Special section on future trends in automation in mineral and metal processing

摘要

The mineral and metal processing industries are considered by many as sunset industries, in which al challenging automation and control problems have already been solved. This is of course not the case. Many challenging problems remain-the solving of which can result in substantial economic benefits. The usual drivers for process automation are at work Also in the mineral and metal processing industries: More efficient and economic processes are continuously Being developed that usually lead to process dynamics That are more difficult to control; tighter environmental And safety regulations often necessitates automation And/or improved control; competitiveness amongst Suppliers can led to overcapacity and pressure on Production costs.