Published in the August 2006 American Longwall Magazine
Company president Gary Lesley said the ELMO-Lyte (Enhanced Linear Mobile Optic) Systems A-200 Series offers options for many scenarios – permanently installed or temporary. Because it is portable and battery powered, the ELMO-Lyte can be carried on a transport vehicle and moved when needed in a carrying case.
The system is actually a heavy duty reel of Lytec electroluminescent “light-by-wire” that illuminates similar to a fluorescent light stick in its effect. The A-200 includes 200 feet of Lytec, which is tethered to a base unit. Looking forward, Lesley noted: “The company has a remote sensing 1000-foot, intrinsically safe-rated system on the drawing board specifically designed by miners, for miners.”
While Head Lites also outfits other areas of industry, including critical infrastructure and emergency responders, the company said the mining industry is opening new doors and options for ELMO’s use. Pathway identification is the obvious application, Lesley said, but noted that ingress and egress and mass evacuation are two other vital uses: “I think [evacuation use] definitely has some strong psychological value; you can keep in mind you started with six guys and … still know you have six guys.”
It is important to note that the A-200 is not intended to be used on its own to tether individuals or pull workers to safety, but rather be used in conjunction with a rope or other safety line to increase visibility and instill a sense of security with those using the ELMO, he said. Additionally, the 1000ft ELMO in development may be integrated into a safety/communications line to allow greater flexibility of the unit’s use and serve multiple purposes for operations.
Temperature was also taken into consideration in the design, Lesley said. While colder air is tolerated well by the line, so is heat – there were several minutes of light survivability at measurements of 500F and higher in Head Lites trials.
The A-200 ELMO, on which Lesley said the company is consistently pursuing research and development efforts, has a battery capacity (16xAA) for six to 12 hours of use and is available in three distinct colors: fluorescent green, coral red and ice blue. Even in full smoke conditions, as the company recently viewed at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Lake Lynn Laboratory in Pennsylvania, estimated visibility was a notable 9-12ft.
Other issues being studied as part of ELMO-Lyte’s R&D include items that nearly every mine using the product will face. First is dust prevention, which would increase effectiveness and decrease maintenance, while another is enhancing its durability to stand up even more efficiently to the harsh underground environment. The company is also planning its submission of its products for regulatory evaluation.
While the company and the ELMO-Lyte are new to the coal mining industry, Lesley said he appreciates the intrinsic dangers workers face every day and that mining is in the midst of a significant shift in safety and rescue technology. “It’s clear to me the growth in mining holds some exciting solutions to our global energy challenges. I’d like to see us make it a little safer and brighter for those doing so.”
