US 12,325,897 B2
Apparatus, method and system for monitoring
Mikko Vepsäläinen, Victoria (AU); Miao Chen, Victoria (AU); David Molenaar, Australian Capital Territory (AU); and Anthony Kilpatrick, Australian Capital Territory (AU)
Assigned to COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION, Australian Capital Territory (AU)
Appl. No. 16/340,744
Filed by COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION, Australian Capital Territory (AU)
PCT Filed Oct. 10, 2017, PCT No. PCT/AU2017/051095
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 10, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/068087, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 19, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 2016904151 (AU), filed on Oct. 10, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0285071 A1, Sep. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. C22B 3/04 (2006.01); G01N 7/00 (2006.01); G01N 27/02 (2006.01); G01N 27/30 (2006.01); G01N 27/333 (2006.01); H04Q 9/00 (2006.01)
CPC C22B 3/04 (2013.01) [G01N 7/00 (2013.01); G01N 27/028 (2013.01); G01N 27/30 (2013.01); G01N 27/333 (2013.01); H04Q 9/00 (2013.01); C02F 2201/4612 (2013.01); H04Q 2209/30 (2013.01); H04Q 2209/826 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for use in acquiring electrochemical data from leaching solution within a region of material in a heap leaching application, the apparatus including: one or more sensor strings provided in direct contact with a region of material to be analysed, each sensor string including a data cable and two or more commonly referenced solid-state sensors selected from a wide-band gap semiconductor positioned along the length of the data cable, the two or more commonly referenced solid-state sensors of the one or more sensor strings adapted to periodically acquire spatial and temporal sensor data relating to electrochemical properties of a leaching solution surrounding and in direct contact with the two or more commonly referenced solid-state sensors of the one or more sensor strings over a predetermined period of time and to transmit the sensor data via the data cable to one or more hubs, wherein the apparatus includes one or more solid-state reference electrodes which provide a stable reference potential, and the one or more solid-state reference electrodes are associated with the two or more commonly referenced solid-state sensors of the one or more sensor strings.