CiDRA Minerals Processing has announced that Rio Tinto has chosen CiDRA’s SONARtrac^® flow monitoring systems as its preferred technology for use on slurry lines at Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia. CiDRA will instrument 30 lines at the new concentrator, where the SONARtrac systems will provide increased accuracy and reduced maintenance costs. Construction of the mine is progressing ahead of schedule with first production now forecast to commence in late 2012. CiDRA stated that its SONARtrac systems were chosen because of the non-invasive design, which provides exceptionally high reliability, performance, and maintenance-free operation, thus lowering operating costs and total cost of ownership.

The mine will construct a copper concentrator plant, related facilities and the necessary infrastructure to support an initial throughput of 100,000 t / d of ore on-site. By 2017, an expansion of the concentrator is expected to be completed in conjunction with the ramping up of the Hugo North underground mine. This will provide capacity to process 160,000 t / d for the duration of the operation. SONARtrac non-intrusive flow monitoring systems make no contact with the liquid or slurry and can be removed and reinstalled without process interruption.