Mining and metal processing

Reliable sensors for all processes: from the quarry to the storage of mining and metal processing.

Application

Mined ore is transported via conveyor systems to large above ground or underground silos and stored there until it is used in production. A reliable level measurement is required to determine the contents of the silos.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable operation under all operating conditions

Cost effective

Maintenance-free operation of the facility

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement and point level detection

Measuring point:

Silo

Measuring range up to:

30 m

Medium:

Different ores

Process temperature:

0 … +30 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Different grain sizes, changing angles of repose

Application

To be able to transport and further process the largest possible production volumes, the ore must have an optimal size. To achieve this, the ore is crushed to the correct size in two stages, in a primary and then a secondary crusher. In order to enable an optimum throughput, and avoid choking or damaging the crusher, a reliable level measurement is required.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable measurement even during filling

Cost effective

Optimal utilization of the container volume

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement

Measuring point:

Crusher

Measuring range up to:

20 m

Medium:

Ore

Process temperature:

0 … +30 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Dust generation, filling noise

Application

The extraction of Aluminium from natural deposits of bauxite requires complex and expensive processes. In the ‘Bayer process, the bauxite is first mixed with sodium hydroxide, autoclaved and then stirred. After that, it is fed into the calciner (high temperature kiln), where it dehydrates to a fine white powder, aluminium oxide (Al2O3). Level measurement in this tank ensures optimal operation of the process.

Your benefit

Reliable

Precise measurement in tank with stirrer

Cost effective

Optimal tank volume utilization

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement

Measuring point:

Silo

Measuring range up to:

25 m

Medium:

Alumina powder

Process temperature:

+10 … +40 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Buildup, heavy condensation

Application

Burden (iron-bearing materials) and coke are transported from the bunker to the top of the blast furnace. The charging of the furnace is done via conveyor belts or small aggregate wagons. To ensure an optimal distribution of the burden and coke layers, exact level measurement is required.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable measurement even during filling

Cost effective

Optimal operation of the furnace

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement

Measuring point:

Blast furnace

Measuring range up to:

20 m

Medium:

Coke, burden

Process temperature:

0 … +200 °C

Process pressure:

0 … +1 bar

Special challenges:

High temperatures, dust generation, filling noise

Application

After the blast furnace is tapped, the molten pig iron flows into torpedo cars at a temperature of over 1400 °C, then transported to the foundry or converter for further processing. A reliable level measurement is a must for the safe, reliable filling of these torpedo cars.

Your benefit

Reliable

Operational reliability despite high temperatures

Cost effective

Maintenance-free operation

User friendly

Simple installation, even in existing facilities

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement

Measuring point:

Torpedo car

Measuring range up to:

10 m

Medium:

Pig iron

Process temperature:

0 … +1400 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

High temperatures

Application

After sintering, the hot material is cooled down to a temperature of about 150 °C in the sintering cooler. The feed rate of the sintering belt is controlled to ensure that the material is thrown off at the end of the sintering belt. To achieve effective cooling, the thickness of the material on the sintering belt has to be continuously and precisely measured.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable measurement ensures optimal process flow

Cost effective

Maintenance-free measurement despite high temperatures

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement

Measuring point:

Conveyor belt

Measuring range up to:

5 m

Medium:

Limestone, coke, sinter mix

Process temperature:

+800 … +1000 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Dust, extreme heat

Application

Coke provides the necessary process heat, serves as a metal reducing agent and is a supporting matrix in the blast furnace. To achieve a high quality coke, the pressures in each of the separate ovens of a coking plant are individually regulated.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable measurement in corrosive gases

Cost effective

Maintenance-free operation

User friendly

Simple installation and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Pressure measurement

Measuring point:

Exhaust gas flue

Measuring range up to:

0 … 0.5 bar

Medium:

Coke

Process temperature:

0 … +150 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0.5 bar

Special challenges:

Aggressive gases

Application

The alumina powder is kept ready in storage and day silos for subsequent smelting. Aluminium smelting is carried out in the fused salt electrolysis process, where pure liquid aluminium is extracted from aluminium oxide. Optimal storage is ensured by level measurement and point level detection.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable content measurement of alumina

Cost effective

Maintenance-free operation

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement and point level detection

Measuring point:

Silo

Measuring range up to:

60 m

Medium:

Alumina powder

Process temperature:

0 … +80 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Dust generation, tall containers

Application

In the smelter, above the fused salt electrolysis bath there are small buffer tanks that are pneumatically fed via pipelines. The alumina powder is dispensed into the melt bath in small quantities from these tanks. The filling of the buffer tank is controlled by the feed pressure. Full and empty alarms ensure optimal charging of the powder.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable function under all operating conditions

Cost effective

Simple installation into existing vessels

User friendly

Maintenance-free operation

Process data

Measuring task:

Pressure measurement and point level detection

Measuring point:

Tank

Measuring range up to:

1.5 m

Medium:

Alumina powder

Process temperature:

0 … +30 °C

Process pressure:

0 … +0.5 bar

Special challenges:

Strong dust generation

Application

Depending on the manufacturing process and the type of metal being produced, various additives such as lime are required. The products are stored in silos or concrete bunkers and usually fed to the process via conveyor belts. For cost-effective storage of these materials, level measurement in the silo contents is essential.

