Ampcontrol

The Ampcontrol earth continuity relay ensures safety and AS/NZS2081 compliance through a new method of earth continuity protection that uses a ‘trip curve’ to discriminate between earth disconnection faults and incremental increases in the earth return impedance that occurs due to equipment degradation. 

This method provides an instantaneous trip for energised uncoupling of cables and a time delay for gradual increases in the impedance of the earth return path to allow discrimination between noise induced onto the cables pilot earth loop and an actual increase in loop impedance. Embodied in Ampcontrol’s ECM3, this innovation is game changing.

Ampcontrol is a leading supplier of earth leakage relays for a range of mining, industrial and infrastructure applications. Ampcontrol is also an expert in managing VSD-generated earth leakage current in fault limited systems and has developed a range of wide bandwidth earth leakage relays for this application.

Ampcontrol’s multi-function relays provide multiple protection functions in a single unit. Ampcontrol introduced the first integrated protection relay into the underground mining market in the 1990s and has continued to innovate and introduce new technology to this sector.

Ampcontrol has a solid history of supplying conveyor monitoring and control systems to some of the longest conveyors in Australia. The iMAC monitoring and control system has been installed on conveyor belts measuring more than 50 kilometres. iMAC systems help meet the challenges of maintaining safety while maximising productivity on underground and overland conveyors. Each iMAC conveyor installation is customised to the requirements of a site and includes features such as emergency stop (E-stop), remote isolation, prestart warning, intercom and broadcast messaging functionality.

Complex conveyor systems are easily controlled using the iMAC remote I/O modules, so high-integrity E-stop and remote isolation can be undertaken, even with multiple drive locations. The system is designed to minimise conveyor downtime and streamline work processes, even when the interlocking is complicated. Advanced self-diagnostics help maximise conveyor equipment availability.