Clinker, limestone, gypsum, and mineral pile monitoring
Domes, sheds, and raw material warehouses often have high piles, uneven drawdown, conveyor shadows, and safety restrictions around climbing or walking the pile.
Confirm the site problem, the Volivue approach, and the expected operating benefit before final selection.
A single distance value cannot show pile shape, cone slope, remaining pocket inventory, or the difference between production and book stock.
Deploy V260 or V7300 scanners at reviewed roof or wall positions and convert point clouds to zone volume and estimated mass.
Material planning, blending, and production teams can compare pile shape, total volume, and historical movement.
Tall mineral piles, equipment shadows, and dust set the dome scanning brief
Clinker, limestone, gypsum, and additive piles inside domes and longitudinal sheds are tall, hot in places, and shaped by a central or traveling stacker. Drawdown happens from reclaim tunnels underneath, so cone surfaces hide pockets that a surface glance cannot judge. Filling raises dust that hangs in still indoor air, and the stacker gantry, central column, and conveyor bridge all cast scanning shadows.
3D scanning is the right fit when planning, blending, and month-end stock checks need pile shape and zone volume, not a single depth. For enclosed cement powder or fly-ash silos with a defined surface, a Volivue 80GHz radar level device is usually sufficient and cheaper. Climbing piles for manual surveys in domes is exactly the practice fixed scanning is meant to retire.
Roof-ring coverage, documented blind zones, and ERP-ready mass estimates
Dome projects usually mount Volivue V260 heads on the roof ring or upper wall brackets, oriented so overlapping views cover the stacker shadow and the area behind the central column. Longitudinal sheds use heads spaced along the ridge. The base model records the floor, reclaim openings, and zone boundaries during commissioning, and the blind-zone map documents any floor area that remains unmeasured.
Volume and estimated mass per zone, with a separate density table per stored mineral, export to ERP or MES on a daily or shift schedule. Most plants connect heads by Ethernet or fiber along existing cable trays. Installation is commonly aligned with a planned maintenance window, since roof access and lift equipment are easier to arrange when the stacker is parked.
Inputs that decide scanner count and coverage in a dome
- Provide dome diameter or shed length, roof access points, and any structural limits for mounting brackets.
- Map the stacker travel, central column, and conveyor bridge to plan overlapping scan coverage.
- Prepare a density table per material so clinker, limestone, and gypsum convert to mass on documented terms.
- Agree scan timing against filling cycles, since airborne dust right after stacking degrades point quality.
The stacker and conveyor bridge block part of the pile. Can the system still report full volume?
Overlapping scan heads cover most equipment shadows, and the commissioning report documents whatever floor area remains blind so volume figures state their coverage honestly. Persistent shadows are usually small areas near the wall; the layout review quantifies them per dome geometry instead of assuming perfect visibility.
Can we scan while the dome is being filled?
Scanning during active stacking faces heavy suspended dust and a moving machine inside the view, so most plants schedule full scans after dust settles and use intermediate scans only for trend indication. The platform can tag frames captured in poor conditions so blending decisions rely on clean data.
Six checks decide whether the project needs V260, V7300 Mini, or a multi-scanner package.
Site survey and drawings
Collect shed or bin dimensions, pile height, roof structure, mounting points, vehicle routes, power, network, dust, and safety limits.
Scanner layout design
Define scanner count, field of view, blind zones, mounting height, scan schedule, and maintenance access.
Base model and zones
Build floor reference, boundary polygons, zone naming, empty reference, and reporting units before final volume output.
Algorithm and density workflow
Validate point-cloud cleaning, volume calculation, density assumptions, and estimated mass reporting against site checks.
Integration and handover
Map dashboard fields, CSV/API/OPC outputs, report schedule, alarm rules, user roles, and acceptance checks.
Documentation package
Prepare layout notes, point lists, report field definitions, density assumptions, role settings, acceptance records, and maintenance notes for later scenario pages.
Questions that decide scanner layout, volume confidence, integration, and project scope.
Is this a LiDAR system or a 3D radar system?
Volivue positions the page as a fixed 3D scanning product family. The project may use V260 3D stockpile scanners, V7300 Mini 3D radar scanners, or fixed LiDAR nodes depending on range, dust, mounting, and site layout.
Can one scanner cover a whole warehouse?
Only in compact scenes with clear line of sight. Long coal sheds, domes, aggregate bays, and large yards usually need scanner layout review and may need multiple scanning positions.
Does the system directly measure weight?
No. It measures pile shape and calculates volume. Estimated mass needs density assumptions, sampling data, or a customer density table documented in the project.
How accurate is the volume?
Accuracy depends on survey quality, base model, blind zones, dust, material surface, scanner position, and validation method. Volivue confirms a project target after reviewing the site.
Can it work in dusty coal sheds?
It can be reviewed for dusty sheds, but dust intensity, scan distance, cleaning plan, mounting protection, and data filtering must be checked before committing to coverage.
Can it export data to ERP or MES?
Yes. Scope can include dashboard reports, CSV, Web API, OPC, Modbus TCP, MQTT, database export, or ERP/MES handoff.
What should we send for quotation?
Send shed or bin drawings, photos, pile height, material, dust condition, power and network availability, current inventory method, required reports, and target integration interface.
What documents are usually included for handover?
The handover package can include scanner layout notes, point lists, interface maps, report templates, density assumptions, user roles, acceptance records, and maintenance or cleaning notes by scope.
Send pile geometry, site photos, material, dust level, and target reports.
Share drawings, photos, pile height, material, dust condition, mounting locations, power and network options, update cycle, and desired dashboard or ERP/MES outputs.