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By Fuqiang Zheng, Yufeng Guo, Pengfei Li, Guanzhou Qiu, Tao Jiang, Andrew Yakovlevich Travyanov

Low content of TiO2 and high impurities content of Ca and Mg are the shortcomings of domestic ilmenite. To meet the requirements of the material in the titania produced by chlorination process and titanium sponge industry, enrichment of ilmenite is necessary. In the process of enriching ilmenite, high temperature and reductive condition were beneficial to the formation of anosovite, but the high content of magnesium oxide which was solid soluble in anosovite baffled the following separation. So the effects of pre-oxidation and reductive conditions including reduction temperature, reduction time and hydrogen concentration on the phase composition and metallization rate were studied. The characteristics of reduction samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and optical microscope. Results have shown that the reduction product is mainly composed of Fe, Fe(Mg)TiO3 and TiO2 at 1123K, its metallization rate is about 65%,magnesium exists in Fe(Mg)TiO3.

Jan 1, 2015

By E. Lwamba

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of grain size distribution control of the raw material mixture on the permeability of the green sinter bed and the properties of the produced sinter. This was achieved by evaluating the granulation characteristics of the sinter mixture (moisture content, granulation time and mean granule diameter) in terms of its green bed permeability, and evaluating the productivity of the sinter bed, the coke rate, tumble index (TI), abrasion index (AI), reduction disintegration index(RDI) and reducibility (RI) of the produced sinter. The raw sinter mixtures contained combinations of Thabazimbi iron ore, Sishen iron ore, coke, lime and return fines. The grain size distributions were controlled by removing the ?0.5 mm size fractions of the return fines and coke, and the ?1 mm size fraction of lime. Of the examined mixtures, a mixture of 20 mass% Thabazimbi iron ore, 80 mass% Sishen iron ore and fluxes where the coke, lime and return fines were all sized had the highest granulation effectiveness and permeability. The sintering properties of the mixtures in which the grain size distributions were controlled, were very similar for all the mixtures, but superior to the base case mixture in which the grain size distribution was not controlled. Keywords: Thabazimbi iron ore; Sishen iron ore; granulation, permeability, grain size distribution; sinter.

Jan 1, 2008

By Christian Trassy, Pierre Proulx

"Inductive plasmas are now commonly used in material processing: spraying, powder synthesis, densification or spheroidization. An inductive discharge presents, in the coil region, recirculation eddies due to the Lorentz forces, resulting in an axial backflow. If the central jet is strong enough to ""pierce"" the recirculation this axial backflow disappears on the centerline, but the external layer of the injection flow is skimmed by the remaining eddy, and particulates are rejected to the discharge periphery. To avoid this disadvantage, it is common to introduce the injection pipe inside the discharge, so that its outlet is positioned after the recirculation eddy. The powders remain confined in the axial zone, to the expense of shortened residence time.In order to increase the efficiency of the particle trajectories, a double flow injector has been designed. It enables the particles to travel closer to the axis, while the outer schrouding gas is skimmed and passes through the electromagnetic eddies. This injector is made up of two concentric tubes. The powders are injected with the carrier gas in the inner tube. A schrouding gas is injected in the annular space between the inner and the outer tubes. The powder is confined to the vicinity of the axis, resulting in a more homogeneous thermal treatment.Tungsten powders have been spheroidized with and without this device. Using the double flow injection, the spheroidization yield has been increased from 70 % up to 95 %.The design of such an injection device has. been studied and improved using numerical modelling. Another useful tool, a visualisation technique described elsewhere, has been used for the experimental study, that drastically simplifies the comparison between experimental and theoretical results: injecting yttrium oxide into the discharge results in a colorful display of the 4000 K isothenn: the ""cold"" zone, below 4000, appearing as red, and the ""hot"" zone as blue. Furthermore, it is of great industrial interest since it is a very cheap and efficient way to obtain a picture of an important isotherm."

