COALSCAN 1500
COALSCAN 1500 is an economical on-line ash monitoring system which is easily installed directly under production conveyor belts.
Coal quality data provides active process control, with timely information on ash content to make decisions that maximise the value of the resource and minimise operating costs.
The system does not contain any nucleonic sources and therefore does not require site to obtain a radiation license for its use.
The analyser uses the natural radiation signature of the coal and known correlations with the ash composition to derive coal quality information. While not suited to all coal deposits in the world it has been successfully used and beneficial in many locations, e.g. Australia.
Typical applications include:
- Ash content monitoring
- unexpected dilution detection, mining problems
- truck haulage misdirection
- product quality bypass
"When commodity prices were strong and rising, mining companies could afford minor inefficiencies in their plants. That is rarely the case in these days of lower-grade deposits, lower metal prices and economic pressure from every direction. “We have to do better with lower costs,” said Philip Thwaites, manager of process control for XPS Consulting & Testwork Services. “If you’re not efficient, you’re not going to be around. And our industry can be a lot more efficient.” According to Thwaites, measurement is the cornerstone of control and efficiency. “If you have a poor measurement, or no measurement, you can’t do good control,” he explained. But this is changing. More and more mining companies are conscious of improved measurements and endorsing control, automation and next-generation technologies. What is more, there has been significant progress in automated instruments recently. These measure crucial parameters in the processing circuit and equipment to allow operators to monitor and adjust process control as needed."
Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco, CIM, October 2015