Flowmeters for the Metal and Mining Industry
Flow meters for the metal and mining industry use several types of technologies to measure liquid slurries in pipes when extracting metal and mineral reserves. Solids and liquid level and flow represent significant importance to the sector and often some applications that would not normally appear in a general industry environment outside of mines require something more durable.
How can EESIFLO help?
EESIFLO offers a range of Doppler Flowmeter to help operators ensure that the process within the metals and mining industry is working consistently and efficiently. These are non-contacting solutions which do not interrupt a mining process such as sludge flow, slurry and potash flow, as well as leachate monitoring. These are flow meters designed for liquid flow measurements where a larger amount of aeration or solids (even small stones) might be present in the pipe. A Doppler flowmeter might not be the ultimate solution in many cases but it certainly has helped operators to determine the flow rate in applications where no normal flow meter is suitable or where existing flow meters have been damaged or are drifting because of the conditions they encounter in mining applications.
In the metal and mining industry, Doppler Ultrasonic Flow Meters measure the velocity of reflectors, such as suspended solids and undissolved bubbles, rather than the velocity of the fluid itself. The velocity (V) is calculated using the equation:
where:
– \( V \) = velocity of the reflectors
– \( f_0 \) = original transmission frequency
– \( f_1 \) = return frequency
– \( a \) = angle between the emitting and receiving crystals
– \( C_t \) = sonic velocity in the transducers
Given the fixed and known cross-sectional area of a pipe or channel, you can further calculate the volume flow rate, such as liters per minute.
Doppler flow meters are particularly suited for fluids with reflective particles. However, they are not recommended for clean liquids where a transit time flow meter would be more appropriate, as Doppler meters rely on the presence of reflectors to measure flow accurately.
