P29 Technology • Case Study

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Applications: Grind Circuit Rougher

Unlock 50% of your Grind Circuit Capacity by Recovering Coarse Minerals from the Circulating Load

CiDRA’s novel technology rapidly recovers minerals at high recoveries with a high degree of selectivity on particles up to 3mm with low mass recovery with zero feed preparation requirements, in contrast to traditional rougher froth flotation operating at a grind size P80 between 100-200µm. P29 technology reduces energy required for grinding by the removal of coarse particles from the circulating load while maintaining benchmark recoveries. The released grind energy can then be used to increase throughput or reduce the overall grind size for flotation while using the same grind equipment. Testing and modelling has shown that for every one tonne of feed going to the P29 plant two tonnes of fresh plant feed can be processed through the same grind circuit, with some supporting equipment modifications and other de-bottlenecking activities.

P29 Technology

Step Change Increase in Selectivity and Recovery of Minerals

CiDRA’s proprietary technology is a novel mineral separation process that uses chemistry and engineered collection media to recover minerals of up to 3mm with a high upgrade ratio and low mass yield. The P29 technology leverages current froth flotation chemistry and replaces the air bubble with an engineered tunable hydrophobic polymer matrix to recover minerals. Replacing the air bubble in froth flotation with an engineered matrix allows for the independent optimization of mineral collection, transport and release delivering recovery of very low exposed minerals at very coarse sizes. The development pathway of the proprietary technology unlocks novel chemistries for mineral recovery that are not achievable in traditional aqueous froth flotation systems today with the potential of economic mineral recovery of ore bodies that are currently uneconomic.

Net Metal Production

Enabling Mine Sites to Deliver a New Optimum in Production

CiDRA’s novel technology rapidly recovers minerals at high recoveries with a high degree of selectivity on particles up to 3mm with low mass recovery with zero feed preparation requirements. This step change in selective mineral recovery provides mines with a new set of operating and financial parameters that significantly increases the productivity of the existing processing assets by over 40%.

The Path to Net Zero

Decreasing the Energy and Water Needs of Mineral Resources

CiDRA’s novel technology enables mine operators to have a significant impact on the 1.3% of the global energy that is consumed by grinding circuits, a reduction in grind specific energy (kWh/t metal) of 50% is achievable. Application of CiDRA’s novel technology to coarse particle recovery unlocks the mines ability to increase total water recovery of up to 80%. These step change improvements in energy and water efficiencies supports mines in not only delivering their ESG goals but also enables the industry to deliver the unprecedented supply of minerals that are required for the delivery of low-carbon and renewable energy technologies needed to achieve the goal of ‘net zero’.

Resource Optimization

Bridging the Critical Supply Deficit in Copper

CiDRA’s novel technology gives a mine a new set of financial and production levers that unlocks throughput and recovery performance with their existing installed plant assets, delivering a new operating point and increasing the value of the mineral resource. This technology provides a low cost solution to ‘turbo-charge’ the performance of the existing plant delivering a boost in productivity for existing resources that enables the industry to meet the copper supply deficit.

SONARtrac Flow & Entrained Air Measurement

CiDRA’s line of SONARtrac flow meters is a breakthrough in flow measurement technology. Our passive sonar flow meters provide accurate and reliable flow measurements for a wide range of applications and industries. Over the years, our family of SONARtrac systems has evolved to include a variety of flow meters designed to measure single and multiphase flows from water to highly aggressive slurries. Due to their non-contact design, our sonar flow meters do not have any moving parts or process wetted parts that are subject to wear, or inherent drift mechanisms. Instead, they install easily on the outside of any type of pipe and provide years of service with no maintenance required.

SONARtrac VF-50 Flow Measurement System

With the VF-50 flow measurement system, CiDRA presents a unique solution for the variety of flow applications in the municipal water and wastewater market. Whether it be measuring influent water flow and sludge lines, or monitoring RAS and WAS lines, the VF-50 flow meter uses CiDRA’s proven sonar technology to provide accurate and reliable flow measurements. In addition, its non-contact design allows for a safe and easy installation on the outside of the pipe without process downtime or flanging. The VF-50 system is the only non-contact flow meter that works regardless of pipe material or process fluid.

SONARtrac PW VF-100

The SONARtrac PW VF-100 flow meter is a lower cost flow measurement solution created for process water applications. The PW VF-100 offers the same reliability, proven performance, and value of our multiphase SONARtrac flow meters. As a result of its non-contact design, the PW VF-100 installs on existing process lines and allows on-line volumetric flow measurement on virtually any type of pipe material and lined pipe, without any coupling gels or special adjustments.

SONARtrac Volumetric Flow and Entrained Air Measurement System Product with Phase Fraction Management

CIDRA’s patented passive sonar, non-contact technology provides dual measurement capability of the volumetric flow and air content (gas void fraction (GVF) in slurries and liquids. This unique combination finally enables true phase fraction management leading to unprecedented improvement in process efficiencies and operations.

Whether used to correct total volumetric flow in bubbly flows, correcting the measurement error in density meters for a more accurate mass balance or for detecting the cause of process flow upsets, SONARtrac PFM delivers both top and bottom line value for thousands of customers around the world.

SONARtrac HD VF/GVF-100

The SONARtrac HD VF/GVF-100 flow meter is the ultimate combination of our volumetric flow and gas volume fraction meter coupled with the durability of the HD (high dispersion) series. The HD VF/GVF-100 was designed specifically to provide accurate and reliable flow and entrained air measurements for difficult to characterize mixtures and slurries with varying velocities and densities. This product is recommended for middlings slurries with greater than 30% solids.

How It Works – SONARtrac Technology

Passive sonar flow processing employs two separate, but synergistic measurement techniques. The first technique measures volumetric flow rate by monitoring turbulent “eddies” within the process flow. The second technique measures the speed at which sound propagates through the fluid to provide compositional information.

SONARtrac flow meters use a patented approach, based on well-established and mature sonar array processing techniques, to measure the velocity of these turbulent eddies as they convect past an array of sensors.

By “listening” to the pressure fields associated with the movement of eddies, SONARtrac flow meters determine the speed at which these eddies travel past the array of sensors.

Volumetric flow rate is determined using a Reynolds number-based calibration procedure, which links the speed of the coherent turbulent structures to the volumetric flow rate.

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