
Analysis Of Particle Profiles – Volume Flow Rate | Size Analysis

Analysis Of Particle Profiles – Volume Flow Rate | Size Analysis
The quality of particulate materials depends on the availability of frequent and reliable information. Yet in many industries harsh (and often weather-beaten) environments prevent the use of sophisticated instrumentation. These industries rely heavily on regular sampling and off-line laboratory analyses. An exception is the routine installation of low-cost image acquisition systems at remote sites.
Applications
A non-contact computer-based technique, profile analysis, can be applied to digitized images where a bulk profile of, say, aggregate, ore or coal appears at the head of a conveyor. Profile analysis can be used to infer size and bulk volume in near real time by a suite of novel software methods. Stations with profile analysers can be installed at several strategic locations in a production plant. Volume and size balances across several streams can inform management and control about contributions to the final product and can reduce the amount of off-line analysis required.
See Jones, T.F., Booth, D.W. and Hall, S.T. (2002), Inference of Bulk Properties and Particle Size Data in Coal Preparation Plants using Low-Cost Imaging Techniques, 14th International Coal Preparation Congress, Sandton, South Africa, March 11-15, 2002