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Optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit

Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2013.

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Other Authors: Sandrock, Carl
Format: Thesis
Published: University of Pretoria 2013
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Sandrock, Carl
author_browse Sandrock, Carl
author_facet Sandrock, Carl
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2011, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria
description Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/29909
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:38:54.079Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/29909 Optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit Sandrock, Carl csteyn01@angloplat.com Steyn, Christiaan Weyers Platinum Dimensional analyis Model based control Benefit analysis Autogenous Milling Optimisation Response surface analysis UCTD Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2013. Autogenous (AG) milling is utilised around the world for rst stage particle size reduction. The system exhibits highly non-linear behaviour in addition to being subject to unmeasured variability associated with most ore bodies. Anglo American Platinum aimed at improving online optimisation of the circuit by implementing industrial model predictive control to reduce system variability and continuously drive towards the optimal operating point within system constraints. A dimensional analysis of the circuit was conducted to explain the relationships between the various milling parameters discussed in the literature survey. The measured variables used in the analysis satis ed Buckingham's theorem, indicating that a complete subset of dimensionless groups were present and suitably able to describe process movement. These relationships were used as a reference point in determining the dynamic step response models between these variables necessary for model based control. The industrial dynamic matrix controller commissioned on the AG mill resulted in a 66 % reduction in power and a 40 % reduction in load. These are the main controlled variables of the mill. The controller also managed to reduce its objective function, e ective power utilisation, by 11 %. This stability improvement enabled a test campaign where the mill was controlled at various operating regions in order to establish the conditions conducive to the nest product size at a given mill feed rate. Moving the mill's operating region from the benchmarked plant to this optimal grind environment (at benchmarked variability) provided an estimated potential recovery increase of 0.27 % (absolute) due to better precious metal liberation. Stabilising the mill at this point with the model predictive controller resulted in a further 0.04 % potential recovery increase (absolute). The 0.31 % potential recovery increase is estimated at a monetary value of $93.1 million per annum. Copyright Chemical Engineering unrestricted 2013-09-07T17:14:37Z 2013-01-10 2013-09-07T17:14:37Z 2012-09-06 2013-01-10 2012-11-28 Dissertation Steyn, CW 2011, Optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit, MEng dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/29909 > E12/9/270/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/29909 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-11282012-175623/ © 2011, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Platinum
Dimensional analyis
Model based control
Benefit analysis
Autogenous
Milling
Optimisation
Response surface analysis
UCTD
Optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit
title Optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit
title_full Optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit
title_fullStr Optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit
title_full_unstemmed Optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit
title_short Optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit
title_sort optimisation of a fully autogenous comminution circuit
topic Platinum
Dimensional analyis
Model based control
Benefit analysis
Autogenous
Milling
Optimisation
Response surface analysis
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/29909
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-11282012-175623/