CiDRA Minerals Processing signed a process-monitoring contract with iron mine operator Hercules MINOSA, located in Coahuila state, Mexico. Under terms of the contract, the mining company will use SONARtrac process monitoring instrumentation to provide flow measurement on critical lines.
The non-invasive sonar-based flow measurement systems have been installed as part of a concentrator plant modernization project underway at Hercules. According to CiDRA, the instruments were selected because they are easy to install and provide accurate and repeatable measurement.
Hercules MINOSA is an iron ore mining plant, located approximately 290 km northwest of Monclova, Coahuila state. The iron concentrate is pumped from the mine’s concentrator plant through a 295 km-pipe to Hercules’ facilities in Monclava.
In the Hercules MINOSA application, the ore has magnetic characteristics that are detrimental to the performance of some conventional flowmeter technologies; however, the SONARtrac technology is immune to these effects. This passive sonar-based technology enables measurements of single-phase liquids, as well as multi-phase fluids, such as aerated liquids and slurries. The technology which also enables capabilities, such as sand out detection, density correction, and acoustic pipeline monitoring.
