Why Thermal Power Plants Need the SLDL53 3D Radar Level Scanner

SOLIDAT · SLDL53 3D Radar Level Scanner | Industry Application Series 1

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.

A coal-fired power plant is a classic high-throughput bulk-material operation: raw coal is crushed and conveyed from the coal yard into the raw-coal bunker, ground into pulverized coal and fired in the boiler, while the resulting fly ash is collected by the electrostatic precipitator (ESP) into ash silos for reuse or dispatch. Across this chain, coal-yard stocktaking and the level and inventory of the raw-coal, pulverized-coal and fly-ash silos have long been pain points for fuel management and safe operation. This 3D radar level meter and bulk-solids volume measurement system is purpose-built for power-plant coal bunker 3D scanning.

Fig.1  Thermal power plant overview - inventory monitoring is needed across coal storage, milling, firing and ash handling

1. Level and Stocktaking Pain Points in Thermal Power

• Slow, labor-intensive stocktaking: Open and enclosed circular coal yards are large with irregular piles; manual surveying requires shutdown, tape measures or drone flights. One coal stockpile volume measurement takes hours or even days, and the data is delayed and inaccurate.
• Dusty raw-coal / pulverized-coal silos: Dust fills the air during filling; ultrasonic and single-point radar instruments are disturbed by dust and echoes, frequently jumping or losing signal, so level measurement in dusty silos is rarely continuous.
• Fly-ash build-up, bridging and ratholing: Fine fly ash absorbs moisture and compacts; silo wall build-up and a central rathole make single-point instruments read "full" when the silo is actually empty.
• Confined-space safety risk: Manual silo entry for clearing and inspection carries burial and suffocation hazards under increasingly strict EHS regulation.
• Inventory not integrated: Stocktaking stays on paper ledgers and cannot feed fuel, DCS or smart-power-plant platforms in real time, so smart inventory management is missing.

Fig.2  Enclosed circular coal yard with stacker-reclaimer - large-span irregular piles are the key automatic-inventory scenario

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

2. Why Conventional Methods Are Not Enough

Yo-yo (plumb-bob) gauges are easily buried or snap in pulverized coal; ultrasonic signals attenuate heavily in dust and temperature swings; an ordinary 26/80 GHz single-point radar gives only one distance point and cannot reconstruct the cone top, cone bottom, off-center pile or silo wall build-up; manual and drone surveys are not continuous or online. Power plants need a non-contact 3D level measurement that penetrates dust and continuously performs 3D material surface mapping of the entire surface.

Fig.4  Stacker-reclaimer operating in a circular coal yard - the SLDL53 guides automatic stocktaking and targeted reclaiming

3. How the SLDL53 Makes Coal and Ash Silos "Transparent"

• Terahertz wave penetrates dust: The 120-140 GHz radar wave penetrates pulverized-coal and fly-ash dust, operating stably at extreme dust concentration without losing signal during filling.
• 360 deg x 110 deg 3D scanning: Continuous scanning produces a high-density point cloud that truly reconstructs cone top, cone bottom, off-centering, wall build-up and ratholes - true 3D material surface mapping rather than a single point.
• AI point-cloud modeling for volume/weight: On-board point-cloud processing, machine learning and 3D modeling directly output level, volume, weight and average/minimum/maximum level monitoring, with 3D radar volume measurement accuracy up to about +/-2%.
• Multi-scanner fusion for large yards: The SLDL53-20 networks up to 255 units via multi-scanner data fusion, and the SLDL53-30 offers six-radar parallel scanning up to 300 m, suiting circular and linear coal yards and dome storage volume measurement.
• Non-contact, self-cleaning, low maintenance: Top-mounted without touching the material, IP67 protected, eliminating manual silo entry.

Fig.5  SLDL53-10 Soltascan3D radar head (left) and controller (right), roof-mounted for non-contact measurement

4. Typical Measurement Points and Value

• Coal yard / circular store: Real-time 3D inventory, volume and mass calculation, automatic reclaiming and anti-collision, cutting stocktaking from hours to minutes.
• Raw-coal / pulverized-coal silos: Continuous level through dust prevents empty-silo starvation and overfilling, safeguarding milling and boiler stability - pulverized coal silo level monitoring.
• Fly-ash silos (ESP hoppers): Early detection of wall build-up, bridging and ratholing to schedule cleaning and dispatch, protect ESP plates and avoid overfilling and environmental incidents.

Fig.6  Twin fly-ash steel silos at a power plant - fine ash readily builds up and compacts, a key 3D-radar target

Fig.7  Fly-ash silo roof with dust collection and pneumatic conveying equipment

5. Software Platform and System Integration

SoltaView software provides real-time 3D imaging, volume/mass/level, historical trends, centralized multi-silo monitoring, reports and alarms. It supports 4-20 mA, HART, Modbus, TCP/IP, AUTBUS and Ethernet-APL, and connects via OPC UA / Modbus TCP / REST API to DCS, SIS, smart-fuel and smart-power-plant platforms, enabling ERP integration for silo inventory and a plant-wide material "single view", forming a silo digital twin.

6. 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 (300 m fast scanning) or SLDL53-70 laser stockpile scanner for the coal yard; SLDL53-10/40 for raw-coal, pulverized-coal and fly-ash silos; SLDL53-20 network for centralized monitoring of multiple ash silos; add SLDL53-80 on conveyor belts.

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.