THE LEADER VOLUME 17 • NUMBER 4
‘ Enriching ’ flowsheet decision making
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The value a ‘ true ’ digital twin could provide the mineral processing and metallurgical industries has been spoken of continuously throughout the last few years , and Metso Outotec believes it is on the cusp of realising such value with its “ science-based ” Metso Outotec Geminex™ digital twin .
Designed to manage variability and optimise resources , the solution simulates and optimises seamless sustainable operations in minerals , pyroand hydro-metallurgical processes by combining operational data from both internal and external data sources , the company says .
For simulation and production , Geminex uses the renowned HSC process models that already have over 20,000 users worldwide . These models – which combine versatile chemical , thermodynamic and mineral processing features – have been successfully implemented in hundreds of minerals and metals processing flowsheet development cases , with the same models used in plant run-time optimisation , according to Metso Outotec .
There ’ s more to this digital twin than the HSC process models alone , according to Veli-Matti Järvinen , Vice President , Automation at Metso Outotec .
Geminex uses “ first-principle ” dynamic process and equipment models for calibrated performance to help provide an ‘ accurate ’ digital twin for existing operations , he says .
“ Here , both quality and availability of key process data are important ,” he told IM , mentioning that normally available instrument and laboratory data tend to be sufficient inputs for generating the digital twin ’ s simulations .
And Geminex , through a series of “ soft sensors ”, also produces a vast amount of data that cannot be measured directly yet is leveraged through the dynamic process models , according to Järvinen .
“ These soft sensors , as they are called , give an insight to the process that was not available before ,” he explained , with examples including element or mineral content by particle size fractions in the process streams . This goes one step further than the feedback from , for instance , Metso Outotec ’ s Courier ® on-stream analysers , which provide real-time elemental analysis measurements .
This makes the digital twin that much more powerful than existing solutions on the market , as it can introduce a new dataset to the equation .
And , as with all ‘ true ’ digital twins , the models are adapted to live data and continuously improved by machine-learning algorithms , Järvinen said .
“ An example of this is model adaptation for variable ore types with different processing performance to help manage variability ,” he said . “ The resulting metallurgical digital twin is accurate , and its behaviour reflects the physical process .”
All this means Geminex can simulate and test alternative operational scenarios and parameters based on accurate process models and real data , providing the sort of decision-making tools the industry has been after for decades .
While the resource sustainability angle is key here – reinforced by the fact Metso Outotec has labelled Geminex as a Planet Positive product : a collection of the company ’ s most environmentally efficient technologies – the digital twin ’ s ability to use resources in an optimal way while considering both impacts and constraints is only a fraction of the industries ’ value case .
The ability to incorporate new equipment and tools in a ‘ live ’ flowsheet that considers the specific characteristics of the orebody at hand and the conditions in which each processing stage receives material is very powerful . One can see it easily aiding the incorporation of new technology in the plant , with the simulations able to provide operators with the confidence to leverage innovations .
Järvinen says the digital twin ’ s use will also enable the company to start process flowsheet design that much earlier in the mine exploration / development stage .
“ As soon as the customer has metallurgical data , the process can be designed and optimised to match the required economic optimum ,” he said .
Metso Outotec ’ s strong experience in developing metallurgical processes , as well as incorporation of the process models of Metso Outotec ’ s HSC simulation package for minerals processing , pyro- and hydrometallurgical processes , enables this early analysis .
“ These models provide great value in the exploratory phase by enabling scenario analysis , which will help find alternatives for process flowsheets , equipment selection and even blending of different types of ore , if needed ,” Järvinen said .
At the same time , Järvinen expects the Geminex digital twin to reduce the plant ramp-up time and “ time to market ” in the later mining project stages as operators will be that much better prepared for the likes of cold and hot commissioning .
“ Great value and impact towards a positive change can be achieved in the run-time of the mining operation and the operating strategy by enriching decisions with the help of Geminex ,” he said .
Geminex may be Metso Outotec ’ s own proprietary digital twin , but , thanks to an extensive back catalogue of process plant modelling references , it is able to run dynamic simulations that incorporate competitor equipment , according to Järvinen .
Similarly , while the company has sustainability and Planet Positive aims for Geminex , the equipment to feature in simulations does not have to be classified as Planet Positive , Järvinen says .
“ The processes or assets do not need to be Planet Positive equipment , but those can become such with proper control and optimisation ,” he said . “ With Metso Outotec Geminex , the full value chain of mineral processing plants and hydro- and pyro-metallurgical plants are considered for Planet Positive production .”
Able to be implemented in modules , Geminex can be deployed piece by piece as part of customers ’ digital transformation and continuous improvement projects , he added , opening the possibilities for Metso Outotec to leverage its capabilities beyond full flowsheet design .
In the development phase of Geminex , Metso Outotec carried out several successful pilots with universities and , now commercially available , the company has three ongoing projects in the delivery / commissioning phase with early adopters .
“ These projects are already providing good results ,” Järvinen said .
“ With the good and growing process expertise , we are well prepared to support numerous customers with various optimisation targets in mind .”
Daniel Gleeson Editor daniel @ im-mining
APRIL 2022 | International Mining 3