CiDRA Corporation (“CiDRA”) announced today that LKAB (Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB) has selected CiDRA’s SONARtrac systems for all magnetite slurry measurements in Kiruna’s new concentrator and pelletizing plants.
Sweden-based LKAB is one of the world’s leading producers of upgraded iron ore products for the steel industry and a growing supplier of industrial mineral products to other sectors. LKAB’s chief assets are the magnetite ore fields in northern Sweden, where they now are investing close to one billion US dollars for the construction of new concentrating and pelletizing plants in Kiruna.
The SONARtrac systems will be installed to control the production flows in both plants. The pelletizing plant will be Kiruna’s third pelletizing plant in operation. It will also be the world’s largest grate-kiln plant. The plant’s planned initial production will be five megatons pellets a year, but there is a possibility for a further increase to six megatons a year. The new plants are being built adjacent to the existing processing plants, and will be operational in the spring of 2008. LKAB chose CiDRA’s SONARtrac flow technology for all magnetite slurry flow measurements in the projects.
CiDRA’s SONARtrac flow technology is a new class of industrial flowmeter, utilizing measurement principles that are distinct from all other flowmeter technologies operating in the mining industry. SONARtrac non-intrusive flow monitoring systems make no contact with the slurry and can be removed and reinstalled when it is necessary to replace the pipe. SONARtrac systems also demonstrate a very stable output in the presence of a variety of ores, are not affected by the magnetic properties of the slurry and demonstrate superior levels of performance.
The capability to also measure slurry air content is an additional advantage when measuring aerated slurry flows (e.g. around flotation stages). This passive, sonar-based technology enables measurements of single phase and multiphase fluids, as well as slurries, with the same level of accuracy and performance.