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Precision Light and Air Pty Ltd

Name: Precision Light and Air Pty Ltd
Address: 17 Sir Laurence Drive, Seaford, VIC, AU
Telephone: +61 3 9786 1711

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Seaford, VIC
Precision Light and Air Pty Ltd

Precision Light & Air is an instrumentation manufacturer specialising in process analysers for the minerals processing sector.

We are an instrumentation manufacturer specialising in process analysers for the minerals processing sector. Clarifier, Thickener, Washer, and CCD Mud Divers are our speciality. Our analysers are particularly suited to high-scale and high temperature applications as seen in the Alumina and Nickel Industries.

02/09/2026

The collective application of PLA's analysers optimises performance across digestion, solid-liquid separation, and clarification/precipitation in alumina refining.

Deployed together, AL-CARK®, AL-DCIK®, and SmartDiver® provide continuous, real-time measurement of caustic (NaOH) concentration, alumina-to-caustic (A/C) ratio, and thickener/settler bed levels, enabling operators to control feed density, flocculant dosing, overflow clarity, and soda concentration more precisely.

AL-CARK® measures liquor phase density in-line via refractive index, providing continuous NaOH concentration data. It helps reduce Caustic Soda consumption by maintaining optimal NaOH concentration. The stable precipitation feed density improves yield and minimises fines.

AL-DCIK® measures the A/C ratio in-line using a toroidal conductivity sensor. It improves digestion efficiency and minimises Alumina losses from poor ratio control. It facilitates process automatisation of A/C ratio control.

SmartDiver® measures bed levels in settlers and washers. Common outcomes include better floc efficiency, a more controlled underflow density and avoiding process upsets such as rake bogging.

Read more: https://www.plapl.com.au/aluminaanalysers

Visit us at IBAAS India next week: https://www.plapl.com.au/news/ibaas2026jharsuguda

17/08/2026

Gel Point versus Underflow Density

The gel point is the critical solids concentration at which a settling slurry transitions from individual particles settling under gravity to a networked structure that creates a cohesive matrix that behaves more like a porous, semi-solid material. This structure can withstand internal stresses without collapsing, leading to a more stable and uniform compaction process.

Its formation is influenced mostly by floc efficiency, ore chemistry, mud bed height, solids flux, and the balance between feed and underflow discharge rates.

When the bed fails to reach or maintain a networked structure, it can cause several negative outcomes, such as the bed structure becoming weak and prone to collapse, poor rake-ability, settling zone boundaries becoming poorly defined, and uneven density distribution throughout the thickener.

Since the gel point is only reached in a networked bed, it is an important threshold for efficient dewatering, as it divides the thickener into two distinct settling regimes :

✅ In the zones above the mud bed, where solids concentration remains below the gel point, dewatering is governed largely by settling velocity and permeability.

✅ Within the mud bed, where solids concentration exceeds the gel point, the process shifts to compression. Further consolidation depends on the bed's ability to compact under its own weight, with solids residence time a key variable governing dewatering efficiency.

Once the slurry has passed the gel point, the bed height of this networked structure becomes an important indicator of underflow concentration.

Monitoring the bed height with the SmartDiver system can help operators confirm the formation of a networked bed and achieve tighter control of underflow density targets.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/0LFqbA5

02/08/2026

An effective thickener control strategy can be based on continuous, repeatable measurement of all four bed levels (clarity, interface, mud, and heavy mud).

Monitoring bed levels offers an effective control strategy for navigating this complexity, as it provides a continuously observable indicator of how various variables are collectively affecting sedimentation and compaction performance.

The SmartDiver®, with its fully automated diving cycles, its sensor continuously measures changes in suspended solids across the thickener depth profile, and the proprietary software helps identify key transition zones, such as clarity, interface, mud, and heavy mud levels.

Schedule a Teams Meeting to discuss implementation: https://buff.ly/pO4walL

19/07/2026

Solids settle through four distinct zones, each with its own settling behaviour and each equally important.

The relevance of bed levels in the complex dynamics of a solid-liquid separation process in thickeners is based on this simple principle.

