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Outotec (USA) Inc
Flotation Control Solutions
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As part of a former mining company and the leading supplier of analyzers and flotation equipment, a large amount of flotation expertise has been concentrated in Outotec’s engineering teams. Outotec's optimization solutions cover practically every type of flotation. Complex chemistry, high non-linearity and the significant effect on the economic performance of the plant make flotation control a challenging task.
As part of a former mining company and the leading supplier of analyzers and flotation equipment, a large amount of flotation expertise has been concentrated in Outotec’s engineering teams. Outotec's optimization solutions cover practically every type of flotation. Complex chemistry, high non-linearity and the significant effect on the economic performance of the plant make flotation control a challenging task.
flotation 3dNumerous customers have entrusted their flotation optimization to us; our solutions significantly improve the metallurgical results and reduce costs, leading to a payback time of only a few months.
Maintaining final product quality is critical while keeping an eye on circulating loads in the cleaner section. The Courier® system is able to measure low assays of penalty elements in the presence of a high main element grade to ensure consistent production of the best quality concentrate.
BASIC FLOTATION CIRCUIT CONTROL LOOPS
Successful assay control requires that the key operating parameters of a flotation machine can be managed. Basic control loop setpoints are determined by the process operator or an expert system. The Outotec Advanced Control Tools package (ACT) can be used to optimize plant operation. Advanced control applications bring more stability to the process, as well as consistency to the plant operation. Less disturbance means less variance in process performance. Higher availability leads to more efficient utilization of capital; equipment is used at full capacity all the time.
SECURING EXACT LEVELS
The precision of the level control contributes directly to the consistency of metallurgical results. Outotec has developed the EXACT-level control solution. It simultaneously monitors the entire flotation line and effectively compensates for the process disturbances before cell levels are affected. Independence of flotation line configuration and joint operation with traditional PID controllers allow easy implementation to existing and new concentrators. An automatic tuning component identifies process parameters on-line, making the use and maintenance of the system very simple. Direct improvements in slurry level control lead to significant benefits in flotation performance.
KEEPING AN EYE ON FROTH
Metallurgists have always wanted an effective means of automatically measuring and controlling froth properties, as balanced froth dynamics maximize the cell efficiency. Our respond to this need is an advanced froth control, which uses information measured by the FrothSense™ instrument. Froth flow is controlled by a hierarchical, multivariable algorithm. Additionally, the system is able to detect abnormal situations such as froth collapse in the froth, and determine corrective action.
The speed at which the froth is recovered over the lip of the cell has a very direct and consistent influence on the grade and the recovery of the circuit. Attained controllability of froth enables a totally new kind of grade and recovery optimization, as froth speed is used jointly with the on-stream analyses to provide an enhanced responsive and cell-specific optimization system. In some applications, other froth parameters, such as froth stability and froth color, are included in the optimization.
