EVALUATION OF PARTICLE DENSITY OF PULP SOLID PHASE USING GAMMA-RAY AND LAMB WAVES MEASURING CHANNELS

The relevance of the research is caused by the need to improve the accuracy of the means for ultrasonic operational monitoring of the characteristics of iron ore pulp solid phase in enrichment process. This area of means for improving will allow increasing the efficiency of controlling the enrichment and the quality of the final products. The main aim of the research is to increase the accuracy when measuring the particles density in pulp solid phase based on the laws of gamma radiation propagation in randomly non-uniform heterogeneous environments, as well as Lamb waves along the surfaces in contact with these fluids, in their natural or specially organized movement. Objects: processes of gamma radiation propagation in randomly inhomogeneous heterogeneous media, as well as Lamb waves on surfaces contacting these media. Methods: systematization and analysis of the methods developed for ultrasonic controlling the characteristics of solid phase of heterogeneous environments, methods of mathematical statistics and probability theory for processing the results of experiments, computer information technologies and software technologies designed to implement the techniques developed. Results. Investigated distribution patterns of gamma radiation in randomly non-uniform heterogeneous environments, as well as Lamb waves along the surfaces in contact with these fluids, in their natural or specially organized movement allow determining particle density of solid phase, which characterizes the degree of disclosure of a useful component (mineral) at known particle size and concentration in the test volume. The authors have developed the scheme for monitoring the suspensions solid phase density based on the obtained regularities. The error in measuring particle density in pulp solid phase by this method is 1–3 %.