Dynamic Simulation and Model-based Control System Design for Comminution Circuits - Advanced Control and Supervision of Mineral Processing Plants - page 213

Chapter 5
Dynamic Simulation and Model-based Control
System Design for Comminution Circuits

Daniel Sbarbaro

Abstract Design and validation of control strategies requires a knowledge of both
control theory and the process to be controlled. These activities can be time con-
suming if a process is complex, involving many interacting equipments with non-
linear characteristics. Simulators have proven to be a powerful tool in the design
and validation of control structures for this type of complex process. The aim of this
chapter is to describe a dynamic simulator for comminution plants implemented in
a commercial simulation platform, and to illustrate its use in the design of control
strategies for different stages in the comminution process.

5.1 Introduction

Comminution circuits, as described in Chapter 1, are among the main processes in
a concentrator plant, being also the most energy-demanding ones. Due to their rele-
vance in plant operation, there have been many studies regarding their optimization.
Key tools in the quest for optimal comminution plant design and operation have
been modeling and simulation [1-3].
Modeling of these processes has been carried out to satisfy different objectives
such as plant design and optimization, operational optimization, control system de-
sign and verification, as well as operator training. Nowadays, models play an impor-
tant role in the planning and operation of mineral processing plants, as described in
[4].
Basically, each model representing a process has an associated set of variables,
classified as follows:

• Manipulated variables can be modified in order to change the state of the model.