Jan 1, 1999

By William Gregg

Recent environmental and workplace safety legislation has Imposed more stringent limits on the amount and type of particulate emitted Into the air. In the past, the mass of particles contained In a volume of air was the governing criteria. Now the size and precise chemical nature of the particulate must be known and controlled In addition to it's ?mass. Processors of metallic materials have to implement stricter control practices and more efficient control equipment to meet the new regulations. Pulse-Jet dust collector systems are being used to control particulate emissions from various process gas streams. Pulse-jets :are also being used for maintaining a healthy environment In the workplace. this paper will discuss the impact of these regulations, the control techniques used to comply with such regulations, and the equipment needed for compliance.

Jan 1, 1992

Problems caused by water discharge from surface mine ventilation shafts can be significant and are usually unforseen. The discharged water is often hyper-saline or acidic and can cause environmental degradation over a wide radius. It can also lead to recurring power pole fires and primary fan breakdowns. A range of solutions to the water discharge problem has been implemented in many Australian mines. In most cases the solutions have been ad hoc, with the overall cost and effectiveness varying tremendously. This paper reviews and contrasts the practicality and effectiveness of the various available remedial options.

Jan 1, 2002

By Humberto Tronconi Coelho

The use of friction dampers are wide proposed for a variety of mechanical systems for which it is not possible to apply viscoelastic materials, fluid based dampers or others viscous dampers. An important example is the application of friction dampers in aircraft engines to reduce the blades vibration amplitudes. In most cases, friction dampers have been studied in a passive way, however, a significant improvement can be achieved by controlling the normal force in the contact region. The aim of this paper is to study four control strategies for friction dampers based on three different hysteresis cycles. The first control strategy maximizes the energy removal in each harmonic oscillation cycle, by calculating the optimum normal force based on the last displacement peak. The second control strategy combines the first one with the maximum energy removal strategy used in the smart spring devices. Finally, is presented the strategy which homogenously modulates the friction force. Numerical studies were performed with these four strategies defining the performance metrics. The best control strategy was applied experimentally. The experimental test rig was fully identified and its parameters were used for numerical simulations. The obtained results have shown the good performance for the friction damper and selected strategy, also, the agreement between numerical and experimental results.

Jul 31, 2018

By Luis G. Bergh

Today, large size mechanical flotation cells of 100 to 300 m3 are used in rougher operation in different flotation industrial plants, in Chile and worldwide. However, in spite of the advances in fundamental research and the notable growing in equipment size, with more complete instrumentation systems, there are still a lack of reliable data for industrial flotation modeling and simulation to advance in better control systems design. In this work, a model of a rougher flotation circuit, based on operating variables and parameters fitted from industrial data, obtained in some previous work, is used to develop a set of logic rules in order to aid operating decisions. The simulator was first used to sensitize the effect of changing the froth depth profile on target variables, and then to find out the best profile to reject common disturbances coming into the plant. The flotation circuit simulator was redesigned to incorporate an expert system following the proposed control algorithm. Several tests were performed to evaluate the control responses to different correlated series of input variables, such as feed grade, tonnage, particle size distribution, and solid percentage. Control alternatives are discussed based on the circuit simulator. Keywords: modeling, industrial data, flotation control, mineral processing.

Sep 1, 2012

By Jay P. Chapman

The basic control requirement for multi-pump, long distance slurry pipelines are discussed and a particular example of an operating slurry pipeline using programmable controllers is presented.

Jan 1, 1983

By R West

The Olympic Dam smelter facility processes copper concentrate feed using direct-to-blister smelting technology to support the current site production rate of 225 000 t/a copper. The metallurgical control of the Olympic Dam smelter is largely managed from a single central control room. Control room operation and management is therefore a key function in ensuring safe and reliable operation of the smelter, including identifying and initiating control of abnormal events. As part of a consolidated smelter reliability improvement program, a team consisting of process and control system engineers was formed. The teamÆs charter was to address and resolve the alarm flooding issues being faced by the control room technicians and the lack of an up-to-date base of supporting functional documentation. The project was successfully resourced with WorleyParsons metallurgists, Citect PLC technicians and the on-site technical team. Implementation was conducted over a 12 month period with the goal of achieving best practice alarm levels. The goal was achieved through a systematic process of alarm design review that analysed every configured alarm versus best practice design standards. Innovative concepts such as group-based alarms, first-up interlock displays, graphic only alarming, alarm help and alarm shelving were developed and implemented in conjunction with improved alarm masking. Total configured alarms were reduced from 20 000 to 5000 while the alarm rates were reduced from in excess of 200 alarms per hour per controlling technician to best practice levels of less than 12 alarms per hour per controlling technician. Completion of this program has provided a firm foundation for implementing further control optimisation and was a key activity in supporting sustained smelter reliability levels.

