Burn-Brite is a family owned business, best known for its lighting systems and the company has just completed its second lighting package for BHP Billiton West Cliff mine. Other recently completed projects include Metropolitan, Elouera, Appin, Springvale, Dartbrook and Tahmoor mines. The company has orders in hand for Mandalong, the new Dendrobium mine and recently won its first major Chinese order for 20 FLP1 series lights to be installed on roof-bolters in China.
Burn-Brite founding director, Ivan Waters recalls the early days of working with Dowty Wolleng and BHP Mining in designing the first Australian manufactured lighting systems for such mines as Angus Place, Macquarie, Ellalong and others. This was in 1982 and by 1996 Burn-Brite had supplied 17 systems. And since 1998 the company has supplied 23 of the new, low maintenance longwall lighting systems to Australian longwall mines.
As a member of the Standards Committees that produce standards for hazardous area equipment, Waters has witnessed firsthand changes in technology over the years. Waters said since the early 1980s the explosion protection techniques encompassing lighting has evolved quite radically, from being Ex d, Ex i followed by mixed types of explosion protection techniques being incorporated into Ex e Stainless Steel boxes. Now the company has developed a range of isolator boxes incorporating Ex m techniques.
The concept for a new Exe lighting system for roof support isolator boxes was exhibited in 1998 at the QME show in Mackay. The Oaky No 1 mine, in conjunction with DBT, was the first mine to accept the new low maintenance system, which (with the assistance of the Londonderry Test Station) was certified and installed within three months. This order was something of a watershed for Burn-Brite as this was the first time the lighting isolator was manufactured in stainless steel boxes, which has since become standard practice. Once there was an industry awareness of the cost and maintenance savings of this system, orders from Queensland and New South Wales followed.
Burn-Brite was the first company to introduce non-metallic materials into explosion-protected lighting equipment. According to Waters, future developments will be in the greater use of hybrid types of explosion protection techniques.
Burn-Brite’s manufacturing capabilities include complete design and tooling, plastic extrusion / injection moulding, metal machining and fabrication shop, non-ferrous foundry and electronics division. Plugs, sockets, cable looms and lighting components are all manufactured in the company’s factory. The company supplies everything from the lighting outlet and transformer through to the system that controls the chocks.
“We believe we have got a totally certified system best suited to a mine’s particular needs. Our modular design means we can work with a mine engineer from concept to design and find a solution that suits their needs with fit for purpose equipment,” Waters said.
Other than the company’s comprehensive range of lights and fittings, visitors to the Burnbrite stand at this year’s QME will be the first to see the company’s newly approved 12V-power supply. It is the company’s first ever fully isolated, intrinsically safe, power supply with a maximum output current of 2.5 Amps.
Burn-Brite designed the IS low voltage power supply specifically for use in underground coal mines, in conjunction with other certified equipment and/or as a replacement for other IS power supply units currently installed in mines.
Applications include roof support controllers, gas monitors, solenoid drivers, radio systems and Protec. The power supply has been designed and tested to Standards Australia and is classified for use in Group 1 areas.
The new Burn-Brite power supply employs independent protection circuits to ensure the connected load does not receive power should any internal or external fault condition exists which would cause excess current or voltage. The circuit employs input varistor and EMI filter, flyback power converter, duplicated shunt crowbar protection, duplicated series overcurrent protection, duplicated shunt overvoltage protection operating on independent converter shutdown circuits. If all fault conditions are removed, the power is restored.
Features include fully floating output; wide operating voltage range; and offered low capacitance and inductance. The company said the unit was compact and lightweight and offered a soft start as well as self re-setting circuit.
All Burn-Brite hazardous location fittings are certified to the Australian Standard, which is aligned to the IEC International Standard. All luminaires are manufactured to comply with Electromagnetic Compatibility framework. Burn-Brite uses the latest technology, including the use of non-metallic materials, resulting in strong, but lightweight products.
“The company is proud of its reputation for meeting its clients expectations of delivering fully tested quality products on time and the follow up with technical support and readily available spare parts,” Waters said.
“In fact some of the systems operating that were manufactured in the 1980's are still supported with spare parts.”
Another facet of the operation encompasses an efficient service department that Queensland and New South Wales mines have found to be cost competitive in achieving a fast turnaround of inspections, refurbishments and overhauls including plugged cable looms on a direct door to door basis using dedicated transport operators. This service works on the premise that downtime for the mine is costly.
Burnbrite will be at the Queensland Mining and Engineering Exhibition (QME) in Mackay, July 27-29.
