LEVEL, positioning and flow measurement equipment provider Hawk releases the ORCA Sonar Bed Level Transmitter which the company claims represents a breakthrough in interface level measurement.
The new ORCA Sonar Bed Level Transmitter control compact bed level/hindered layer level is designed to maximise the efficiency and performance of tailings thickeners, CCDs, high-rate thickeners, and lamella thickeners and clarifiers.
By monitoring the two independent interface densities, Hawk’s new bed level transmitter can provide reliable process feedback for a variety of applications, the company says.
Applications include:
1. Control of the underflow pump to optimise the underflow density.
2. Removes operators from manually controlling underflow pumps based on rake torque and bed pressure which are greatly affected by density change.
3. Allows operations to run thickener at manufacturer’s optimum design levels with less risk of rake overload.
4. Using both compact bed and hindered/interface layer provides only reliable real-time process settling conditions based on deviation changes to the two independent densities caused by changes in ore type, hydraulic changes, flocculent dosing, coagulant dosing etc which all affect settling conditions.
5. Reduces overall chemical costs by providing a bias in dosing chemical to the minimum dose at all times.
6. Reduces electricity costs on returning water from tailings dams by pumping optimized tailings bed densities.
7. Provides a supplementary control for flocculent dosing or can control the flocculent dosing.
The new Hawk transducer designs include three-to-seven sonar crystals mounted in a single head. Each sonar array produces a concentrated sonar beam, providing more emitted power and collecting more returned signals, according to Hawk.
Array transducers yield better penetration, higher sensitivity, and better overall performance with significant savings in the most difficult environments, according to Hawk.