Jan 1, 2005

By Michel Ruel

"PID loops – also known as base layers or regulatory controls – form the foundation of any plant’s control layer and it is generally accepted that PID loop health has a direct impact on the plant’s bottom line. Keeping these thousands of control loops in good health has a direct impact on the plant’s bottom line: it reduces variability, improves quality and throughput, and decreases energy costs and raw material usage. This has been well proven and documented in many articles. In the last ten years, technology has evolved: control engineers can now keep track of control loop performance and link it to the root causes of variability. However, they lack industry-wide best practices and criteria for determining what can be considered as excellent, good, fair, or poor performance. To ensure that PID control loops continue to perform well and meet their objectives, control engineers need a combination of (a) an appropriate monitoring technology and (b) best practices for doing the maintenance of base layer controls.Most plants have limited resources and operate with an increasing number of constraints; therefore, using the right tools and including reports in daily workflow is key for success. This paper suggests roles and responsibilities of key players needed to work toward control performance best practices and discuss organisational changes to succeed.INTRODUCTIONAlthough PID controllers are reliable workhorses in the process industry, they are often underrated. Since the 1980’s, computer control has evolved and the control algorithms used by control engineers have become increasingly complex. However, PID controllers still handle over 90% of the control loops in operating plants. Table 1 shows the savings that can be realized by achieving best-practice in several different process control categories (Brisk, 2004). The savings are expressed as a percentage of production costs."

Jan 1, 2011

In 1987 the control strategies at the then ZC Mines' New Broken Hill Consolidated concentrator were a miscellaneous mixture of computer hardware and technology for ISA, grinding and residue thickener control. Field instrumentation was based on current-to-air technology of approximately the 1960s. Decisions were made to rationalise computer and field instrumentation technologies; the object being to consolidate control loops into one system to enable expansion of the system to include all facets of plant operation. The first stage was to install a DEC Micro PDP 11/23 computer and serial line communication as recommended by AMDEL Ltd, for the ISA system, as discussed by Walsh and Freeman (1988). The second stage was to select and install a distributed control system for the centralisation of the control loops into one system, and to replace field instrumentation with state-of-the-art technology. This paper deals with the second stage of the rationalisation, in an attempt to give an insight into what is required when personnel are faced with such a decision, details of costs involved in keeping a system functioning and utilised; and the requirement to train personnel for acceptance of further control strategies.

Jan 1, 1991

By Bob Thomas

The roof drill operator productivity can be enhanced by the introduction of control technology The operators control station can be improved by considering human factors such as handle forces and control location. The smaller electrical controls can be located much easier than the traditional hands on valves. The operators control can he improved by using processors with programmable subroutines that assist the operator in the decision making process. For example to increase feed rate - to slow rotation - to avoid clogged steels - etc. The overall affect is to improve drilling and bolting consistency. The control system uses a dedicated processor packaged as an intrinsically safe control station. The roof drill operator is assisted in the drilling; arid bolting by a closed loop feedback system. The processor monitors the drilling parameters such as feed force, feed rate, rotation torque, RPM, drill position, and vacuum condition Based on the drilling parameters the processor executes pre-determined condition statements intended to enhance drilling The drill operator has an active display to alert him to the real time machine status. For example if the feed were to slow or delay due to a high vacuum level the display would show "high vacuum". The dedicated processor is available on the arm feed style machines, The prototype machines used programmable logic controllers to develop the feedback relations. The ability to record drilling parameters was extremely helpful in this development project. The extended use of the recording feature will aid operators in mapping the mine roofs Interpreting the recorded drilling parameters can reveal a void in the top or hard competent drilling The prototype machines also showed the importance of vacuum monitoring This feature is extremely valuable in softer materials, The benefits of the control system range from efficient use of the consumable bolting materials to uniform operator performance.

