IGO greatly improves grinding mill efficiency through automatic control using 3DPM size distribution measurement
Press Release 2020-09-03, updated 2024
IGO Limited, the owner and operator of the Nova Nickel Operation in Western Australia has been using 3DPM for on-line particle size distribution (PSD) measurement on conveyor belts since 2020. The Nova operation is located in the remote Fraser Range of Western Australia and produced 30,436 t of nickel concentrate in the 12 months ending June 30, 2020.
IGO uses the 3DPM size distribution as a “disturbance variable” in a model predictive controller for a SAG mill. The model can predict by up to 100 seconds in advance the effect on the SAG mill weight. This has greatly improved the stability of the grinding circuit as well as increased the energy efficiency of the Mill.
At the MetPlant conference in Adelaide November 2023, IGO and Improve IO presented their Sag Mill control results, including on/off trials with 3DPM to quantify the direct contribution of the control using 3DPM size data to the mill performance, which included significantly reduced SAG specific energy and tighter weight control. An additional benefit has been a very significant increase in liner life.
Furthermore, 3DPM's foreign-object detection feature detects rock bolts/drill rods/poly-pipe/vent bags in real time, alerting the operator and allowing them to stop the feed to remove the object which has enabled IGO to act quickly and avoid safety risks and costly unplanned downtime from chute blockages, falling rocks and equipment damage.
The commissioning of 3DPM was done smoothly by remote connection with no site visit.
3DPM® is a world leading vision system for online particle size distribution measurement developed by Optimation Advanced Measurements in cooperation with Australian company Innovative Machine Vision (IMV) and research at Lulea Technical University (LTU). 3DPM uses high speed 3D profile measurement based on laser triangulation encapsulated in a robust protective housing to ensure seamless, low maintenance operation in harsh industrial environments. At the core of 3DPM are the advanced algorithms for particle delineation, classification and sizing ensuring stable reliable measurement suitable for automatic control.
If you want to know more about the issues around feed size distribution measurement for control and whether you can trust the data, our Principal Scientist Matthew Thurley wrote this LinkedIn article asking how much can you trust your measurement data