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CiDRA Flow Meter: SONARtrac Clamp-On Passive Acoustic Slurry Monitors and Silver Instruments Slurry Meter Alternatives
Slurry flow meter selection for mining, water, chemical, and food plants
Quick Answer: CiDRA SONARtrac clamp-on passive acoustic slurry monitors measure flow from outside the pipe. They do not touch the slurry and can handle non-conductive abrasive slurries. Silver Automation Instruments offers electromagnetic and Coriolis slurry flow meters that often cost less on DN15 to DN600 lines and still provide 4-20 mA HART output.
What the CiDRA SONARtrac Does
The CiDRA SONARtrac uses an array of passive acoustic sensors clamped on the outside of a slurry pipe. It listens to low frequency pressure waves that moving slurry generates. The sensor array measures how fast these waves travel upstream and downstream. The time difference gives a flow velocity. The meter then calculates volumetric flow from the pipe inside diameter.
No sensor touches the slurry. The installation does not require pipe cutting or process shutdown. Typical accuracy is around 1 percent to 2 percent of reading when the pipe is full and the flow profile is stable. Signal quality drops if the pipe is partially full, if gas bubbles are present, or if the straight pipe run is very short.
Applications Where CiDRA SONARtrac Works Well
A copper concentrator in Chile may run a DN400 tailings line at 1,300 m3/h with 58 percent solids by weight. The clamp-on acoustic meter handles that flow because no liner or electrode contacts the abrasive slurry.
An alumina refinery in Western Australia may use a SONARtrac on red mud slurry. A gold mine in Indonesia may install one on a cyclone feed pipe. A sand and gravel plant in Mexico may use the same clamp-on method on a dredge discharge line. In practice, the meter works best on clean carbon steel or stainless steel pipe. Concrete pipe, thick rubber liners, or heavy scale buildup can reduce acoustic signal strength.
Limits of the Clamp-On Acoustic Method
Price is one limit. On smaller pipes from DN80 to DN300, a Silver Instruments electromagnetic flow meter with a polyurethane liner often costs less than a clamp-on acoustic system. The electromagnetic meter also gives a direct 4-20 mA HART signal and a local display.
Low flow also causes problems. Passive acoustic signals weaken when slurry velocity falls below 0.5 m/s. A partially filled pipe or a flat flow profile can also cause unstable readings. Engineers often install the sensor band on a slightly sloped pipe section to keep the pipe full and avoid solids dropout.
Installation quality matters as well. The sensor band must be tight and aligned. Loose bands or poor coupling reduce accuracy. Most engineers skip the full acoustic theory and focus on these physical installation checks.
Silver Instruments Slurry Flow Meter Options
Silver Instruments supplies electromagnetic flow meters for conductive slurries from DN15 to DN600. We select the liner and electrode material from your slurry data. For tailings and concentrate lines, polyurethane liners and Hastelloy C electrodes handle abrasive wear. For fine chemical slurries, PTFE liners and titanium electrodes work well.
Electromagnetic meters need minimum electrical conductivity. Most mining slurries measure above 5 µS/cm, so this is rarely a problem. If the slurry is non-conductive or if you need true mass flow, a Coriolis mass flow meter from Silver Instruments measures mass flow and density. Coriolis meters have a higher pressure drop and work best
Typical Quotation Data for Slurry Flow Meters
A complete quote request for slurry measurement should include pipe size in DN, pipe material, wall thickness, slurry type, solids fraction by weight, particle size in micron, normal and maximum flow rates in m3/h, operating pressure in bar, and operating temperature in Celsius. If you are considering an electromagnetic meter, include conductivity in µS/cm. If you are considering a Coriolis meter, include viscosity in cP.
For example a customer in Vietnam asked us for a flow meter on a DN150 tailings line. The slurry was 32 percent solids by weight. The particle size was below 700 micron. The flow range was 80 m3/h to 320 m3/h. The pressure was 6 bar. We quoted a DN150 electromagnetic flow meter with polyurethane liner and 4-20 mA HART output. The meter was installed after a 10 diameter straight run.
If the same customer had a DN500 pipe and needed zero contact with the slurry, the CiDRA SONARtrac could have been a stronger comparison. But for a DN150 line the electromagnetic meter was simpler and less expensive.
CiDRA SONARtrac Compared with Silver Instruments Electromagnetic and Coriolis Meters
The CiDRA SONARtrac needs no process shutdown for installation. It works on non-conductive slurries and highly abrasive flows. It measures velocity and calculates volumetric flow from pipe area. It does not measure density directly.
Silver Instruments electromagnetic flow meter works on full pipes and conductive slurries. It measures volumetric flow directly. It has a short straight run requirement usually 5 diameters upstream and 2 diameters downstream. It costs less on DN15 to DN600 lines and has replaceable liners and electrodes.
Silver Instruments Coriolis mass flow meter measures mass flow and density directly. It does not need conductivity. It has a higher pressure drop and is sensitive to large particles and high velocity abrasion. It works best on fine slurries below 3 mm particle size and flow rates within its tube design.
All three meter types can output 4-20 mA HART, pulse, RS485, or Modbus. Silver Instruments can match the output to your PLC or SCADA system.
FAQ: CiDRA SONARtrac and Slurry Flow Meter Quotes
Does the CiDRA SONARtrac work on non-conductive slurries?
Yes. The acoustic method does not need electrical conductivity.
What pipe sizes does the CiDRA SONARtrac support?
Typical installations cover DN50 to DN1200. The exact sensor band depends on pipe outer diameter and wall thickness.
Can Silver Instruments supply an electromagnetic flow meter for abrasive slurry?
Yes. We select polyurethane, ceramic, or PTFE liners with Hastelloy C or titanium electrodes based on the solids data.
What signal outputs are available on Silver Instruments slurry flow meters?
4-20 mA HART is standard. Pulse, RS485, and Modbus are available.
How do I get a slurry flow meter quote from Silver Instruments?
Send your pipe size in DN, pressure in bar, temperature in Celsius, solids percent, particle size in micron, and flow range in m3/h to our sales team.
Contact Silver Instruments for Slurry Flow Meter Selection
Tel: +86-25-68650347
WhatsApp: +86-25-52155837
WeChat: +86 15365082610
Send us your pressure in bar, temperature in Celsius, pipe size in DN, and flow range in m3/h. We will respond with a model and price. We ship to Southeast Asia, Oceania, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.