PROCESS CONTROL
strategies suggests optimum process plant set points for best plant performance when treating similar ore properties in the past .
She adds : “ It is worth mentioning , MAXTAProcess includes the automatic management of identified data issues in near realtime . Purpose algorithms monitor all sensor and instrument data used in MAXTAProcess solutions and trigger either alternate models or input variables as well as have thew ability to autocalibrate according to truth data . This ensures MAXTAProcess can run on perceived below par operating data to produce valid predictions and recommendations .”
Rockwell and the IT-OT convergence
Back to the overarching picture . As Rockwell Automation Market Development Manager Fabio Mielli told IM : “ Mining , but I would also say related industries like aluminium and steelmaking , are evolving toward more ROCtype operational concepts .” Mielli sees the ROC approach as having two forms : “ One is actual process control rooms . You still have some operators in a localised control room onsite and then you have centralised monitoring in another location . The distinction between this and the next form of ROC is the inclusion of business intelligence , where the screens are displaying information from mine to port , not just from the process plant . It ’ s both horizontal and vertical process control convergence .”
This distinction also dictates how the ROCs are arranged in terms of layout . Mining companies are starting to seat everybody together in these ROC / IROC locations , rather than having market people in another , separate centralised location , often in another city or location . Equally , port operations people that used to be in a control room at the port are now migrating to these locations .
This software and physical convergence is an acceptance that whatever the operator does in terms of responding to KPIs is going to impact downstream factors such as availability of final product . It also means operational and market teams can cooperate and align much more closely . This enables the operational people to start making more business-related decisions and better understand the financial impact they drive for the company . For example , understanding the balance between the production upside of increasing throughput and the process implications : additional flotation reagent use , energy use , and cost . “ In a software sense , it is following the convergence of IT and OT . IT systems are used for datacentric computing while OT systems monitor wider processes , events and devices , and make necessary adjustments at an enterprise and industrial level . This software convergence of IT and OT is leading to a ‘ people ’ convergence as well . In addition to establishing the right software architecture , we need to help companies get the right teams talking to one another .”
How is Rockwell helping with this transition ? “ We are helping mining customers at all stages of the process , whether they ’ re working to centralise process control operations or beginning to bring together the entire value chain . And often we can do this while preserving previous software investments . When a customer begins to integrate everything they will need to connect all kinds of systems that exist at different degrees of maturity . And if you are bringing everything together , you also need to integrate things like scheduling , geology , and fleet management . If a customer wants an overarching solution , then this solution must become the single source of the truth . With edge-to-Cloud IIoT platforms using protocols like MQTT and LoRa , this is all possible – it allows mining control to go way beyond just process control .”
Mielli added on Rockwell Automation specifically : “ Our key strength is our partnerships – for example with PTC . Backed by PTC , which is the largest combined IoT ecosystem in the world , our FactoryTalk InnovationSuite makes data more accessible , enables more informed business decisions , and facilitates long-term growth and continuous innovation . It a comprehensive portfolio that brings edge-to-enterprise analytics , machine learning , industrial internet of things ( IIoT ) and augmented reality ( AR ) to industrial operations .” InnovationSuite brings together FactoryTalk Analytics™ and MOM ( Mining Operation Management ) solutions with PTC ThingWorx and Vuforia AR technologies .
Mining and Honeywell Forge
Among the systems available to help miners in IT-OT convergence , Honeywell Forge is an
Rockwell Automation helps mine operators harness the power of information for mine-tomarket visibility in an ROC environment
enterprise performance management solution for digital transformation of operations . It includes a mix of software products and enabling services that help companies use operational data to drive insights that improve processes , enhance productivity , support sustainability initiatives , and empower workers .
Honeywell Forge APM uses digital twin technology and advanced analytics to bring industry 4.0 to mining operations . It detects latent asset performance issues and guides prescriptive actions toward reducing assetrelated inefficiencies . The assets maybe varied – from extractors , smelters , heavy moving equipment and trucks but connected technology through real-time data and insights brings together siloed operations . “ Combined with continuous surveillance of key operating and equipment conditions , mine assets will now receive the earliest possible indication of performance gaps and the quickest path to improving the bottom-line .”
The company states : " Honeywell Forge APM goes beyond traditional machine monitoring and data gathering . By merging together decades of machine modelling with modern cloud analytics , Honeywell digital twins predict machinery availability , drill to the root cause of inefficient machine operation , and bring order to relaibility and maintenance planning ."
Manganese mine modernisation
To understand what types of journey mines are going on towards integrated digital operations management , it is good to look at a specific example . In South Africa , Assmang ’ s Khumani and Beeshoek Mines are located in the Northern Cape province and excavate primarily iron ore , while the Black Rock Mining complex ( BRMO ), situated 80 km northwest of the town of Kuruman in the Kalahari , focuses its efforts
30 International Mining | JANUARY 2022