diameter as small as 0.5mm can now be detected, quickly located and quantified with the Portascanner® AIRTIGHT 520 to ensure Mining Refuge Chambers are airtight.
The Portascanner® AIRTIGHT 520 is a powerful and unique handheld tool to ensure refuge shelters and chambers are sufficiently airtight to perform their intended purpose.
