Mining solutions

Sustainable mining of natural resources is a cornerstone for our standard of living and prosperity. Mined materials have a wide array of applications. They play a critical role in construction (e.g., building frameworks) and power generation, and are used as commodities and minerals for industrial applications. They contribute to current green technologies – like wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles – and the exploration of new exploitable deposits as part of the effort to counter climate change. And they are used to produce luxury goods. To play a positive and sustainable economic role in society, mined metals and minerals must be explored for, extracted, transported, and processed according to quality control processes that deliver safe and high-quality products. A wide array of Anton Paar instruments can contribute to every step of this development and production chain.

	Instrument	Samples	Measurement
	High temperature viscometer and rheometer: FRS High temperature furnace rheometer system, to measure the viscosity of materials like glass, ceramics, and metals with a high melting point of up to 1,700 °C. Show product details	Other geological samples Metal Coal, graphite	Rheometry	Metal extraction from slag: Determine the optimum viscosity for processing via temperature-dependent viscosity measurements (Thixo-)casting and rheocasting of metals: Determine the lowest possible process temperature where material shows sufficient flowability but minimized shrinkage Coal combustion for energy production: Find out the temperature and composition at which a predefined viscosity (viscosity for flow down the reactor wall) is reached
	Inline Density Meter: L-Dens The L-Dens 7400 inline density meter combines accuracy, compact design, and flexibility. It is ideal for highly accurate inline concentration measurements in the precious metals refinery, and for improving the yield of precious metals. It’s integration into the pipeline is simple and provides flexibility by the use of different adapter solutions. Wetted parts such as Tantalum or Hastelloy guarantee longevity and drift-free measurement. Show product details	Mining, ore (post-work up)	Concentration Measurement	Platinum mining: Concentration measurement of HCl, HNO₃, and diluted H₂SO₄ in the PMR
	Inline Sound Velocity Concentration Meter: L-Sonic The L-Sonic 5100 inline concentration meter series is durable, accessible and is simple to integrate. This inline meter is the first and most accurate choice for maintenance-free inline concentration measurement of acid and bases with an unbeatable accuracy of up to ±0.02 % or better. High-tech wetted parts such as Hastelloy or 24k plated gold guarantee longevity even for the toughest chemical applications. The inline sound velocity meter can be installed in a tank or a pipeline without the need for any bypasses, pumps or extra adapters. Minimum effort meets maximum efficiency. Show product details	Mining, ore (post-work up)	Concentration Measurement	Gold mining: HCl dilution control for calcium removal (carbon regeneration) Gold mining: Lixiviant concentration measurement (Au-leach) Uranium mining: H₂SO₄ concentration measurement (U-leach) Uranium mining: Oxidant concentration measurement (U-leach) Uranium mining: NaOH precipitant concentration measurement (U-leach) Platinum mining: H₂SO₄, NaOH, Na₂SO₄ concentration measurement (BMR, PMR) Copper mining: H₂SO₄ concentration measurement (acid plant) Nickel mining: H₂SO₄ concentration measurement (acid plant)
	Modular Compact Rheometer: MCR 72/92/ 102e/302e/502e/ 702e Perfectly equipped for all types of rheological quality control and high-end analysis with the modular compact MCR rheometer family. Show product details	Crude oil, drilling fluid, fracking fluid Mining, ore (post-work up) Sludge	Rheometry	Hydraulic fracturing: Predict the flow behavior of the mixture of water, chemicals and sand used for fracking at high pressures and various shear rates Slurry transport (ore and tailings): Analyze and lower the yield point of ore slurry to avoid downtime of the processing plant and assure an efficient transportation process Slurry storage (ore and tailings): Determine the necessary shear rate to keep mineral particles suspended during storage Dilution of tailings slurry: Efficiently dilute tailings to enable pumping, while minimizing discarded material
	Hot block digestion system: Multicube 48 Multicube 48 is used for high-throughput open-vessel acid digestion with high-purity polypropylene vials and intuitive touchscreen interaction. Show product details	Mining, ore (pre-work up) Solid waste, landfill Waste/process/treated water Other environmental samples	Hot Block Digestion	Refinining, extraction, smelting (=purification) of various ores: Perform digestion of lead prill after fire assay or fusion process with 48 digestion positions at once Quality control: Perform digestion of lead prill after fire assay or fusion process with 48 digestion positions at once Environmental control of mining site and refining site: Analyze water and soil (48 samples at once) for contamination with harmful elements
	Microwave digestion system: Multiwave 5000 Multiwave 5000 microwave digestion platform: 64 samples in 1 run, digestion and more, a customizable interface, >500 pre-installed programs, sensor technology, a hands-free door. Show product details	Mining, ore (pre-work up) Sludge	Microwave Digestion	Exploration of possible mining sites: Analyze metal content in mineral samples from exploration Sludge analysis: Perform robust and easy-to-use acid digestion of sludge prior to environmental trace analysis of toxicologically and environmentally relevant elements (ICP, AAS, etc.).
