Measurement of Dense Medium Cyclone Wear Using 3D Laser technology

Over time, the general load of material through a Dense Medium Cyclone (DMC) will cause wear. This wear will impact the performance of the DMC and tramp metal, such as tungsten carbide pick tips, can cause severe damage to the linings of DMCs. Currently, only basic, and possibly subjective, measurements and observations are capable of being taken during the periodic shutdowns in a coal handling and preparation plant.

3D scanning technology and the applications for this technology have exploded in the past few years. The aim of this project was to trial available off-the-shelf 3D scanning devices to see if appropriate data could be obtained to produce a wear map of the inside of a DMC from scans taken over different time periods.

A cost effective and straightforward method was developed to 3D laser scan the internals of a DMC. This was evaluated in a warehouse environment and then trialled on three 1.3m DMCs on a mine site in the Hunter Valley during a normal shutdown period. The system consisted of a commercially available 3D laser scanner combined with a CSIRO custom built laser mounting system. Proprietary software was used by CSIRO to process the resulting scans.

The plant trial confirmed that an off-the-shelf 3D laser scanner, coupled with a custom-built mounting system can accurately measure the inside of an in-service DMC to an accuracy of 1mm. A wealth of information is embedded in these 3D scans, and when conducted repeatedly over a longer period, detailed measured wear can be established. When also coupled with plant washability and yield data, this will offer significant benefits to plant operators and DMC suppliers.