Continuous bed-level data from SmartDiver® can help operators leverage this principle to manage their thickeners proactively.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/Ew9zuLj

05/07/2026

Bed-Level Measurements: A Key Control Variable for Thickeners

Bed level measurement provides visibility into what is occurring inside the thickener; it serves as an indicator of changes in key variables governing the solid–liquid separation process.

Monitoring bed levels in real time can guide data-driven adjustments to the control variables, helping maintain operation within the target range.

It can lend crucial insights such as:

✅ Where transition zones form within the thickener
✅ Whether flocculant is underdosed or overdosed
✅ Whether there is sufficient mud bed for effective compaction
✅ Serve as early warning signs of process upsets

Learn more about the Science of Bed Levels: https://buff.ly/uGm9z7A

21/06/2026

In thickeners, the hydrostatic pressure at the underflow outlet does not equal the total weight of the column above.

Only the hydraulically coupled portion transmits this pressure, as solids behave differently at different concentrations.

In the upper zones, particles are suspended in the fluid and move with it. Here, pressure is transmitted through the liquid, and this portion contributes to the pressure available at the underflow pump inlet.

In the lower compacted bed, particles are packed tightly enough to rest directly on one another, forming a load-bearing solid structure. The weight of these solids is carried through particle contacts rather than through the fluid; they contribute little to the fluid pressure at the pump inlet—even though this zone represents a substantial mass.

This understanding of the dual-regime behaviour is critical for accurate prediction of underflow pump inlet conditions.

The mud bed height provides operators with the fundamental geometric parameter required to predict a thickener’s hydraulic head. It can serve as an early predictor of both cavitation risk and load‑capacity breach of the underflow pump. By observing how bed levels relate to pump performance, operators can identify the range that maintains sufficient NPSH and keep the pump's cavitation risk low.

Explore our bed level measuring system - SmartDiver® https://buff.ly/vSRc5UM

09/06/2026

Density measures mass per unit volume, not inter‑particle bonding strength.

Maximising the efficiency of thickeners and pumpability of the underflow slurry will also require continuous monitoring of settling zones and the rheological properties of the slurry.

Two slurries at identical density can exhibit fundamentally different rheological behaviour and bed formations depending on particle-size distribution, clay content, ore mineralogy, and flocculant response.

Learn how Bed-Levels, Viscosity and Yield-Stress (Rheological) Measurements allow operators to move toward a more informed and predictive control strategy for Thickeners and Underflow Slurry.

Link to the article: https://buff.ly/sw18nIJ

18/05/2026

The Case for Measuring Bed-Levels Inside the Thickener

In solid-liquid separation, settling solids form four distinct zones within a thickener. Each zone serves a specific function, and maintaining adequate heights is crucial for steady-state operation.

Monitoring these transition zones can help determine:

✅ The effectiveness of Flocculant Dosing (by tracking the Interface)
✅ Whether there is sufficient bed height for achieving the Target Underflow Density (by tracking Mud & Interface)
✅ Early warning signs before process upsets (abrupt changes in bed-levels)

The bed-level data from the SmartDiver® can share valuable insights, to give operators more confidence in managing their operating levers - floc dose and underflow pumps.

Read more: https://buff.ly/cZdYNqt

27/04/2026

Visit PLA next week at ALTA 2026 in Perth!

Find us at Booth 12 to:

✅ Share your Dewatering challenges
✅ Learn more about how bed level data can add more visibility in your Thickener/CCD Tanks.

SmartDiver® transforms complex Thickener behaviour into actionable insights!

More info: https://buff.ly/lpH6ZiU

Excited to see you there!

15/04/2026

PLA team will be at ACG PASTE 2026, in Lisbon, Portugal!

Meet us to:
✅ Share your Dewatering challenges
✅ Learn more about how bed level data can add more visibility in your Thickener/CCD Tanks.

SmartDiver® transforms complex Thickener behaviour into actionable insights!

More info: https://buff.ly/W0TdbaL

Let us know if you will be coming – we’d love to see you there!

Address

17 Sir Laurence Drive
Seaford, VIC

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61 3 9786 1711

Website

http://www.plapl.com.au/

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