Conveyor Health Monitoring System Implementation

This document is a technical report detailing the implementation of a Conveyor Health Monitoring System (CHMS) using the Praetorian Fiber Optic Sensing System by Hawk Measurement Systems. The CHMS was installed on a conveyor network in New South Wales, Australia, which transports washer thermal coal to a power station. The primary objective of the system is to enhance the reliability of conveyor idlers and reduce unscheduled downtime due to idler failures. The report outlines the challenges faced in monitoring conveyor idlers and the solutions developed, including the use of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) Fiber Optic Cables. The system generates daily reports on the condition of each idler and sends urgent alarms when issues are detected. The document also discusses the operational success of the system since its deployment in October 2023, including a case where a hazardous idler was identified through the monitoring system, demonstrating its effectiveness in detecting issues that are not easily observable by human inspectors.