Installation and Utilization of Froth Cameras to Optimize Flotation Performance
9-Nov-2017
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0 min read
Abstract
The Red Dog Mine in northwest Alaska is one of the world’s largest zinc producing mines. The heterogeneity of the ore body results in a significant amount of variability in the feed mineralogy and grade; this makes flotation optimization challenging. Froth cameras were initially installed in the lead and zinc rougher circuits in 2003 to help operators adjust the circuit for changes in feed grade in order to maximize recovery. System use declined as the camera and lighting technology became obsolete. The froth cameras were updated in early 2017 to LED illuminated, Internet-Protocol (IP) based cameras, in line with modern technology. These cameras constantly monitor the rougher circuit and collect data related to froth characteristics, such as color, texture, velocity, and stability, allowing for optimization of the circuit recovery. This presentation discusses the installation process, current utilization of the froth camera data, and future planned operation of froth cameras with an Expert system to optimize flotation circuit performance at the Red Dog Mine.
Date
9-Nov-2017 15:30 — 16:00
Location
Dena’ina Center, Anchorage, Alaska
Authors
Allyson Stoll
(she/they)
Mining Generalist ⛏️
AI Strategist & Evangelist 💻
Neurodivergent Unicorn 🦄
Allyson is a highly motivated mining and mineral processing engineer with 15 years of experience. Her background is primarily in comminution and flotation optimization utilizing advanced process controls and expert systems.
She completed a Masters of Data Science from the University of British Columbia to hone and utilize her data science skills and subject matter expertise to transform the mining industry.
Her research interests are concentrated on decentralized task allocation for haulage fleets and the use of advanced simulation and optimization for data-driven decision support.