Objective The aim of the research project is to improve conventional protection and monitoring equipment for electrical power cables in underground hard coal mines so that- cable damage and faults can be detected and located as quickly as possible and- mixtures of gas and air and coal dust and air can no longer be ignited by energy released due to these faults (arcing) as the power supply is shut down within 0.1 milliseconds by fast-acting switches of the type LS 1000.The programme is divided into three main parts:- Development of two fault detection design concepts to prototype stage- Construction and laboratory testing of the prototypes- Production of a pilot production run (around 2) for each concept with subsequent field trials underground.Two approaches will be developed in parallel with one another. This is because they deploy totally different techniques and their potential can - at present - not yet be forecast accurately:- the cable fault detection approach gives rise to highly complex monitoring units with relatively untried reliability and uncertain resistance to high temperatures; nevertheless, preliminary tests carried out by the applicant have shown this to be a viable approach;- the high-frequency approach produces less complex monitoring devices but these generate more power dissipation in the housing than the above approach. There has not been sufficient preliminary testing to consolidate the method technically.Feedback will be required between production and testing with several feedback loops being run consecutively.The reliability of the two systems is to be verified by field trial, with special attention to the effects of the following:- mechanical oscillations and vibration in service on shearers and selective heading machines or wheel-mounted loaders- the high temperatures inside intrinsically safe switchgear housings. Programme(s) ECSC-WORKSAFE C - First joint research programme (ECSC) "Safety in the European Coal and Steel Community industries", 1989-1993 Topic(s) 2 - Specific safety requirements of mines Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator DMT - GESELLSCHAFT FÜR FORSCHUNG UND PRÜFUNG MBH EU contribution No data Address HERNER STRASSE 45 44809 BOCHUM Germany See on map Total cost No data