Operational intelligence plays a pivotal role in enhancing productivity within the SAG grinding process

The SAG Digital Twin is a comprehensive diagnostic, analysis, control, and operational optimization tool. It mirrors the operational state of the SAG mill, providing insights and recommendations for adjustments that enhance stability and maximize productive efficiency.

ME Elecmetal is Dedicated to Solving Customer Challenges

Customers encounter daily uncertainties surrounding the SAG grinding process, primarily due to the many variables involved and the inability to directly observe or measure internal mill operations. The complexity of numerous factors adds to the challenge of understanding and managing the process effectively.

Questions regarding the total filling level and balls, the evolution of liners’ or balls’ wear, optimal load/ball ratio, and similar inquiries remained unanswered due to the absence of a reliable tool that could provide insights into the internal conditions of the mill. The lack of such a tool made it challenging to accurately assess and address these critical aspects of the grinding process.

In response to the information gap, ME Elecmetal has directed its efforts toward addressing these questions by leveraging cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. This endeavor led to the development of the SAG Digital Twin, an operational digital twin for SAG grinding. This innovation aims to enhance analytical capabilities and comprehension of the intricate interactions among various variables governing the efficiency of the comminution process in SAG mills.

How Does the Customer Address this Challenge?

Empirical and phenomenological models might not be universally applicable across all mills, lacking specific focus and adaptability. Conversely, the SAG Digital Twin offers a distinct advantage due to its specialized and targeted approach.

Some methods enable the measurement or estimation of certain parameters, but they often do so discreetly and come with numerous disadvantages.

  • Laser Scans: Provide high precision but necessitate prolonged mill stoppage and offer a limited number of measurements per year (typically no more than 10).
  • DEM/FEM Simulations: Highly accurate but demand excessive computing time for simulations, potentially impacting operational efficiency.
  • Empirical/Phenomenological Models: Enable estimations but often consider a limited number of variables and are sensitive to various disturbances, reducing their reliability.
  • Smart Sensors: Offer real-time data but require invasive installation within the environment and calibration with operations, posing challenges in implementation and maintenance.

SAG Digital Twin: The ME Elecmetal Solution

The operational digital twin for SAG mills, SAG Dtwin, serves as a virtual replica of the SAG mill. This innovative system offers an operational intelligence solution that:

  • Provides Real-time Key Information: Offers crucial information online and in real-time, aiding in immediate decision-making.
  • Is Non-Invasive: Operates entirely without invasive measures, eliminating the need for physical intervention or disruption to the mill’s operations.
  • Offers Interoperability with Control Systems: Seamlessly integrates and communicates with existing control systems, ensuring compatibility and enhancing operational synergy.

This digital platform consolidates various prediction, simulation, and variable analysis mechanisms to diagnose the mill’s operation and enable control strategies focused on operational stability and productivity enhancement. It assimilates real-time process data from different sources such as DCS/PI/PHD and others, utilizing this information to develop operational variables. These variables, in conjunction with phenomenological models, DEM simulation, and optimization algorithms, mirror the operational state of the mill. Additionally, they offer recommendations for operational adjustments to optimize mill performance.

The system consists of crucial modules:

  • Jb/Jc Online: Provides real-time data on the ball filling level (Jc) and total filling level (Jc) of the mill.
  • Internal Load Dynamics: Offers insights into the internal movement of the load by indicating foot angle, shoulder angle, and in-line impact angle.
  • Liner Wear: Predicts the maximum liner height on a daily basis, aiding in monitoring wear.
  • Load Size and Critical Impact Thresholds: Determines load size in real-time and, when integrated with the ImpactFinder® system, identifies critical and standard impact thresholds. This facilitates a comprehensive understanding of load dynamics and impact thresholds for optimized mill operations.

The creation of these core modules serves as a foundation for tailoring specific applications (custom modules) for individual clients:

  • Tonnage Optimization.
  • Client-Specific DEM Simulator.
  • Complete Lifter Profile Determination.
  • Turnaround Strategies.
  • Grate Clogging Determination.
  • Inventory Request Applications.

Main Interface of the Digital Twin for SAG Mills

The SAG Digital Twin provides a platform to showcase critical variables like the total filling level and ball filling level.

How does SAG Digital Twin operate?

The integration of SAG Digital Twin facilitates obtaining crucial insights for optimizing the grinding process. It achieves this by continuously and in real-time monitoring various inputs, outputs, and other pivotal variables.

We concentrate on delving into the intricate details of SAG mill operations. Our aim is to develop a tool that offers a comprehensive understanding of mill interactions, delivering pertinent and timely information for improved operational control, stability, and productivity maximization.

Ariel Medina, Director ME Digital Lab

Customer Applications

Minera Los Pelambres has conveyed a strong appreciation for the accuracy of the diverse modules, the stability of the platform, and the adaptability to integrate new applications. Presently, they are actively engaged in direct connection tasks to integrate these variables into the advanced control of the SAG mill.

The insights derived from this tool have spurred the development of valuable new applications for the client. One such application involves the control and inventory management of the SAG mill, proving highly beneficial for both process control and enhancing conditions — both operationally and safety-wise — during scheduled maintenance.

Solution pilot

Currently, we are piloting the operational digital twin with four of the most important mining operations in Chile, which have adopted this technology, including it in their own digital transformation roadmap. The miners’ enthusiasm and willingness to validate and adopt this technology reflect the perceived value and potential benefits they anticipate from integrating the digital twin into their operational strategies.

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