Blue Cube Slurry Analyzer

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The Blue Cube Slurry Analyzer

In-Line Measurement: Small footprint & easy to integrate with no sample streams, sample pumps, multiplexers
Unmatched Range: Measures both light and heavy elements, minerals, particle size and % solids, all in one instrument
Low maintenance: Mechanically simple with only two moving parts and no high-wear components
Fast response: 15 second updates to all parameters, simultaneously
Inherently safe: No radioactive sources or high-intensity lasers
Proven technology: 100+ analyzers deployed worldwide

The Blue Cube Slurry Analyzer is an in-line instrument that measures the composition of slurry streams in real-time. The analyzer continuously scans the contents of the process stream directly without removing it from the pipe, resulting in a measurement that is truly representative of the real process. Blue Cube's diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) analytical technique uses a broad band of light from ultraviolet, through visible, and into near-infrared, together with state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, to determine grade and other process parameters based on the spectra reflected from particles in the slurry.

DRS covers a much broader range of electromagnetic frequencies than XRF-based analyzers, capturing more information at much shorter integration periods. This allows Blue Cube to measure the grade of both light and heavy elements, minerals, as well as other process parameters such as particle size. Our optical technology can be applied to any quantifiable property that affects the spectra in this broad range of light. The powerful combination of in-line measurement and DRS allows Blue Cube to update all measured parameters simultaneously every 15 seconds.

MEASURE

Measure various parameters such as mineral grade, elemental grade, particle size fraction, % solids.
In-line, continuously, every 15 seconds.
On pumped, upward-flowing process lines of any diameter greater than 25mm

CONTROL

Rapid measurement updates enable effective process stabilization through automatic process control.
Automatic manipulation of air addition, pulp levels and reagents are suggested for the control of grade and recovery in typical flotation circuits.

OPTIMIZE

With the availability of real-time data, the effect of process changes can be tracked without having to do full plant surveys.
The Blue Cube Analyzer can be used together with a mass flow indication to optimize recovery.
Product grade can be optimized, and the impurity content minimized to eliminate penalties.

By providing reliable, real-time insights, our analyzer enables faster, more informed decision-making to optimize product grade and recovery.

Applications

Gold, Copper, Nickel, Zinc

Platinum, Chrome, Iron, Lead

Graphite, Manganese, Phosphate

Other (HM, U, Mg etc.)

The Measurement Process

The Slurry analyzer uses diffuse reflectance spectroscopy together with proprietary chemometric techniques to deliver extremely versatile and rapid in-line mineral and/or elemental analysis. The unique spectral fingerprints of minerals in the near infrared, visible, and ultraviolet spectrum are captured by the analyzer, digitized, and used to determine the concentrations of the elements or minerals of interest, as well as particle size fraction and/or %solids, in real-time, using a calibration model.

The calibration is refined periodically (approximately every two to four weeks) using the results from the site laboratory analysis of a daily, automatically generated, calibration sample, together with the synchronized and recorded spectra.

The recorded spectra are automatically uploaded to our system, and used by Draslovka, together with the laboratory results that are emailed by the site to Draslovka bi-weekly, to refine the calibration. The refined calibration is then automatically downloaded to the instrument.

This process ensures the accuracy of the on-line analysis is continuously tracked and monitored, and the instrument is updated to account for drifts in plant operation and mineralogy.

Upfront Amenability Studies

We offer clients the opportunity to evaluate our technology directly on their own flotation slurries, easily and cost-effectively, prior to any commercial commitment through amenability tests. These tests are carried out using the Blue Cube Portable Test Unit (PTU), which packs away conveniently into a small industrial briefcase, so it can be transported to a test site easily, and set-up in a wet lab on site.

To perform a full amenability demonstration, at least 45 individual samples of approximately 250ml of slurry covering a representative range of operation are withdrawn from the slurry stream of interest. Each sample is then introduced, circulated, and scanned by the PTU instrument – emulating the in-line analysis of the industrial instrument. After scanning, the samples are discharged into sample containers and sent to the client’s laboratory for analysis. Once the analysis is complete, a subset of the lab results is used together with the recorded spectra to build a calibration model. This calibration is then used to provide estimates for all the samples, including the withheld/blind samples.

View PTU brochure

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