Our focus is on innovation and safety in mining.

- Benoit Lecuyer

CEO, Prysmian India

Can you tell us about your product offerings in the mining space?

When it comes to the specialised needs and the extremely harsh environment of the open cast and underground mining industries, Prysmian offers the optimal solution, which will last for decades.

We provide a full cables range suitable for both fixed installations and movable equipment. Our mining and tunneling cables offer significant benefits to a broad variety of specialised mining professionals such as OEMs, contractors, installers, mining companies and more. The high performance of the special flexible mining cables is a result of continuous cooperation between the mining companies with Prysmian.

How do you see the changes in the mining sector driving the demand for companies like yours which offer specialised products?

In the past fifty years, natural rubber insulation has been replaced by synthetic polymeric compounds with inherently superior properties. Ethylene-propylene copolymer and terpolymer are most common on flexible cables, offering excellent thermal durability, corona resistance, and electrical characteristics. Cross linked polyethylene insulation has found limited use in fixed applications. Insulation materials are chosen for optimum dielectric characteristics, and resistance to deterioration through heat, oxidation, salts and copper compounds. Inert fillers are used for maximum electrical stability and low moisture absorption. Prysmian ranges can be suited to each mining operator needs

What are the challenges/opportunities?

The resistance between mining equipment and earth is usually high, and dangerous voltages can be present. To prevent hazards from shock, ground fault currents are controlled by various systems, including neutral resistance grounding. To ensure the integrity of this safety circuit, a small independent current may be passed through a pilot conductor to the load centre and return through the earth conductor. If this current is interrupted through breakage, then the circuit breaker will automatically trip and remove power from the cable. This is specially designed and manufactured to restrict extensibility in service.

What is the way forward for Prysmian in India?

Prysmian focus is on innovation and safety in mining. Mine operators are faced with challenges in terms of safety and productivity. Open-pit mining is often carried out, with notable intensity and in regions with often low levels of daylight.

These places special demands on the protection of switching and supply lines. Faulty or defective cables in open-cast mines often can lead to unexpected downtimes of the equipment still to this day. Prysmian Group has solved this problem with the actively illuminated TENAX-LUMEN cable. Our system (power provided by an external inverter) offers a decisive advantage over the methods used up to now on the market. Thus, the active illumination of the cable is possible even when the equipment is at a standstill. The permanent illumination can significantly reduce damage to cables in open pit mines, especially when it is dark.

Also with more equipment operating at higher voltages, it has required the continued development of new elastomeric cable designs. Ongoing development programs have also been required to continually improve the reliability and safety of current designs. The major design responsibility for the Prysmian Group is to ensure that cables supplied will operate reliably and safely under a wide range of conditions.

Hits: 198