Jan 1, 1999

By Modesto Pereira Júnior

A operação da moagem é de grande importância na mineração, uma vez que é a área da fragmentação que requer maiores investimentos, há maior gasto de energia e seu desempenho afeta diretamente a taxa de recuperação do mineral de interesse. O controle do circuito de moagem é desafiador por se tratar de um sistema multivariável, não-linear e por se caracterizar pela existência de forte acoplamento entre variáveis e diferentes atrasos de tempo. Na indústria, grande parte desses circuitos é controlada apenas por PIDs. Nesses casos, quando há perturbações no sistema, tais como variação do tamanho das partículas na alimentação ou variação na dureza do minério, a interferência de operadores alterando setpoints é exigida para manter a estabilidade do sistema. Neste trabalho é desenvolvido um controlador fuzzy multivariável aplicado a um simulador de moagem. A camada de controle proposta encontra-se acima da camada regulatória. O objetivo é o de variar dinamicamente os setpoints dos PIDs para maximizar a taxa de produção dentro de uma faixa granulométrica.

Oct 30, 2017

By Pedro Henrique Barbosa Souza

A Aperam é uma grande consumidora de gases do ar, principalmente Argônio. A produção de Argônio é feita através de coluna de destilação, onde são também extraídos Oxigênio e Nitrogênio. A modalidade de contrato adotada pela Aperam é do tipo take-or-pay para todos os gases, porém nem todo Oxigênio produzido era consumido. A Aperam então desenvolveu um projeto visando aproveitar esta “sobra” de Oxigênio no seu forno Walking Beam, para enriquecimento do ar de combustão. A utilização de Oxigênio permite reduzir, de maneira indireta, o consumo de Gás Natural neste forno. Após a implantação do projeto a Aperam está apta a consumir acima da capacidade de Oxigênio produzida, sendo necessário implementar uma estratégia de controle que permita limitar a máxima velocidade deste gás na tubulação (risco de explosões) e reduzir a interferência entre os diversos consumidores, o que poderia provocar desarmes ou oscilações na estequiometria dos gases. Para isto foi aplicado técnicas de controle antecipatório. Este trabalho irá abordar as estratégias de controle utilizadas, sua sintonia e os resultados obtidos.

Jul 30, 2018

By Leandro Carrijo Gomes

O grande desafio para as empresas, principalmente as de grande porte, é ter controles desenvolvidos e simplificados de seus processos eliminando as vulnerabilidades encontradas, aumentando a produtividade, evitando desperdícios assim reduzindo custos e garantindo um bom nível de serviço para seus clientes, sejam eles internos ou externos. Este trabalho tem como objetivo demonstrar os ganhos obtidos com a criação de uma ferramenta automatizada de controle de materiais sobressalentes que são debitados do estoque contábil e que ficam aguardando sua aplicação em eventos de manutenção programados. Para alcançar o objetivo, foi desenvolvida uma transação no sistema SAP que possibilita a inserção de todas as informações necessárias para controle destes materiais eliminando a necessidade de controles paralelos. Com esta nova transação, conseguimos manter a rastreabilidade dos materiais em todas as etapas do processo até a aplicação pelo usuário final, trabalhando dentro do sistema homologado pela empresa, além de reduzir os estoques, devido a ter visibilidade destes materiais pelo setor de planejamento de materiais, evitando compras desnecessárias.

Aug 17, 2017

By Marcelo deCastro Souza

Neste artigo é descrito o desenvolvimento e implementação de uma nova estratégia de controle para Prensa de Rolos Polycom da POLYSIUS, utilizada no processo de pelotização da Samarco Mineração S.A. A estratégia de controle é redesenhada com objetivo de otimizar o processo e aumentar a eficiência do equipamento. Como resultado do trabalho foi verificado um aumento significativo da superfície específica do pellet feed de saída.

