Evaluation of Changes in Feed Particle Size within an Economic Model Predictive Control Strategy for Froth Flotation

This study presents the evaluation of the impact of feed particle size on an Economic Model Predictive Control (E-MPC) strategy for a flotation bank. The effect of particle size was assessed under two scenarios: (1) assuming constant floatability with no dependency on particle size, and (2) assuming variable floatability as a function of particle size. The E-MPC strategy uses a dynamic model that includes froth physics, which was previously calibrated and validated using experimental data. Two typical control variables were considered: air flowrate and pulp height setpoints. The proposed objective function depends on three flotation variables: (1) dynamic air recovery, a measurable variable used to quantify froth stability and is directly related to flotation performance, (2) metallurgical recovery at steady-state, and (3) dynamic concentrate grade. A moving horizon estimator (MHE) was implemented to estimate the model states in both scenarios. Simulation results showed that the estimation of metallurgical indicators (concentrate grade and recovery) was significantly affected by changes in the floatability parameter. A poor estimate of floatability is likely to lead to very different results for the control strategy. Future research should focus on estimating and updating the most significant parameters of the dynamic model, such as floatability, with an appropriate sampling time.