Conveyor belts are critical components in many industrial facilities. In mining, power generation, iron and steel production, pulp and paper manufacturing, and waste management, they operate continuously and often over long distances. A bearing failure or mechanical fault on a roller can generate heat that goes undetected until it causes a fire. When a conveyor belt catches fire, the damage goes beyond the belt itself. Production stops, equipment is lost, and recovery can take weeks.
Why Conventional Detection Methods Fall Short
Manual IR thermal inspections cannot predict temperature spikes. By the time an inspection route is completed, a fault may have already developed. Some sections of a conveyor belt may also be in locations that are unsafe or difficult to reach.
Wireless point sensors provide only partial visibility. They cover specific locations along the belt, not the entire length. Installing enough sensors to achieve full coverage increases both initial and running costs significantly.
Conventional linear heat detectors can only detect a fire after it has already started. They cannot predict or prevent a fire, and they cannot pinpoint the exact location of the heat source.
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Fiber Optic Temperature Sensing with Yokogawa DTSX3000
The Yokogawa DTSX3000 uses the fiber optic cable itself as the temperature sensor. The cable runs along the entire length of the conveyor belt and measures temperature at every 1 meter interval. With a monitoring distance of up to 50 km per unit, the DTSX3000 can cover large sections of even the longest conveyor systems in a single installation. The monitoring cycle is approximately 5 seconds with a temperature resolution of 0.03°C, allowing abnormal heat to be detected and located before it develops into a fire.
When a roller bearing begins to fail, it generates heat gradually before reaching ignition point. DTSX3000 detects this abnormal heat rise early, giving operators time to intervene and address the problem before a fire occurs.
The fiber optic cable requires no power supply along its length, is explosion proof, and is not affected by electromagnetic noise. This makes it suitable for hazardous and hard to reach areas where conventional sensors cannot be used. The system operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including in unmanned areas.
Frost & Sullivan research indicates that switching from reactive to predictive monitoring can result in 7 to 10 times lower downtime and up to 70% reduction in operational costs.
Cedetaş Engineering as Your Solution Partner
Choosing the right solution requires more than product selection. It requires understanding the facility’s topology, existing protocols, and redundancy needs. Cedetaş Engineering & Technology, authorized distributor of Yokogawa in Türkiye, provides solution consultancy from system design through commissioning.
