Specific energy reduction in a semi-autogenous grinding mill circuit by an automatic control system
Abstract Grinding operations, especially those involving semi-autogenous mills, account for a significant portion of energy use in mineral processing. In this work, we describe the application of an advanced regulatory control strategy in a copper plant aimed at improving energy efficiency through a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09263-w |
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| author | Thomás Pinto Moisés T. da Silva Guilherme V. Raffo Thiago A. M. Euzébio |
| author_facet | Thomás Pinto Moisés T. da Silva Guilherme V. Raffo Thiago A. M. Euzébio |
| author_sort | Thomás Pinto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Grinding operations, especially those involving semi-autogenous mills, account for a significant portion of energy use in mineral processing. In this work, we describe the application of an advanced regulatory control strategy in a copper plant aimed at improving energy efficiency through automation. The system combines cascade and feedforward control structures to attenuate variations in the mill load, a key factor influencing energy consumption and process stability. The control scheme was integrated into the plant’s existing automation infrastructure and evaluated through a three-month industrial trial. By shifting from manual to automatic regulation of the feed rate, the plant reduced the influence of process disturbances and maintained more consistent operation. The automated system achieved a 5.84% reduction in specific energy consumption and a 1.90% increase in productivity. These results demonstrate the potential of enhanced regulatory control to deliver measurable performance gains with minimal changes to existing operations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-03b6e6f2eb20440eb148e3fec4a91bae |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-03b6e6f2eb20440eb148e3fec4a91bae2025-08-20T03:37:27ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-09263-wSpecific energy reduction in a semi-autogenous grinding mill circuit by an automatic control systemThomás Pinto0Moisés T. da Silva1Guilherme V. Raffo2Thiago A. M. Euzébio3Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Robotics, Instrumentation and Control Lab.Universidade Federal Rural de PernambucoGraduate Program in Electrical Engineering, Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisVirtus-CCAbstract Grinding operations, especially those involving semi-autogenous mills, account for a significant portion of energy use in mineral processing. In this work, we describe the application of an advanced regulatory control strategy in a copper plant aimed at improving energy efficiency through automation. The system combines cascade and feedforward control structures to attenuate variations in the mill load, a key factor influencing energy consumption and process stability. The control scheme was integrated into the plant’s existing automation infrastructure and evaluated through a three-month industrial trial. By shifting from manual to automatic regulation of the feed rate, the plant reduced the influence of process disturbances and maintained more consistent operation. The automated system achieved a 5.84% reduction in specific energy consumption and a 1.90% increase in productivity. These results demonstrate the potential of enhanced regulatory control to deliver measurable performance gains with minimal changes to existing operations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09263-w |
| spellingShingle | Thomás Pinto Moisés T. da Silva Guilherme V. Raffo Thiago A. M. Euzébio Specific energy reduction in a semi-autogenous grinding mill circuit by an automatic control system Scientific Reports |
| title | Specific energy reduction in a semi-autogenous grinding mill circuit by an automatic control system |
| title_full | Specific energy reduction in a semi-autogenous grinding mill circuit by an automatic control system |
| title_fullStr | Specific energy reduction in a semi-autogenous grinding mill circuit by an automatic control system |
| title_full_unstemmed | Specific energy reduction in a semi-autogenous grinding mill circuit by an automatic control system |
| title_short | Specific energy reduction in a semi-autogenous grinding mill circuit by an automatic control system |
| title_sort | specific energy reduction in a semi autogenous grinding mill circuit by an automatic control system |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09263-w |
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