Flow Measurement of Slurry (Tailings paste fill with 70% solids)
An underground copper mine in NSW, Australia, had a requirement to measure a flow of paste fill comprising cement, tailings and water. The solids content of this slurry is above 70%, with particle sizes of <20µm. It is transported in a DN200 HDPE pipe with a wall thickness of 22mm, located more than 1km underground. The paste is pumped back down the mine to fill voids for stabilisation purposes.
Measurement of flowing media containing solids and particles in general has proven challenging for the industry due to damage caused to inline flow meters. Installation of inline flow meters can be both costly and disruptive to process. For non-invasive ultrasonic meters, thicker pipe walls require a more powerful ultrasonic signal to pass through the pipe walls and return to the sensors.
For a series of measurements the FLUXUS F60X series portable ultrasonic flow meter was installed at the HDPE pipe.
FLEXIM's clamp-on ultrasonic transducers require no disruption to the process, and installation was carried out quickly. On the basis of the powerful ultrasonic signals emitted by the transducers and by help of the sophisticated internal signal evaluation and diagnostics, the non-invasive flow meter was able the accurately and reliably measure the flowing slurry through the thick pipe wall.
Consistent signal amplitude indicates consistency in the density of the medium and the solids passing through the line.
Advantages
- Highly relialble and repeatable even when measuring thick slurries due to the embedded NoiseTrek Mode
- No measurement drift or failure due to deposit buid-up or abrasion effects inside the pipe
- No issue with measurement on thick walled pipes - measurement completely independent of pipe dimensions
- Non-intrusive measurement from outside the pipe - no pipe cutting or process shut-downs for installation and maintenance-free
- ATEX / IECEx certified meters for measurements in hazardous areas
