EXTREMUM SEEKING CONTROL OF GRINDING MILL CIRCUITS BASED ON GRIND

Mineral processing plants encompass various operations aimed at liberating valuable minerals from raw ore material to produce a concentrate for further processing. A prominent stage in this process is comminution, where raw ore is processed through grinding mill circuits to achieve fine particles for effective mineral separation. This stage is critical as it significantly impacts the net revenue of mineral processing facilities, given the substantial operational costs involved in liberating minerals. Optimally, a grinding stage should operate at maximum capacity, minimizing energy consumption and loss of valuable minerals into tailings. However, achieving these operational objectives manually presents challenges for plant operators, highlighting the necessity for an effective control framework to enhance process efficiency. In this study, we propose an extremum seeking control methodology specifically designed for grinding mill circuits based on grind curves. This approach ensures optimal processing conditions by continuously adjusting the operational parameters to achieve maximum throughput and minimal waste. The implementation of this technique demonstrates a marked improvement in operational efficiency, leading to significant cost reductions and enhanced recovery of valuable minerals in the mineral processing industry.