Why the Coal & Mining Industry Needs the SLDL53 3D Radar Level Scanner

SOLIDAT · SLDL53 3D Radar Level Scanner | Industry Application Series 4

Solution overview: The SLDL53 3D Radar Level Scanner - also referred to as a 3D Radar Level Meter, Radar Level Scanner or 3D Level Scanner - is both a bulk solids level sensor and a bulk solids volume measurement system that forms a silo inventory monitoring system. Using non-contact 3D level measurement, it performs 3D material surface mapping and 3D radar volume measurement across the whole surface and provides average/minimum/maximum level monitoring; it delivers reliable level measurement in dusty silos, supports silo wall build-up monitoring and silo bridging and ratholing monitoring, scales across multiple silos and yards with multi-scanner data fusion, and through ERP integration for silo inventory feeds a silo digital twin and smart inventory management.

The coal and mining industry covers extraction, crushing, grinding, concentration and storage of raw coal, gangue, iron ore, bauxite, salt and other non-ferrous and non-metallic minerals. Lump sizes vary widely, material is wet and muddy, dust is heavy, stockpiles are huge and bins are numerous, so inventory is both a production-planning and a trade-settlement/safety issue. The SLDL53 series covers open stockpiles, concentrator bins and underground/silo scenarios, with an intrinsically safe 3D radar level scanner for mining selected to explosion-proof/intrinsic-safety requirements.

Fig.1  Coal processing - inventory monitoring across raw, intermediate and product bins

1. Measurement Pain Points in Coal and Mining

• Huge coal/ore yards: Stocktaking of linear and circular piles relies on manual or drone surveys at low frequency with large errors, affecting coal/ore blending.
• Complex echoes from lumpy, wet material: Gangue, lump ore and wet slurry stick; mechanical yo-yos are buried and single-point radar echoes are unstable.
• Series of concentrator bins: Crushing, grinding, absorption/settling, filtration and calcination bins need continuous level and inventory - ore bin level monitoring.
• Strict underground/confined-space safety: Confined-space entry is high risk, creating an urgent need for non-contact 3D level measurement and unattended operation.

Fig.2  Circular coal-yard stacker-reclaimer - the SLDL53-30/70 enables fast automatic coal stockpile volume measurement

Fig.3  3D material surface mapping and point-cloud inventory model generated in SoltaView (non-contact whole-surface scanning).

2. Targeted Capabilities of the SLDL53

• Long-range rapid yard scanning: The SLDL53-30 offers six-radar parallel scanning to 300 m and the SLDL53-70 laser scanner a high-density point cloud, suiting ore stockpile volume measurement on large coal and ore yards.
• Stable imaging of complex materials: The terahertz wave penetrates dust and moisture vapor for stable 3D imaging of irregular lump coal, gangue and ore fines.
• Build-up/rathole/blockage warning: When ore fines, concentrate and salt bridge, the 3D image detects central flow and wall accumulation early - silo bridging and ratholing monitoring.
• Automated equipment guidance: Provides pile 3D data to stackers, bucket-wheel reclaimers and ship loaders for automatic stacking/reclaiming, anti-collision and unmanned operation.

Fig.4  Bauxite processing - crushing, grinding, absorption, settling, filtration and calcination bins

Fig.5  Bauxite concentrator - crushing/grinding/classification bins need continuous level

Fig.6  Bauxite yard and conveyor - the SLDL53-80 monitors conveyor flow online

3. Typical Measurement Points and Value

• Coal prep / concentrator: Per-bin metering of raw-coal, lump-coal, concentrate and tailings silos stabilizes production and blending.
• Salt / non-metallic mines: Inventory and build-up detection for crushed and finished salt and for talc/limestone powder silos.
• Open stockpiles: Real-time 3D inventory, volume/mass calculation, material traceability and custody transfer, including dome storage volume measurement.
• Conveying and loading: The SLDL53-80 monitors conveyor flow/volume/foreign objects/belt misalignment/tear, enabling automatic inventory for truck/ship loading and bulk terminal stockpile inventory monitoring.

Fig.7  Salt processing - mine salt lumps, crushed salt and finished-salt silos

Fig.8  Online inventory and automated equipment control at a mining bulk yard

4. Software and Selection

SoltaView builds a plant-wide material cockpit with multiple heads plus master/web server/APP (AUTBUS/5G), and open OPC UA, Modbus TCP and REST API for dispatch, DCS and smart-mine platforms, delivering multi-scanner data fusion, ERP integration for silo inventory and a silo digital twin.

5. Model Selection

Model	Key Features	Range / Scan	Typical Applications
SLDL53-10	Soltascan3D single head, 120-140GHz terahertz, point cloud + AI 3D modeling	120 m, 360 deg H / 110 deg V	Single / standard silos, bins & hoppers
SLDL53-20	Multi-head data fusion, up to 255 units networked, 5G/AUTBUS	120 m, scalable stitching	Large silo farms, multi-silo monitoring
SLDL53-30	6-radar parallel fast scanning, rapid inventory	300 m	Large open / circular stockyards, coal yards
SLDL53-40	Phased-array 3D radar, optional ceramic antenna, heavy dust	120 m, 90 deg V	Heavy-dust, severe-service silos
SLDL53-60	Sonic3DScan ultrasonic 3D, corrosive / foam media	Per application	Special media, ultrasonic-suited cases
SLDL53-70	Laserscan laser stockpile scanner, high-density point cloud	Large stockpiles	Coal/material inventory, stacker-reclaimer automation
SLDL53-80	StrlightScan conveyor belt 3D inspection	Online	Flow/volume/foreign object/belt misalignment/tear

Recommendation: SLDL53-30 or SLDL53-70 for large coal/ore yards; SLDL53-10 /40 for coal-prep/concentrator bins; SLDL53-20 for multi-silo networking; SLDL53-80 for conveyors and truck/ship loading; SLDL53-60 ultrasonic 3D for special corrosive/foam media; select intrinsic-safety/explosion-proof certified models for underground hazardous areas.

About SOLIDAT

SOLIDAT Applied Technologies, a member of the SOLIDAT group, was founded in 1981, initially providing radar and vibration-analysis technology for the aerospace industry. In 1996 it acquired SOLID Scientific Research & Development, gaining advanced ultrasonic and sonar technology together with the MonoScan and SMARTSCAN trademarks; in 1999 it acquired SOLTA Advanced Technologies, gaining advanced radar technology and the SOLTASCAN trademark. After more than four decades, SOLIDAT has become a globally recognized high-technology intelligent-instrument group at the forefront of radar, ultrasonic, sonar and electromagnetic sensing.

The SLDL53 Soltascan3D 3D Radar Level Scanner is a bulk-solids level sensor and bulk-solids volume measurement system, widely applied in power, metallurgy, cement & building materials, coal & mining, grain & food, petrochemical & plastics, pulp & paper and biomass industries, forming a silo inventory monitoring system that delivers a "transparent silo, smart inventory and unattended operation".

Website: www.solidat.net  |  China Office: +86-10-86468485

Send us your silo dimensions, material, range and communication requirements; SOLIDAT engineers will provide a selection proposal and instrument layout drawing.