Centralized Finite State Machine Control to Increase the Production Rate in a Crusher Circuit

Moisés T. da Silva, Santino M. Bitarães, Andre S. Yamashita, Marcos P. Torre, Vincius da S. Moreira and Thiago A. M. Euzébio ()
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Moisés T. da Silva: Unidade Acadêmica de Belo Jardim, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Belo Jardim 55150-000, PE, Brazil
Santino M. Bitarães: Projetos Gerenciamento e Engenharia—PROGEN, São Paulo 01219-010, SP, Brazil
Andre S. Yamashita: Control Engineering Group, Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, 971 87 Luleå, Sweden
Marcos P. Torre: Vale S.A., Rio de Janeiro 22250-145, RJ, Brazil
Vincius da S. Moreira: Vale S.A., Rio de Janeiro 22250-145, RJ, Brazil
Thiago A. M. Euzébio: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Fluid Dynamics, 01328 Dresden, Germany

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: Crushing is a critical operation in mineral processing, and its efficient performance is vital for minimizing energy consumption, maximizing productivity, and maintaining product quality. However, due to variations in feed material characteristics and safety constraints, achieving the intended circuit performance can be challenging. In this study, a centralized control strategy based on a finite state machine (FSM) is developed to improve the operations of an iron ore crushing circuit. The aim is to increase productivity by manipulating the closed-side-setting (CSS) of cone crushers and the speed of an apron feeder while considering intermediate storage silo levels and cone crusher power limits, as well as product quality. A dynamic simulation was conducted to compare the proposed control strategy with the usual practice of setting CSS to a constant value. Four scenarios were analyzed based on variations in bond work index (BWI) and particle size distribution. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control strategy increased average productivity by 6.88% and 48.77% when compared to the operation with a constant CSS of 38 mm and 41 mm, respectively. The proposed strategy resulted in smoother oscillation without interlocking, and it maintained constant flow rates. This ultimately improved circuit reliability and predictability, leading to reduced maintenance costs.

Keywords: crushing circuit; iron ore; multivariable control; process control; finite state machine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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