Modern coal processing plants utilize multiple cleaningcircuits to efficiently beneficiate different size coalfractions of run-of-mine coal. An older plant optimizationapproach is to maintain average product quality fromindividual cleaning circuits at the same level as the givenproduct specifications for the overall plant. However, manypast studies indicate that the equalization of product qualityapproach fails to produce the maximum plant-yield. Anewer approach, known as equalization of incrementalproduct quality, requires that the incremental productquality obtained from each circuit be maintained at thesame level to satisfy the overall plant product quality. Thisapproach ensures the maximization of plant yield whilesatisfying a single product quality constraint. However,while dealing with multiple product quality constraints, thisapproach by itself may not be sufficient to obtain thedesired maximum yield. For the simple reason that thedirtiest particle (or group of particles) with respect to onequality constraint may not be the same particle (or group ofparticles) with respect to another quality constraint, themass yield versus product quality relationship generated byequalizing different incremental product quality may not beexactly the same. Therefore, an additional search techniquehas to be utilized to determine the global-maximum valueof plant yield.Thus, the main objective of this study was to utilize anemerging optimization technique, known as geneticalgorithms (GA) to maximize plant yield while satisfyingmultiple product quality constraints. The maximum plantyield obtained from this approach was nearly same as themaximum yield obtained by the incremental product qualityapproach while satisfying one specific product qualityconstraint. The GA was applied on a coal preparation plantthat utilizes four circuit operations ? heavy medium bath,heavy medium cyclone, spiral and froth flotation. Theresults showed that using GA as an optimization processgives 2.56% higher yield that will result in additionalrevenue generation of $5,120,000 per annum than averageproduct quality approach.
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