Debottlenecking is common practice in the mining industry where organizations strive to maximize throughput and efficiency through the use of automation. In this article we explore a simple and pragmatic approach to debottlenecking showing how to identify, design and implement improvements through the use of simple automation techniques. This approach has already been successfully implemented at several mine sites in Australia utilizing process control techniques such as PID, Smith prediction and constraint control. When summarized at a high level, the process involves the following key steps; (1) identification of plant constraints, (2) implementation of a new control philosophy, (3) challenging equipment designs and (4) ensuring the implemented solution is sustained. To achieve the best results using this approach, knowledge of various engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, structural and process should be employed. One of the greatest benefits to this solution is that implementation requires little to no installation of new equipment, often costing only the engineering hours to complete. It is therefore a desirable option in tough market conditions. Whilst this article does show some technical details regarding implementation, the focus centres on the pragmatic approach and the often underestimated soft skills required for success. It also demonstrates how simple modifications to existing control strategies can have a powerful effect to overall plant performance.Throughout this paper, practical examples are presented using actual implementations within the Australian mining industry. For these implementations, results of the implementation are shown to quantify the benefit to throughput and variability within a processing plant.
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