In this presentation, CiDRA's patented technology platform and its applications will be described. CiDRA's non-invasive, passive sonar array-based flow meter technology performs two independent measurementsflow rate and fluid characterization. Firstly, the meter provides the volumetric flow rate of the mixture by measuring the speed at which naturally occurring structures such as turbulent eddies or density variations convect with the flow past an axial array of sensors. Secondly, the meter uses similar sonar-based processing techniques and naturally occurring sound in the process slurry to measure entrained air levels and in some cases fluid composition. The result is a unique ability to measure the flow rate and entrained air level of most fluids -clean liquids, high solids content slurries, pastes, and liquids and slurries with entrained air.
Also to be presented is the application of this array-based technology platform in a variety of hydrotransport and minerals beneficiation applications. Examples of these situations include volume flow measurements in tailings lines, thickener discharge, high solids contents pipelines, slurry lines with magnetite and other magnetic ore, slurry lines with abrasive or corrosive materials, high pressure lines, and slurry and nonslurry lines exhibiting scale buildup. The operational advantages and value of these measurements, even in the presence of scale buildup, will be discussed. Recent developments in extending this technology to solve other unique measurement problems such as valve movement confirmation, non-invasive slurry profiling, and sanding detection will be covered.
This paper presents a new instrument for real-time detection of excessively coarse material in the overflow pipes of individual hydrocyclones using a non-invasive acoustic measurement technique. The hydrocyclone is an important device used in mineral processing beneficiation circuits for classification of mineral slurries by particle size. It separates a single input stream into two output streams; an underflow of coarse particles that undergo additional grinding for further size reduction, and an overflow stream of finer particles that typically goes directly into a flotation circuit for recovery of the desired mineral. However the hydrocyclone is a major piece of equipment in the beneficiation process that has no instrumentation for directly measuring its performance. The parameters currently measured -inlet pressure, feed flow rate, feed flow density -are common to the entire hydrocyclone cluster which typically has three to twelve hydrocyclones. Thus no information is available to detect individual hydrocyclones that are operating poorly. The system described in this paper detects the presence of unwanted excessively coarse material in the overflow stream of a hydrocyclone using sensors mounted to the exterior pipe surface. It provides real-time monitoring, trending and alarming of the coarse material level. This enables operators to identify poorly performing hydrocyclones, and enables corrective action to reduce or eliminate the coarse material discharge. Improving the classification efficiency of individual hydrocyclones will improve the overall classification efficiency of a hydrocyclone cluster. This leads to less variation in the particle size distribution and slurry density in the flotation feed, which will in turn improve overall mineral recovery. The reduction of unwanted coarse material in the flotation feed reduces the accumulation of that material in flotation cells. This can lead to equipment damage, and unplanned shutdowns due to events such as blocked dart valves.
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