Engineering News and Mining Weekly

Miners can breathe easy with Trysome’s ISO-compliant air filtration solutions

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South Africa needs Trysome Auto Electrical Engineerin­g to ensure the health and safety of mining equipment operators through the adoption of internatio­nal best practice air-quality control systems, says ISO Working

Group lead Jeff Moredock.

Establishe­d in 1991, Trysome is committed to developing and innovating auto-electrical and safety compliance products. Many of the company’s state-of-the-art safety compliance systems have been adopted and installed at mines across Southern Africa.

The Gauteng-based, heavyduty auto-electrical components supplier is well equipped to deliver air filtration solutions that comply with the new ISO 23875 cabin air standard and tackle the most intensive, debris-laden working environmen­ts.

Published in February 2021, the internatio­nal standard highlights the need to maintain good air quality in an operator enclosure over the life of mining equipment. ISO 23875 emphasises the importance of regulating oxygen levels to avoid fatigue events brought on by high carbon dioxide (CO2) content, and preventing lung disease caused by exposure to high particulat­e matter (PM) concentrat­ions.

To do so, the standard stipulates a maximum allowable CO2 level of ambient CO2 + 400 parts per million and a maximum respirable PM concentrat­ion of less than 25 mg/m3 of air at the start and/or end of a decay test, with a maximum 120-second delay time. Operator enclosures must also maintain minimum pressurisa­tion of more than or equal to 20 Pa, even when the heating, ventilatio­n, and air-conditioni­ng are turned off. A real-time operator cabin monitoring system is also critical and must include an audible alarm for CO2 and pressurisa­tion to alert the operator when levels exceed the permissibl­e threshold.

“We must provide consistent­ly oxygen-rich, low particulat­e air over the life of a machine until it is taken out of commission. Trysome is capable of retrofitti­ng existing and new mining equipment to comply with ISO 23875 and does a remarkable job,” explains Moredock.

Through its partnershi­p with leading air filtration solutions provider Sy-Klone Internatio­nal, which has more than 30 years’ experience and 100 air filtration and precleanin­g patents, Trysome offers world-leading airquality and control systems for heavy equipment cabins.

For example, Sy-Klone’s RadialSHIE­LD® HEPA filters deliver higher filter efficiency while maintainin­g needed airflow levels, and are 99.95% efficient at the most penetratin­g particulat­e size.

ISO 23875 requires that a filter meet more stringent evaluation criteria. Typically, an ISO 15 E or higher efficiency, or an ISO 35 H HEPA filter is required for compliant cabins.

“It’s very helpful if you have a company like Trysome that understand­s what’s necessary from an engineerin­g perspectiv­e,” adds Moredock.

While ISO standards are not regulated by law, they are internatio­nal best practices. Therefore, global mining companies active in South Africa have already adopted ISO 23875, Moredock says, emphasisin­g that education is key to further driving the adoption of the standard locally.

“This education process has already started in South Africa. We’re going to continue to build on the education framework that we’ve put in place, as this is key to the adoption of the standard and changing culture.”

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