To meet the requirement of an international customer, eDART Slurry Valves designed, tested and manufactured a vertical gravity sampler assembly (VGSA) for application within the minerals processing sector.
Duane le Roux, product manager samplers at the eDart Group said, “We received a request from one of our global customers to develop a solution that would enable them to obtain credible sampling of their gravity fed downward flowing process line. A VGSA is only selected if there is no horizontally sloped gravity fed line available in which to install a normal gravity sampler assembly.
“After a site assessment, it was determined that sampling from this line must ensure that the cutter received enough sample, and moreover, that this sample was representative. We ran various computerised design configurations and simulations in order to meet the customer criteria and this led to the development of a completely South African designed and manufactured VGSA – the first in the country.”
The VGSA has a cylindrical shape and is relatively compact compared to the average size of mining equipment. It is easily installed, requiring only minor alterations to the host pipeline with the body designed to be replaced once it is worn. The specifically zig-zag designed baffle plates direct slurry in a non-gravity process line closer together. Eventually a constant stream of slurry is formed, which is then directed straight into a cutter that has been designed and tested using computational fluid dynamics software.
The VGSA is supplied in industry standard pipe sizes (diameter), in order to fit into the process pipelines. For standard models, the height of the sampler is a function of the diameter, determined utilising simulation software and considering the mass balance of slurry. In this instance eDART supplied a VGSA with a height to fit the customer’s specification, which was verified using computational analysis.
“We believe that our VGSA is a solution in mines where there is no alternative place to offer a traditional eDART sampler product, therefore it is a natural extension of our product offering,” commented le Roux. “Industry is realising the power and convenience of process control samplers versus metal accounting samplers, and process control samplers are being considered as a vital tool to mining operations.
Results indicated that previous solutions built to sample from a gravity fed downward flowing process were ineffective. This was overcome through computational simulation that has given excellent results. “It is important for us to find effective solutions that satisfy our customers’ specific requirements, especially for uncommon and non-standard applications,” concluded le Roux. “We credit ourselves for having the design and knowledge skills to offer a reliable solution to any sampling need. At the end of the day it also expands our sampler offering.”
For more information contact eDART, +27 11 823 6620, [email protected], www.edart.group
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