Non Ferrous Ore Flotation Control Using Image Analysis and Expert System

Advanced Process Control using expert systems has been proven to be extremely efficient in controlling many different ore treatment processes. However the control can only be as efficient and reliable as the measurements of process variables supplied to the system.Often times flotation processes are controlled solely on lab results that may come every few hours. During this period the operator is essentially blind to process variations and disturbances. Furthermore, if the lab fails to supply the results on time, the operator may make decisions that yield lower recovery, higher consumption of reagents and so forth.An automated image processing system designed to operate continuously to measure froth speed, color and if necessary bubble size, in combination with an expert system may be implemented to improve operation efficiency, reduce stabilization time of the process by disturbances in the ore, increase product recovery, thus resulting in lower operation costs and higher profit.This paper presents a successful case using CEMI's OptVision Froth Imaging System and OptProcess Expert System to Control a non-ferrous ore direct flotation process.