A theoretical analysis and control study of open-circuit grinding

Abstract

Regrinding is an essential step in many mineral processing flowsheets as a final preparatory step for mineral separation. It is normally carried out in open-circuit ball mills or rod mills. Wide fluctuations occurring in the hardness and size distribution of feed materials to regrinding mills result in a nonuniform product fineness and processing inefficiency. Using a previously developed regrinding model, this paper presents the dynamic analysis and design considerations of a control system for open-circuit grinding, using the traditional P-, PI-, and PID-control algorithms. This study shows the utility of simple analysis techniques in designing a mineral process control system with special attention given to the effect of sampling and analysis time on control system performance.