8
Results
Since the implementation of the VisioFroth ™ cameras and
the Digital One expert control system starting in October
2022, the system has remained on the production line.
The Expert Control system is designed for robustness and
based on key fundamental principles in flotation to meet
the requirements for such a system to continue to exist in
an operational production environment.
Overall, the system has achieved acceptance by the
operators and has most notably allowed for the processing
of previously less- or un-economical marcasite lead\copper
ores into saleable concentrates. One particular accomplish-
ment is that over 200,000 tons of high-grade Pb and Cu
ore with high marcasite content have now been processed.
Moreover, processing this ore has been transformed into a
routine operation at Buick Mill which in some cases may
not even require operator intervention at all.
Throughout this entire process of developing Digital
One, one of the key principles was that the expert system
provided by Metso was at fault by default. Any issues dur-
ing operations were attributed to it unless clearly separable
from it, and therefore its development involved holding it
to the highest standard of being without fault or limitations.
The OCS-4D© software provides a powerful integra-
tion layer between the existing DCS, the froth cameras
and VisioFroth ™ system, and the Digital One expert con-
trol as described here. The integration layer is sufficiently
abstract that it has been almost routine to adapt procedures
developed in one circuit or in one mill and transfer them
to another circuit or reimplement them for another mill’s
specific setup. At the same time, it is concrete enough to
directly reason about each little step of automation imple-
mented for any reagent, any cell level, any velocity set
point, or even more abstract soft sensors such as dynamic
constraints or optimization routines.
OCS-4D© was continuously stretched to find the lim-
its of its control capabilities. However, it was found to be
very capable of providing the various control schemes we
needed for air, MIBC, the specialty reagents, and now even
taking over much of the bulk reagent dosing completely.
There have been no bottlenecks or limitations to the con-
trol system imposed by the OCS-4D© software. The func-
tionality available to the Digital One system has been more
than sufficient to take over as the digital operator of the
flotation circuit at Buick Mill and has opened new oppor-
tunities and frontiers.
In addition to the VisioFroth ™ system’s original scope
of controlling the froth levels and the more advanced con-
trols developed since, Digital One has been able to incor-
porate knowledge and experienced operators’ best practices
into automatic controls on the mill. This essentially forms
an automatic digital encyclopedia of how to operate the
mill, which can in turn be used to help raise the mill’s per-
formance baseline.
CONCLUSIONS
The combination of the different levels of control all com-
bine to complete the Digital One on Production Line
processes at Doe Run’s Buick Mill. The mining industry
is moving towards more intelligent instrumentation and
more analysis to have a fully functional control system that
can maintain and increase recovery and reproduce con-
centrate grade and quality. With Metso’s VisioFroth ™ and
the optimization logics of expert system all integrated in
OCS-4D©, Doe Run Buick Mill‘s Digital One platform is
sustainable, expandable and highly competitive in the min-
ing industry.
Digital One expert control can operate the entire Buick
Mill’s flotation plant consisting of lead, zinc and copper flo-
tation circuits. The impact of Digital One enterprise expert
system has had far reaching effects on future plans for Buick
Mill. This system also paves the way for additional improve-
ments in areas throughout the entire mill, from grinding to
filtration. A key highlight is that the Digital One Expert
Table 2. Special reagents limits
Results
Since the implementation of the VisioFroth ™ cameras and
the Digital One expert control system starting in October
2022, the system has remained on the production line.
The Expert Control system is designed for robustness and
based on key fundamental principles in flotation to meet
the requirements for such a system to continue to exist in
an operational production environment.
Overall, the system has achieved acceptance by the
operators and has most notably allowed for the processing
of previously less- or un-economical marcasite lead\copper
ores into saleable concentrates. One particular accomplish-
ment is that over 200,000 tons of high-grade Pb and Cu
ore with high marcasite content have now been processed.
Moreover, processing this ore has been transformed into a
routine operation at Buick Mill which in some cases may
not even require operator intervention at all.
Throughout this entire process of developing Digital
One, one of the key principles was that the expert system
provided by Metso was at fault by default. Any issues dur-
ing operations were attributed to it unless clearly separable
from it, and therefore its development involved holding it
to the highest standard of being without fault or limitations.
The OCS-4D© software provides a powerful integra-
tion layer between the existing DCS, the froth cameras
and VisioFroth ™ system, and the Digital One expert con-
trol as described here. The integration layer is sufficiently
abstract that it has been almost routine to adapt procedures
developed in one circuit or in one mill and transfer them
to another circuit or reimplement them for another mill’s
specific setup. At the same time, it is concrete enough to
directly reason about each little step of automation imple-
mented for any reagent, any cell level, any velocity set
point, or even more abstract soft sensors such as dynamic
constraints or optimization routines.
OCS-4D© was continuously stretched to find the lim-
its of its control capabilities. However, it was found to be
very capable of providing the various control schemes we
needed for air, MIBC, the specialty reagents, and now even
taking over much of the bulk reagent dosing completely.
There have been no bottlenecks or limitations to the con-
trol system imposed by the OCS-4D© software. The func-
tionality available to the Digital One system has been more
than sufficient to take over as the digital operator of the
flotation circuit at Buick Mill and has opened new oppor-
tunities and frontiers.
In addition to the VisioFroth ™ system’s original scope
of controlling the froth levels and the more advanced con-
trols developed since, Digital One has been able to incor-
porate knowledge and experienced operators’ best practices
into automatic controls on the mill. This essentially forms
an automatic digital encyclopedia of how to operate the
mill, which can in turn be used to help raise the mill’s per-
formance baseline.
CONCLUSIONS
The combination of the different levels of control all com-
bine to complete the Digital One on Production Line
processes at Doe Run’s Buick Mill. The mining industry
is moving towards more intelligent instrumentation and
more analysis to have a fully functional control system that
can maintain and increase recovery and reproduce con-
centrate grade and quality. With Metso’s VisioFroth ™ and
the optimization logics of expert system all integrated in
OCS-4D©, Doe Run Buick Mill‘s Digital One platform is
sustainable, expandable and highly competitive in the min-
ing industry.
Digital One expert control can operate the entire Buick
Mill’s flotation plant consisting of lead, zinc and copper flo-
tation circuits. The impact of Digital One enterprise expert
system has had far reaching effects on future plans for Buick
Mill. This system also paves the way for additional improve-
ments in areas throughout the entire mill, from grinding to
filtration. A key highlight is that the Digital One Expert
Table 2. Special reagents limits