	Microwave digestion system: Multiwave 5000 + 20SVT50 Multiwave 5000 microwave digestion platform: 64 samples in 1 run, digestion and more, a customizable interface, >500 pre-installed programs, sensor technology, a hands-free door. SVT vessels for Multiwave 5000 have been designed to withstand the highest temperatures and pressures while the tool-free handling of the three-part vessel helps you save valuable time. Show product details	Mining, ore (pre-work up) Mining, ore (post-work up) Coal, graphite	Microwave Digestion	Mining and excavation: Dissolve rocks containing elements of interest prior to subsequent analysis (ICP, AAS, etc.) Refinining, extraction, smelting (=purification) of various ores: Perform fast and trouble-free acid digestion with high throughput, without contamination or loss of analyte Quality control: Perform fast and trouble-free acid digestion with high throughput, without contamination or loss of analyte Caustic leaching of bauxite: Simulate the industrial Bayer process on a lab scale to determine optimum conditions for the industrial process Extraction, refining and quality control of coal and graphite: Reliably digest highly reactive samples such as coal, coke and graphite, which require high temperatures
	Microwave digestion system: Multiwave GO Plus The Multiwave GO Plus microwave digestion system with the patented Directed Multimode Cavity (DMC) provides the best of both monomode and multimode microwaves. Show product details	Mining, ore (pre-work up) Waste/process/treated water	Microwave Digestion	Exploration of possible mining sites: Analyze metal content in mineral samples from exploration Waste water quality determination: Perform microwave digestion on waste water so that it is ideally prepared for further elemental analysis
	Surface area and pore analyzers: Nova All-in-one Nova BET analyzer series: Up to 4 analysis and 4 degassing stations; up to 4 BETs in 20 mins, 4 isotherms in 8 hours; 2 % reproducibility with ≥2 m2 total measurement surface area. Show product details	Mining, ore (post-work up)	Vacuum Volumetric Gas Sorption Analysis	Slurry stabilization: Calculate the proper amount of dispersant/stabilizer to reduce costs by eliminating unnecessary, excess dispersant/stabilizer
	Mercury intrusion pore size analyzers: PoreMaster Mercury intrusion porosimeters to determine the size distribution and volume of the macropores in materials. Safe and convenient operation. Show product details	Mining, ore (pre-work up)	Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry	Site evaluation: Evaluate groundwater movement and pollution by quantifying pore size
	Particle size analyzer: PSA The PSA series measures the particle size of dry powder and liquid dispersions from the micrometer to the millimeter scale with laser diffraction technology. Show product details	Crude oil, drilling fluid, fracking fluid Drilling mud Cement Mining, ore (pre-work up) Oil & refrigerant (OCR)	Laser Diffraction	QC of drilling fluids: Maximize the (re)usage of drilling muds by detecting low-gravity solids (LGS) as they build up, via monitoring of particle size distribution (PSD) Ore grinding: Prevent energy wastage on unnecessary grinding, by determining and thus eliminating fine and ultrafine particles Ore grinding and separation: Produce uniform particle size to prevent ore separation bias, via particle size optimization to control the separation behavior Quality control of processed ore: Determine and monitor the particle size distribution of processed ore to ensure consistent quality of the final product
	Rotational Rheometer: RheolabQC The RheolabQC rotational rheometer from Anton Paar puts high-end R&D technology to use for convenient routine rheological tests in quality control. Show product details	Crude oil, drilling fluid, fracking fluid	Rotational Rheometry	QC of drilling fluids: Smoothly transport drilling muds via determination of viscosity at rest and during pumping of bentonite
