Inden is the third strip mining site in the Rhineland brown coal mining district after Garzweiler and Hambach. The mining field is approximately 4,500 hectares in size. Its coal seams are up to 45 m thick and lie as far as 230 m beneath the earth’s surface. Bulkscan® LMS511 laser volume flowmeter measures the bulk material on the conveyor belts and so varies the slew speed of the bucket-wheel excavator. Bulkscan® LMS511 optimizes material removal by bucket-wheel excavators Yard by yard, bucket-wheel excavator 255 cuts its way through the earth with its swinging boom. The bucket wheel moves the excavated earth onto a belt located on the boom, where it is then transported to an overland conveyor system at the rear of the bucket-wheel excavator. RWE Power has installed a Bulkscan® LMS511 above the first belt on the boom. The laser volume flowmeter quickly and precisely measures the profile of the bulk materials and, using the belt speed, calculates the current…

Non-contact and maintenance-free sensor for measuring volume flow The Bulkscan® LMS511 uses time-of-flight technology for non-contact measurement of volume flow on conveyor belts. Using the multi-echo technology, the Bulkscan® LMS511 can combine time-of-flight data with the belt speed to generate a reliable volume flow signal, regardless of the bulk material"s properties or weather conditions. Aside from calculating total quantities and mass flow, the Bulkscan® LMS511 can monitor the operation of the conveyor belt without coming into physical contact with it and promptly gives warning of any belt slippage. The integrated center-of-gravity calculator can be used to detect uneven loading of the bulk material and avoid excessive belt wear. Its tough industrial housing is well suited to rugged operating conditions. An integrated heater also ensures safe operation at low ambient temperatures. Discrete signals as well as Ethernet TCP/IP can be used to connect the measuring system to a host communication system. At a glance -…