Real-time moisture, measured through the full depth of the load
Moisture you can act on, not a lab result from yesterday
hydroSCAN is a microwave moisture analyser that sits on your conveyor and measures the moisture of the material as it goes past. A microwave signal passes up through the belt and the full depth of the load, and the change in that signal tells you how much water is in it, in real time.
Lab sampling is slow and costly, and by the time the result comes back the material is already through the plant. hydroSCAN gives your operators and plant control a live moisture reading, so they can act while it still counts.
hydroSCAN is designed and manufactured in Australia by Ultra-Dynamics. Accurate Industries supplies, installs and services it for mining, quarrying and bulk materials sites across Australia. On a conveyor it works with a belt weigher, which tells it how many tonnes are going past. Use one of our belt weighers or the one you already have, and you know both the tonnes on the belt and how much of it is water.
View the manufacturer's hydroSCAN product information (opens in a new tab)
Real time
A live moisture reading on the conveyor, instead of waiting on lab results.
Full depth
The signal passes through the whole load, so material that has settled into layers on the belt is still measured.
No moving parts
Nothing touches the material and nothing wears, with IP65 enclosures for dusty, wet sites.
Each head is set to suit your belt and load
The hydroSCAN stand sits on top of your conveyor stringers. The transmitter head sits under the carry belt and the receiver head sits above the material, each clamped across a pair of arms. Both pairs of arms clamp onto the posts, so each head is set at its own height.
- Set the transmitter close under the carry belt and the receiver clear of the load
- Set the gap between the heads to suit your belt and the depth of material it carries
- The heads stay parallel to each other, keeping the transmitter and receiver lined up
- Heights can be re-set on site if your conveyor changes, and we'll re-check the calibration
The arms on each level also run side by side and slide past each other, so the posts can be set in or out to sit over your stringers.
The blue see-through copy in each picture shows the other end of the adjustment. Travel is taken from Ultra-Dynamics' CAD model; we'll confirm the fit for your conveyor.
A microwave signal through the belt and the load
The transmitter head clamps across the lower arms of the frame, under the carry belt. The receiver head clamps across the upper arms, above the material. On its way from one to the other, the signal passes through the belt and the full bed of material.
Water changes the signal that reaches the receiver. The controller in the electrical enclosure next to the frame takes the tonnage from your belt weigher, and calibration relates the change in signal to the moisture content of your material.
- Measures the full bed depth, not just the surface
- Not affected by material colour, ambient light or steam
- Not fussy about where the material sits on the belt
Why microwave transmission
Near infrared (NIR) is the other common way to measure moisture online, but it only reads the surface of the material. A microwave moisture analyser like hydroSCAN reads through the whole bed, with far fewer limitations.
- 1Full bed depth
The beam passes through the full bed of material, so layering on the belt doesn't throw the reading out. NIR only sees the surface.
- 2Colour doesn't matter
Material colour has no effect on the reading. Colour has a significant effect on NIR.
- 3Light and steam
Ambient light and steam don't affect it. NIR needs shielding from light, and steam can interfere with it.
- 4Material position
The reading isn't affected by where the material sits. With NIR, the distance from the surface to the receiver matters.
- 5No moving parts
Nothing to wear out. NIR systems use a mechanical filter system.
- 6Built for site
IP65 enclosures handle dirty, dusty atmospheres, where an NIR window has to be kept clean.
hydroSCAN in under a minute
How the measurement works, how it works with a belt weigher so you can work out dry tonnes, and how the frame adjusts to suit your conveyor. Captions are on screen, so no sound is needed.
From wet tonnes to dry tonnes
A belt weigher tells you how many tonnes are going over the belt. hydroSCAN tells you how much of that is water. Put the two together and you know the dry material actually moving through your plant.
For example, 1,000 t/h at 8% moisture is 80 t/h of water and 920 t/h of dry material.
Already have a belt weigher on the conveyor? We work on every brand, so talk to us about adding hydroSCAN alongside it.
Wet tonnes in, dry tonnes out
Move the sliders, or type your own figures, to see how much of your wet tonnage is water.
Example calculation only. Water = wet flow × moisture, and dry material = wet flow × (1 − moisture), with moisture on a wet basis. These are example numbers, not hydroSCAN readings or performance figures.
Where moisture data pays off
What sites use it for
- Metallurgical and process accounting
- Diverting overly wet material away from vulnerable downstream equipment
- Feedback control of dryer circuits
- Feed-forward and feedback control of dust suppression sprays
- Net weight monitoring for quality control
- Moisture and dry-mass contract compliance
Materials it suits
Microwave transmission suits a wide range of non-conducting materials, including:
Fitted by people who know conveyors
The stand mounts on top of your conveyor stringers, and the electrical enclosure mounts close by. Our technicians already work on conveyors and belt weighers every day. Talk to us about fitting hydroSCAN on the same conveyor as your belt weigher and setting the two up together.
Bins and chutes too
hydroSCAN can also be supplied for a bin or chute, with the transmitter and receiver on opposite sides. Up to four sensor pairs can run from a single electronics cabinet.
Accurate Industries supplies, installs and services hydroSCAN for sites across Australia, alongside the belt weighers we already look after.
Brushed stainless or orange powder coat
Choose brushed stainless steel or orange powder coat for the frame. Stainless suits wet and corrosive sites. Let us know which suits yours when you ask for a quote.
hydroSCAN on the conveyor
3D renders made from Ultra-Dynamics' CAD model. The electrical enclosure and cabling aren't shown.
What to send us
To help us work out the right hydroSCAN setup for your conveyor, tell us about:
- 1
The material, and what you need the moisture reading for.
- 2
Belt width, belt speed and the distance between your stringers.
- 3
Typical bed depth and lump size.
- 4
Your belt weigher and integrator, if you already have one.
- 5
Where the reading needs to go, such as your PLC, DCS or SCADA.
- 6
Site conditions and the space available on the conveyor.
Want moisture on your conveyor? Give us a call
Tell us what the conveyor carries, the belt width and what you want the moisture reading to do, and we'll work out the right hydroSCAN setup with Ultra-Dynamics. With a belt weigher on the same conveyor, you can work out dry tonnes as well.
Moisture analyser frequently asked questions
How does hydroSCAN measure moisture?
A transmitter under the belt sends a microwave signal up through the belt and the material to a receiver above it. Water changes the signal that reaches the receiver, and calibration turns that change into a moisture reading for your material.
Why pair a moisture monitor with a belt weigher?
On a conveyor, hydroSCAN uses the tonnage from a belt weigher as part of its measurement. The two together also let you work out the dry tonnes, which is what counts for process accounting, contracts and process control.
What materials can it measure?
It suits a wide range of non-conducting materials, including coal, bauxite, mineral sands, sand, sugar, bagasse, wood flake, foods and chemicals. Talk to us about your material.
Does anything touch the material?
No. The transmitter sits under the belt and the receiver sits above the load, so nothing contacts the material and there are no moving parts to wear.
Can it go on a bin or chute instead of a conveyor?
Yes. The in-bin version mounts the transmitter and receiver on opposite sides of a bin or chute, with up to four sensor pairs on one electronics cabinet.
How is it different from a near infrared (NIR) moisture meter?
NIR reads only the surface of the material, and it can be affected by colour, ambient light and steam. hydroSCAN's microwave signal passes through the full bed of material, and none of those affect it.
Get in touch with us and let us deliver best in class outcomes to you
Core to our operation is developing relationships with our customers so we can understand their problems, concerns and goals, to ensure we deliver the best outcomes possible. We provide accurate, reliable and honest service and information, and ensure the correct equipment and solutions are provided every time, without fail.
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