Reliable density measurement of ore slurries: process control gains for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on Australian Mining
30 Second Briefing
VEGA’s MINITRAC 31 radiometric sensors are being used in Madagascar to measure ore slurry density directly from the mine, providing non-contact readings through the pipeline wall under highly abrasive laterite nickel–cobalt conditions. The system operates reliably in tropical climate extremes and with variable solids content, where conventional differential pressure or nuclear gauges struggle with scaling, wear and calibration drift. For process engineers, more stable density data supports tighter control of slurry transport, thickener performance and downstream hydrometallurgical circuits.
Technical Brief
- Radiometric measurement is unaffected by internal scaling, erosion, or liner changes within the laterite pipeline.
- Sensor housings and electronics are sealed for high humidity, salt-laden air and tropical temperature cycles.
- Calibration relies on reference density points, avoiding frequent shutdowns for mechanical gauge zeroing or cleaning.
- Non-intrusive installation allows retrofit on existing high-pressure slurry lines without cutting or welding.
- Measurement stability supports tighter pump speed and cyclone feed control in the hydrometallurgical plant.
- Radiometric density is particularly useful where laterite particle size distribution and solids loading fluctuate rapidly.
- Similar radiometric systems are increasingly specified on remote slurry pipelines with poor access for maintenance.
Our Take
VEGA’s slurry density work for nickel and cobalt sits alongside its recent deployments of non-contact radar and level sensors in European building materials plants, signalling that the company is standardising a common instrumentation platform from quarry through to fine-process critical minerals circuits.
Within our 1283 Mining stories, nickel and cobalt pieces are often tied to process efficiency and reliability rather than pure exploration, so a focus on accurate ore slurry density in Madagascar and Australia likely reflects operators trying to stabilise recovery and energy use in high-throughput critical minerals plants.
The pairing of VEGA’s process control gear with Australian Mining’s coverage of Nederman MikroPul’s dust and emissions control solutions suggests that Australian sites are increasingly treating instrumentation and environmental performance as an integrated plant upgrade pathway rather than separate capex lines.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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