Mining professionals know that the efficient hydraulic transportation of mine tailings plays a crucial role in mining and mineral processing operations across the world.
While slurry pipelines have been used in mining over the last 70 years, assessing efficiency of an onsite hydro-transport system is usually achieved by measuring the concentration (density) of solids inside a slurry pipe.
Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) is emerging as a frontrunner in the mining industry’s quest for a non-nuclear replacement for gamma-based nuclear density measurement technology.
This year has seen ERT’s recent emergence been taken to a new level with the launch of the i-Flow Smart Meter from Manchester (UK) based Process Flow Intelligence (PFI).
What makes the i-Flow’ so smart?
PFI’s i-Flow Smart Meter allows mining professionals to, literally, see inside a slurry pipe to be able to watch slurry flow and monitor bed-height in real time using ERT – this also includes monitoring the inlet, outlet, and body of a hydrocyclone.
ERT works by measuring the relative difference in the electrical conductivity of water and the entrained solids inside the slurry pipe. Sensor-derived conductivity measurements are interpreted by back-projected software to render a tomogram – a real-time dynamic cross-sectional image of the contents of the slurry pipe along with empirical and Cartesian representations of other data.
How does the i-Flow Smart Meter compare with other technologies?
While relatively new to the mining industry, PFI has an established track record in the maritime dredging industry where ERT has been successfully used to measure slurry density over a number of years.
In 2021, maritime giant, Damen Shipyards Group conducted a study of eight different slurry density measurement technologies (seven non-nuclear and one ‘low dose nuclear’) under the same trial conditions.
Damen’s findings were clear as ERT scored a maximum “5” with ERT’s accuracy found to be “Excellent”. The nearest competitors were ultrasonic and kinetic/weighing technologies which scored “4” and “3” respectively, with accuracy assessments of “Good” and “Reasonable” respectively.
What are the i-Flow Smart Meter’s operational advantages?
- Blockages can be prevented before they happen: Before the i-Flow Smart Meter, no monitoring technology allowed mining professionals to see inside a slurry pipe to view bed-height or slurry flow in real-time.
- Solid velocity, not water velocity: The i-Flow’ only measures slurry and solid velocity – not the flow of water. As we know, entrained solids move at a slower speed than water.
- No moving parts: Nothing gets worn out or needs replacing in the short-to-medium term. PFI’s sensors are made from hardwearing polyurethane (PU) or polyoxymethylene (POM); while sensor flanges can be manufactured to fit any slurry pipeline from 10mm to 1200mm.
- Innovation means integration: The i-Flow’ is a smart 3-in-1 production meter that can measure and visualise slurry concentration (density), slurry/solid velocity, and slurry bed-height all from one device.
- User-friendly and safe: The i-Flow’ boasts a fully automated self-calibrating user-friendly modular interface that can be arranged and adapted according to the end-user’s personal preferences. ERT also has an impeccable safety profile.
To learn more about the i-Flow Smart Meter please contact us directly at sales.support@pfintell.com.
