2009-11-04 14:18:11 -

CiDRA Minerals Processing, Inc announced today that ArcelorMittal México has selected SONARtrac® Flow Monitoring systems as their preferred technology for product transfer measurement on a 27 km hydrotransport slurry pipeline in Mexico that runs from nearby mines to steel plant in Lázaro Cárdenas City, Michoacán. The 10-inch diameter pipeline is a key link that transfers enriched iron ore slurry to

the pelletizer plant at the rate of 400 tons per hour.

ArcelorMittal is an integrated producer of steel long products in Mexico, with its feature facility in Lázaro Cárdenas on the western coast of Mexico. Formerly known as Sicartsa and owned by Mexico’s Grupo Villacero, this mine was purchased by ArcelorMittal as part of a nearly USD 1.4 billion acquisition in 2006.

ArcelorMittal is the world’s number one steel company, with over 310,000 employees in more than 60 countries. ArcelorMittal Lázaro Cárdenas is an integrated facility consisting of an iron mine, concentrator plant, pelletizer plant, and long and flat product plants, as well as a port facility in a privileged location on the Pacific coast.

The enriched iron ore slurry is produced in the concentrator plant by grinding and magnetic separation. A high pressure pump injects the slurry into the steel pipeline for the 27 km transit to the pelletizer plant. One SONARtrac meter has been installed at each end of the pipeline to measure product transfer between facilities.

CiDRA's SONARtrac flow monitoring technology is a new class of industrial flowmeter, utilizing measurement principles that are distinct from all other flowmeter technologies operating in the mining industry.

It is particularly well suited for measuring difficult slurry flows in large diameter pipes such as ArcelorMittal’s. The non-intrusive system makes no contact with the slurry and can be removed and reinstalled without stopping the pipeline flow. SONARtrac systems are able to operate on pipes with and without internal linings, and are completely insensitive to internal pressure thus making it possible to install in the most desirable locations for flow measurements.

ArcelorMittal’s pipeline presented challenges such as very high internal pressure and ore content variability. For highest accuracy, flow measurement on the high-pressure (~1,000 psi) discharge of the pump was desired; however, use of invasive flowmeters was considered a high risk.
Variations in ore density and magnetic characteristics also caused undesirable variations in electromagnetic flowmeters. Because the SONARtrac system is non-invasive, it could be installed on the high-pressure pump discharge. As well, the system’s fundamental insensitivity to variations in ore density and magnetic characteristics provided immunity to product changes. The combination of these unique features was important to ArcelorMittal’s selection of the SONARtrac technology for their critical hydrotransport slurry pipeline.

Additional information about CiDRA can be found at www.cidra.com :

SONARtrac is a trademark of CiDRA.

CiDRA Corporate ServicesRuth O'Connell, 203-626-3568 roconnell@cidra.com : mailto:roconnell@cidra.com