AN INVESTIGATION tool that can access sealed or inaccessible areas through a 100mm borehole is now available for the Australian mining industry.
The Borehole-based Investigation Tool was developed over a series of ACARP [www.acarp.com.au]-funded projects and has been successfully trialled at the Newstan and Austar colleries in NSW.
The system is waterproof and equipped with down and side digital video cameras to monitor a range of factors in hazardous mining environments.
The unit is able to reach 1000m depth to measure atmospheric pressure, temperature, airflow and oxygen concentration. It is also fitted with a speaker and microphone for underground communications.
The tool is fully portable and powered by a generator, and can be quickly deployed within 12 hours of a call being received.
Information on hire or purchase of the tool is now available through the developing companies.