The CombiMeter consists of a flow meter and a density meter. For the flow meter, an electromagnetic flow meter by Krohne Altometer is used. This is a proven concept in the dredging industry. Added to this is a density meter based on electrical resistance tomography, as developed by ITS (Industrial Tomography Systems). Both are combined in an integrated production meter; the CombiMeter. The CombiMeter has undergone a series of extensive field tests in the Damen Dredging test loop, in the ¡VAMOS! mining project and lastly as a full-scale test on the CEMEX aggregate dredger Sand Falcon in a Ø700 mm pipeline.
During the tests, the Sand Falcon dredged a range of materials including fine sand, coarse sand and gravel. All the tests were carried out at sea, comparing data from the new CombiMeter with that from an existing radioactive model. All data from the CombiMeter were within a 1-3% accuracy range and showed a 0.95 correlation factor with the radioactive type. All the evidence from all the tests has led to the conclusion that the CombiMeter performs excellently in this salt water environment, in both horizontal as well as vertical pipe lines, covering a wide array of soils including silt, sand and gravel.
The new CombiMeter technology has a number of advantages over the nuclear density meter. It is a green solution that does not trigger safety issues. The operational cost of the new system is substantially lower as it does not require special permits and licences for transport, storage or use. Moreover, a specialised team for servicing the nuclear meter is no longer necessary.
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CEMEX aggregate dredger Sand Falcon