Thickener Circuit Optimization - Fluorite'20

Improve your Thickener performance with the value driver configurations

Niel Knoblauch avatar
Written by Niel Knoblauch
Updated over a week ago

Concentrate and tailings thickener circuits alike have large residence times, and there is often a lack of clarity on what’s going on inside them. By the time the sensors pick up that something is wrong, it’s often too late. The thickener might start sliming and contaminate process water, or solids build-up might require it to be stopped. Control systems out there are struggling to control these circuits, as they fundamentally can’t cope with these challenges.

The IntelliSense.io Thickener Optimization Application specifically addresses challenges that we’ve seen in the industry. We equip and empower Metallurgists, Operators, and Plant Managers by providing a degree of transparency not available with other systems.

Challenge 1

Your Thickener circuit is not performing as well as you want it to. It’s not consistently reaching its targets.

Solution

You can:

  1. See live predictions of how the Thickener circuit will respond to changing feed rates and properties

  2. Configure a “Value Driver” that sets the objectives of the Thickener circuit (e.g. maximize U/F density, minimize flocculant usage)

  3. Receive optimal control setpoints that steer the Thickener circuit to reaching these objectives

Value Driver used to configure the Thickener Optimizer

Value

This allows you to:

  • Prevent isolation events (or stoppages), increasing overall throughput

  • Run your Thickener circuit at its maximum potential, optimizing the plant profitability


Challenge 2

Whenever you lose the Thickener (sliming or solids build-up) you struggle to find out why it happened.

Solution

With the help of advanced analytics, you can see exactly what might have disturbed the process, what the Optimizer prioritized at the time, and how it could be prevented next time.

A Performance Dashboard showing live and historical performance, both of the process and the Optimizer.

Value

This helps you better understand your process, the root causes of issues, and how to best drive process improvement

There's much more that we haven't managed to fit in here. Things like a real-time Thickener simulator.


Contact Us so we can show you how the latest Thickener Application can help you improve your plant.

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