Hydrometric services for coal.

Meteor Communications has been awarded a framework contract by the Coal Authority to supply a range of hydrometric services, dataloggers and sensors to enable the continuous monitoring of mine water.

They successfully bid for Lot 3 of the Hydrometry Framework, which is comprised of 7 lots and will run for four years with an estimated total budget of £400,000 (€466k).

“Meteor are delighted to have been selected by the Coal Authority for this framework contract,” explains Meteor’s MD Matt Dibbs. “Our systems and services are utilised across the UK by the Environment Agency, Water Utilities and Consultants and it’s great to be able to bring our expertise to the Coal Authority.”

The Coal Authority seeks to enhance the future prospects for people and the environment in mining areas, and to contribute to the delivery of the British Government’s industrial strategy and the environmental, social and economic priorities of the British, Scottish and Welsh Governments. This includes managing the effects of past coal mining and dealing with mine water pollution and other mining legacy issues.

@MeteorComms @CoalAuthority @_Enviro_News #PAuto #Environment 

Coal/Oil Co-processing Pilot Plant and Coal Tar Hydrogenation Plant Projects in China!

Yokogawa has received orders from Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum (Group) Co., Ltd. (Yanchang Petro) to supply Yokogawa control systems for two groundbreaking oil plant construction projects in China. Both of these plants will employ KBR’s Veba Combi-Cracking (VCC) process, an advanced technology that is capable of converting petroleum residues into high quality gasoline and diesel oil products.

The first of these project orders is for Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum (Group) Co., Ltd. Oil-coal New Technology Corporation, a Yanchang Petro subsidiary that is constructing an advanced coal/oil co-processing pilot plant. This plant will convert coal and refining residues into diesel oil and other high value-added products, and will have an annual production capacity of 450,000 tons. The second order is for phase 1 of a project by Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Anyuan Chemical Co., Ltd., also a Yanchang Petro subsidiary, that involves the construction of a coal tar hydrogenation plant. This plant will produce light and heavy paraffin oil from coal tar. When completed, this plant will have an annual production capacity of 1 million tons, making it one of the largest plants of its type in China.

Under the terms of its contract with Yanchang Petro, Yokogawa China will provide the CENTUM® VP integrated control system for both projects as well as engineering and commissioning services. The two plants are scheduled to start operation in June 2014.

In China, Yokogawa has a strong track record in providing control systems for use in large-scale chemical and petrochemical plants and has supplied Yanchang Petro with numerous control systems, field instruments, and analyzers. Yokogawa’s success in winning this order from Yanchang Petro can be attributed to the reputation of our control systems for being highly reliable and our rich engineering experience and ability to provide appropriate engineering services on time.

Naoto Kousaka, vice president of Yokogawa China, had the following to say about these orders:
“In China, ever greater attention is being paid to the need for the highly efficient and comprehensive utilization of hydrocarbons. KBR’s VCC process plays a very important role in this. Yokogawa’s proven technology and strong track record in providing solutions to Yanchang Petro were key factors in the winning of these control system orders. With our highly reliable control systems and field instruments as well as our ability to provide quality engineering and other services, I believe that Yokogawa is well positioned to make a significant contribution in enhancing China’s production of high quality diesel products.”

* Headquartered in Yan’an city, Shaanxi province, Yanchang Petro is China’s fourth largest energy and chemical company. Founded in 1905, the company is committed to the integrated and efficient development, conversion, and utilization of oil, natural gas, coal, rock salt, and other resources. In 2013, it became the first enterprise from Western China to make it onto the Fortune Global 500 Companies list.

Non-radiometric density solution for tailings thickener underflow

OPTIMASS 7300 installed in tailings
thickener underflow line

A Coriolis mass flowmeter to a tailings thickener underflow line to provide a non-radiometric density solution for an Australian coal producer has been applied sucessfully by Krohne.

One of Australia largest and most established open cut coal mines in located in Central Queensland. The adjacent coal handling and preparation plant has production capacity of greater than 10 million tonnes per annum of coking coal and at current rates of production, reserves that can support the operation for a further 50 years. Reliable thickener underflow density measurement allows this facility to optimise its tailings disposal schemes to recover water, minimise tailings impoundment areas and comply with regulations over the life of the facility.

Radiometric density measurement has traditionally been employed on thickener underflow lines as they provide a non-contact solution to the high solids, high abrasion environment present in minerals processing. However the high total cost and regulatory requirements of owning these radiometric devices is becoming prohibitive in a competitive, cost and labour intensive production environment. Aside from the initial purchase price, licensing, transportation of nuclear source, documentation and administrative controls, the radiometric devices require ongoing training of on-site radiation safety officers who can perform calibration, wipe tests and ensure regulatory compliance. Add to this decommissioning and disposal costs and one can see the driver for a robust, non-radiometric density solution.

Successfully applying non-radiometric density monitoring to the underflow line gives the engineers, operators, and plants information needed to optimize the thickener for the intended duty. Krohne was selected because of their knowledge and expertise in abrasive slurry applications combined with the OPTIMASS single straight measuring tube to provide a reliable, robust solution for the underflow line.

The straight-tube OPTIMASS 7000 series Coriolis mass flowmeters have been successfully used on abrasive fluids such as slurries (minerals processing) and sand & water mixtures for over 15 years. In these applications a single straight measuring tube will always offer clear advantages over other designs with tube geometries that suffer erosion and premature failure of flow dividers and bends in the abrasive fluid stream. Other specific problems with abrasive fluids are typified by their tendency to separate out with the heavier particles falling to the bottom of the pipeline and the carrier fluid flowing above in a stratified flow. Krohne offers expertise and application guidance to highlight potential problems so they are mitigated during the design, planning and installation of the meter.

Reduced capital and operating costs, as well as reduced environmental impact have made OPTIMASS a permanent part of the thickener process.