Mining

The mining industry is the global supplier of the basic commodities that drive the industrial world.

The industry extracts ores such as iron, copper, zinc and basic chemicals such as limestone, slate, coal etc. Increasingly the mines are open cast using large machines and explosives, though some deep shaft mines remain. As the reserves of the Western world become exhausted the mines are moving to more remote parts of the world.

The challenges the sector faces relate to reliable improvements in efficiency of high volume unit processes.  Many of these are based around the mixing, separation and transport of solid / liquid systems.  These unit processes are particularly suited to process tomography where the distribution of two or more different phases can be readily identified in real time.

Process tomography can be used in a variety of unit processes, such as:

• mixing of different components in both batch and continuous processes
• separation, such through solvent extraction, froth flotation, filtration, hydrocyclones(which are frequently used for classification of slurries).  In many cases ITS tomography sensors can be used for level detection within a liquid, a measurement frequently seen as particularly challenging.
• flow and logistics, such as hydraulic conveying, pneumatic conveying, characterising the profile of solids flow through pipes and conveyor belts over long distances.
• reactions, such as dissolution, crystallisation. 

Register or click on applications and solutions related content on the right to access further information on how Tomography can help your industry. 

R.A. Williams, G. Vilar (2008) Measurement of suspension velocity in slurries and pastes using impedance imaging, The Journal of The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Volume 108

Giguére, R., Fradette, L., Mignon, D. and Tanguy, P.A. (2008) Characterisation of slurry flow regime transitions by ERT, Chemical Engineering Research and Design, Vol. 86, pp 989-996

Giguére, R., Fradette, L., Mignon, D. and Tanguy, P.A. (2008) ERT algorithms for quantitative concentration measurement of multiphase flows, Chemical Engineering Journal, Vol. 141, pp 305-317

Pullum, L, Graham, L, Rudman, M and Hamilton, R (2005) High concentration suspension monitoring, Minerals Engineering, 19, 471-477

Wang, M., Jones, T.F. and Williams, R.A. (2003) Visualisation of asymmetric solids distribution in horizontal swirling flows using electrical resistance tomography, Trans IChemE, Volume 81, Part A, pp854-861

Graham L, Hamilton R, Rudman M, Strode P and Pullum L (2002) Coarse solids concentration profiles in laminar pipe flow, Hydrotransport 15, Banff, Canada, June 2002

White RB, Simic K and Strode PR (2001) The combined use of flow visualisation, electrical resistance Tomography and computational fluid dynamic modelling to study mixing in a pipe, 2nd World Congress of Industrial Process Tomography, Hannover, Germany, 29-31st August 2001

Jaworski AJ and Dyakowski T (2001) Application of electrical capacitance tomography for measurement of gas-solid flow characteristics in a pneumatic conveying system, Measurement Science and Technology, Vol. 12, 1109-1119

For more information about this paper, please contact ITS.