Visualisation of plant disturbances using self-organising maps

Ill-defined processes such as the froth flotation of minerals are mostly controlled in an empirical way by using rules of thumb. These processes involve so many variables that the plant operator finds it difficult to visualise or even observe a change in process conditions. In froth flotation the op...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers & chemical engineering 1996, Vol.20, p.S1095-S1100
Main Authors: Van Deventer, Jannie S.J., Moolman, Derick W., Aldrich, Chris
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Chemical engineering
Exact sciences and technology
Flotation
Solid-solid systems
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Summary:Ill-defined processes such as the froth flotation of minerals are mostly controlled in an empirical way by using rules of thumb. These processes involve so many variables that the plant operator finds it difficult to visualise or even observe a change in process conditions. In froth flotation the operator is supposed to visually observe process changes from the appearance of the froth, which is an unreasonable demand under industrial conditions. An on-line computer vision system based on a textural analysis of the froth phase has been developed in South Africa and has been in operation on two industrial plants since early 1995. Textural parameters are determined on-line, and disturbances in process conditions, such as a change in reagent addition or froth depth, are visualised via a Self-Organizing Map (SOM) neural net.
ISSN:0098-1354
1873-4375
DOI:10.1016/0098-1354(96)00190-1