With ore properties constantly changing, Metallurgists have the challenging and never-ending task of having to decide at which setpoints to operate their Grinding circuit. At the heart of this challenge lies the question:
​How will my Grinding circuit perform if I operate it in a particular way, for a particular feed ore?

Knowing the answer to this question unlocks the answer to the next question:

How should I operate my circuit?

Metallurgists wrestle with these questions on a daily basis as they don't have definitive answers to them, or the feed changes as soon as they have an answer - making their previous answer outdated. Getting it wrong means suboptimal Grinding circuit operation, and therefore reduced production or increased risk of disruption.

IntelliSense.io's solution to this challenge is the Grinding PSD Simulator, which models exactly how a particular Grinding circuit responds to different feed ore properties, and how it performs if operated at different setpoints.

The Simulator is configured for a certain site, after which the Metallurgist can use it to get the above questions answered instantaneously.

Step 1: Enter feed PSD and control variable setpoints as inputs. The assumption is that the circuit's base layer control system will be able to stabilise the circuit at these setpoints:

Figure 1: Simulator input variables

Step 2: Simulate to generate the performance variables (see below), or a full table of how the PSD changes throughout the circuit (e.g. SAG Mill to Ball Mill to cyclone overflow).

Figure 2: Simulated performance variables

These simulations can be done by Metallurgists as soon as a new plant feed forecast becomes available, so they can decide how to operate their Grinding circuit for the next shift/period. They can change the setpoints until they are happy with the simulated performance.

This immediate circuit-wide simulation will allow Metallugists to set better (and feasible) setpoints for their Grinding circuit, leading to

For more info, please do reach out to us via Intercom. We'd be happy to help!