Effect of speed and accuracy of on-line elemental analysis on flotation control performance

Abstract

In this paper the control performance of the flotation process is evaluated as a function of the measurement accuracy and sampling frequency of an on-stream analyzer. First, the performance of rule-based control and model predictive control (MPC) strategies is studied using discrete flotation models and the respective performance indices. Next, the net smelter return (NSR) is calculated for varying sampling rate and accuracy combinations using the PI controllers-based control strategy, mechanistic flotation models and the industrial process data as input. The control and economical performance of the process declines strongly when the sampling cycle is increased. The results also indicate that the speed of on-line analysis has a significant effect on the production economics, calculated as the average net smelter return.

Online elemental analysis for process control in the mineral processing industry

“…Typically, this monitoring is performed by sampling the material and analysing the samples in a chemical laboratory. This process is not only expensive but also time consuming, which has been shown to result in negative economic impacts 7 . Furthermore, any sampling process of heterogeneous materials generates errors which result in inaccuracies of the laboratory analysis 4 .…”

The Possibility of Optical Analysis of the Mineral Fertilizers Physical Properties

“…Modern industry is looking forward to simplifying and automating the quality control of products [1,2]. Rapid and multivariable methods of control are becoming more widespread.…”

On-line monitoring of aqueous base metal solutions with transmittance spectrophotometry

“…These include on-stream analysers, image analysis and other optical sensors. In general, on-stream analysers are effective in monitoring and controlling plant processes, since they can determine the elemental composition of a sample with high accuracy (Remes et al, 2007). Optical fibre sensors in particular have shown considerable promise as a means to obtain elemental analyses in the areas of food processing, pharmaceuticals and mineral processing (Lewis et al, 2007).…”