Aug 16, 2017

By Alexandre de Freitas Gomes de Mendonça

O pick-up de nitrogênio no aço deve ser evitado nos processos de fabricação em uma Aciaria de alto desempenho. Entretanto, o pick-up de nitrogênio pode ocorrer em inúmeros pontos na Aciaria, principalmente quando o aço líquido é exposto ao ar atmosférico. Alguns locais de controle têm grande relevância no resultado do pickup, tais como: durante o vazamento do aço do convertedor para a panela, no refino secundário durante a agitação excessiva do aço e no lingotamento contínuo devido a aspiração de ar atmosférico nas conexões. Neste trabalho, o foco do controle da incorporação de nitrogênio é no lingotamento contínuo e, para efeito de estudo, tomou-se como referência um pick-up de nitrogênio de até 5 ppm. Os dados históricos mostram que menos de 64,6% das corridas encontravam-se com pick-up de nitrogênio abaixo de 5 ppm. Assim, visando reduzir esse pick-up foi proposto um ajuste no ângulo da sede da válvula longa, melhoria do projeto do gasket e capacitação da equipe de operação. Após a efetivação dessas ações de controle esse número passou para 97,7% das corridas lingotadas.

Jul 30, 2018

By Fabio Schusterschitz da Silva Araújo

A unidade do Grupo SIMEC em Pindamonhangaba tem capacidade de produção de 560 mil toneladas/ano de produtos destinados à construção civil. Para abastecer a planta, é utilizada água de poço com pH, condutividade e alcalinidade altas, além de restrições quanto à disponibilidade. Isto gera desafios para o seu uso, e para a água de reposição do sistema de resfriamento dos moldes a água passa por um sistema de osmose reversa. No primeiro semestre de 2016, houve contaminação da água de molde, com a formação de uma incrustação de coloração branca, de aspecto oleoso e diferente das incrustações normalmente encontradas. Este fenômeno reduziu significativamente a vida dos moldes, o que levou à necessidade de paradas constantes para a troca e aumento significativos dos custos. Foi montado um grupo de trabalho de todas as áreas envolvidas, operação, manutenção e condicionamento químico para descobrir as causas e corrigir o problema. Este trabalho mostra as causas, as ações tomadas e os resultados obtidos.

Oct 30, 2017

By Cristiane Vilma Rocha Galiazzi

As matérias primas para Alto Forno devem ter qualidade física adequada para melhor controle do processo e estabilidade operacional. A distribuição granulométrica e consequentemente sua estabilidade são importantes, pois interferem na porosidade e permeabilidade no interior do Alto-Forno, criando assim uma condição adequada e específica de marcha com reflexo na estabilidade da produção de gusa. A Sinterização da ThyssenKrupp Companhia Siderúrgica do Atlântico (TKCSA) foi projetada sem britagem secundária, devido à fase de ajustes no processo operacional e baixa produtividade havia dificuldade para controlar a fração grossa do sinter (> 50 mm), impactando na distribuição granulométrica do sinter. Visando reduzir os desvios da qualidade física, estudou-se a melhor relação da altura de camada x velocidade da esteira encontrando um ponto de equilíbrio entre os níveis de produção e qualidade especificada que, juntamente com o início da operação do britador secundário, resultou na garantia da qualidade física do sinter para os Altos Fornos. Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar o desenvolvimento e resultados deste estudo.

Aug 1, 2018

By Bruno Serafim Parra

O novo laminador de tiras a quente da Usiminas, instalado na usina de Cubatão em 2012, tem como diferencial o alto nível de automatismo para fornecer bobinas com melhor qualidade. Dentre os modelos matemáticos de controle existentes no laminador, apresenta-se o Automatic Profile Flatness Control (APFC), responsável pela medição de planicidade e controle de perfil das bobinas. Através da resposta do medidor de planicidade e do medidor de perfil na saída do trem acabador, o modelo utiliza informações gerais do laminador para gerar uma resposta dinâmica e eficiente da forma do material durante seu processamento. O modelo utiliza ferramentas dedicadas para o controle de forma, como o sistema de pair cross, que é o cruzamento voluntário dos cilindros entre tiras, o sistema de roll shift, responsável pela movimentação longitudinal dos cilindros entre tiras e o roll bender, este dinâmico, trabalhando na deformação dos cilindros. Desde o início da laminação comercial, o desempenho da planicidade do material apresentou evolução significativa na nos índices de qualidade e produtividade do laminador.

Aug 16, 2017