Your benefit

Reliable

High measurement certainty despite varying reflective properties of the medium

Cost effective

Maintenance-free operation

User friendly

Simple mounting and operation

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement

Measuring point:

Silo

Measuring range up to:

30 m

Medium:

Additives

Process temperature:

0 … +30 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Intense dust generation, abrasive media

Application

Bauxite, lime and sodium hydroxide are ground and mixed in a ball mill – the mixture turns into a red slurry, which is then conveyed into the pumping tank. Some of the balls from the mill can potentially enter the tank along with the slurry. To prevent this from happening, the balls are collected in a weir arrangement, which overflows into the main tank. Level measurement in the tank avoids dry running of the pump and ensures a continuous process.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable measurement even during filling

Cost effective

Reliable measurement of the entire container volume

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement

Measuring point:

Tank

Measuring range up to:

4 m

Medium:

Mixture of bauxite, lime, sodium hydroxide

Process temperature:

+30 … +50 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Limited space, condensation, buildup, corrosion

Application

Aluminium powder suspension is an intermediate for titanium sponge production. In the reactor, vanadium oxide trichloride is removed from the aluminium powder suspension. When the aluminium powder suspension is fed into the reactor, strong turbulence arises on the product surface. To optimize the process, the level in the reactor must be accurately measured and monitored.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable measurement despite small dielectric constants

Cost effective

Reliable measurement of the entire reactor volume

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement

Measuring point:

Reactor

Measuring range up to:

1.2 m

Medium:

Aluminium powder suspension

Process temperature:

0 … +130 °C

Process pressure:

0 … +0.3 bar

Special challenges:

Low dielectric constant, confined spaces, strong turbulence on the product surface, condensation

Application

Some processes generate toxic intermediates that have to be stored in compliance with strict safety regulations. In order to be used in this area, the measurement technology deployed must meet special safety requirements when it comes to design and functional reliability. A trustworthy level measurement is critical for the storage of these toxic materials.

Your benefit

Reliable

Configuration of the measuring system provides maximum safety for personnel and the environment

Cost effective

High availability and maintenance-free operation

User friendly

User friendly Simple installation and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement and point level detection

Measuring point:

Tank

Measuring range up to:

35 m

Medium:

Toxic liquid media

Process temperature:

-50 … +250 °C

Process pressure:

-1 … +64 bar

Special challenges:

Highly toxic media, chemically aggressive media, volatile media

Application

The cooling water is collected in tanks. Pressure pumps provide the water for cooling the manufacturing process. Level measurement in the coolant tanks ensures that there is always sufficient water available.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable measurement of the coolant volume

Cost effective

Maintenance-free measurement with high accuracy

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement

Measuring point:

Tank

Measuring range up to:

10 m

Medium:

Cooling water

Process temperature:

0 … +100 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Condensate

Application

For many processes, additives such as sulfuric or hydrochloric acid are required. These are kept ready for use in storage tanks. Level measurement is needed here to ensure availability of the additives.

Your benefit

Reliable

High operational reliability through the use of chemically resistant materials

Cost effective

Optimal storage through reliable measurement

User friendly

Simple setup and commissioning

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement and point level detection

Measuring point:

Tank

Measuring range up to:

4 m

Medium:

Sulfuric or hydrochloric acid

Process temperature:

-40 … +50 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Aggressive media

Application

Dependable storage is not only the basis for reliable production and supply, it also protects against raw material shortages and price volatility. In addition to regulations on the use of overfill protection or safety instrumented systems, large storage tanks are also often subject to hazardous area codes of practice in conjunction with level measurement.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable protection against overfilling

Cost effective

Independent of product and process characteristics

User friendly

Simple setup and commissioning, maintenance-free

Process data

Measuring task:

Level measurement and point level detection

Measuring point:

Tank

Measuring range up to:

20 m

Medium:

Liquid primary and intermediate chemicals

Process temperature:

-40 … +200 °C

Process pressure:

-1 … +20 bar

Special challenges:

Changing media

Application

Extracted minerals are fed to the thickener as a slurry via a trough. The solids are settled out into the bottom of the tank, in a process accelerated through the addition of flocculants. Precise density measurement of the slurry underflow is necessary for effective control of the ore thickener.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable determination of solid content under all operating conditions

Cost effective

Cost savings through optimised flocculent dosage

User friendly

Simple mounting and setup

Process data

Measuring task:

Density measurement

Measuring point:

Tank

Measuring range up to:

1000 – 1300 kg/m³

Medium:

Different ores

Process temperature:

+15 … +25 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Abrasive medium

Application

Bulk aggregates are fed into production processes via conveyor belts or screw conveyors. For effective feed control to and from these processes, or inter-production unit billing, the mass flow of the conveyed bulk material must be measured. A reliable belt-weighing scale system and mass flow rate ensures accurate measurement and smooth operation of the plant.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable measurement despite changing belt tension and vibrations

Cost effective

Optimal mass flow measurement allows exact accounting of bulk solids

User friendly

Maintenance-free operation

Process data

Measuring task:

Throughput measurement

Measuring point:

Conveyor belt

Measuring range up to:

10,000 t/h

Medium:

Bulk solids

Process temperature:

-40 … +60 °C

Process pressure:

0 … 0 bar

Special challenges:

Vibrations, dirt, changing material size

Application

To work efficiently, flotation cells depend on continuous froth formation. If the froth layer is too thin, it cannot transport the sufficient amount of dispersed or suspended particles to the surface. On the other hand, froth that is too thick indicates that the reaction time of the chemicals is too long. This has the consequence that too little of the medium gets processed. A density-compensated level measurement is the reliable solution in this process: this ensures that the density of the liquid remains constant and optimizes the process yields over a long period.

Your benefit

Reliable

Reliable measurement without capillaries, impulse lines or mechanical parts

Cost effective

High process efficiency thanks to optimum foam level

User friendly

Low-maintenance, wear-free operation with ceramic measuring cells

Process data

Measuring task:

Density and level measurement

Measuring point:

Tank

Measuring range up to:

1 m

Medium:

Suspended solids in liquid

Process temperature:

+25 … +35 °C

Process pressure:

+80 … +200 mbar

Special challenges:

Density changes, buildup, abrasion, turbulent medium surface