Digital Vision to Support the Operation of a Teniente Converter

Automatic control provides the tools for optimizing copper smelter operation. A serious impediment, however, is the lack of instrumentation for such high temperature processes. This paper describes a method of tracking the flow of hot liquid material through a Teniente Converter based on digital vision. This technique is able to detect when slag is being loaded or unloaded and can also determine the duration of these transfers. The output from this vision-based system can be connected directly to the smelter control system network.