	Powder Cells for MCR: Shear Cell & Flow Cell The complete powder rheology setup with the powder shear cell and the powder flow cell gives you all the possibilities you need for the characterization of your powders and granular media. Show product details	Mining, ore (pre-work up) Mining, ore (post-work up)	Powder Rheometry, Rheometry	Ore transport: Avoid issues during transport and storage of powdery materials by simulating mechanical transport Processed ore transport: Improve the pneumatic transport of processed powders by determining fluidization behavior
	Single-station gas pycnometers for true density: Ultrapyc Anton Paar’s Ultrapyc gas pycnometers measure the true density of solid materials, powders, and foams. They are the most accurate and precise automated gas pycnometers available. Show product details	Mining, ore (pre-work up) Cement Drilling mud Mining, ore (post-work up) Coal, graphite Solid waste, landfill	Gas Pycnometry	Site evaluation: Evaluate groundwater movement and pollution by quantifying rock porosity Formulating well cement: Calculate target solid % and improve accuracy of Blaine measurement, to produce a cement with proper support and thermal insulation Formulation of drilling fluids: Obtain the optimum density for hydrostatic pressure and circulation Ocean transport of ore fines: Perform safety calculations to avoid loss of vessel at sea via evaluation of the risk of liquefaction for a particular load Settling tank/pond/basin design: Calculate the sedimentation times of tailings/washings for more efficient operation and lifecycle management to reduce overall costs and land use Froth flotation (separation of beneficial minerals): Optimize the slurry concentration from pulp density by determining the size and number of flotation cells for a given capacity Coal washability test: Maximize the economics of separating coal from rock and minerals by optimizing the density of fluids in float-sink tanks Quality control, packaging and transportation: Receive the correct volume of pulverized rock (ore) Tailings dam safety: Measure the density of dry tailings, saturated tailings, fines and slime for improved risk assessment Waste gypsum: Determine the suitability of recovered waste material for use in mortars, and calculate formulation
	Rotational viscometer: ViscoQC Viscometer for quality control with a choice of spindles. Easiest operation by delivering fully traceable results and eliminating risk of user errors. Show product details	Crude oil, drilling fluid, fracking fluid	Rotational Viscometry	QC of drilling fluids: Smoothly transport drilling muds via determination of viscosity at rest and during pumping of bentonite
	Automated Multipurpose Powder X-Ray Diffractometer: XRDynamic 500 Intuitive to use, with fully automated optics and alignment routines, it allows everyone, from novices to experts, to collect top-quality XRD data quickly while minimizing errors. Show product details	Mining, ore (pre-work up) Mining, ore (post-work up) Solid waste, landfill	X-Ray Diffraction	Exploration: Optimize the mining process and effectively plan downstream processing requirements by identifying high-value deposits and the mineral forms present Exploration: Discover possible recovery losses ahead of time, to optimize the extraction process, by identifying non-extractable ore forms QC and grade control: Increase efficiency and stabilize plant conditions by selecting the optimal grade Ore processing: Optimize the operational efficiency of the mining process and the beneficiation process of the ore by rapidly analyzing the qualitative and quantitative mineral composition of the mined material Ore processing: Reduce the costs and environmental impact of ore processing by identifying the iron oxidation state via phase analysis of the mineral ore Quality control: Continuously monitor the processed ore quality in order to quickly respond to changes Tailings analysis: Reduce wastage and potential environmental damage by identifying compounds of value that can be recovered from tailings