Premium
Electrolyte Inventory Control in a Senate Leach Plant
Author(s) -
Folet M.W.,
Christie C.R.,
Julien R.H.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
developments in chemical engineering and mineral processing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1932-2143
pISSN - 0969-1855
DOI - 10.1002/apj.5500130310
Subject(s) - spare part , throughput , header , electrolyte , engineering , computer science , process engineering , operations management , chemistry , telecommunications , computer network , electrode , wireless
The regulation of electrolyte inventory in a zinc leaching plant is a challenging process control problem. This paper presents a simple plant‐wide control strategy to maintain level in the Electrolytic and Meeting (E&M) feed tank at the operator‐specified upper limit. Electrolyte production is thereby maximized while ensuring that the outlet temperature of the Hot Stage Purification heat exchanger remains greater than its lower limit, and that levels in the other vessels are kept in their desired ranges. The basic principle underlying this approach is to set throughput at a value which will consume spare capacity in the E&M tank over the next M hours of operation. To tune to strategy, the user must choose the prediction horizon M, as well as maximum allowable rate‐of‐change in plant throughput at a value which will consume spare capacity in the E&M tank over the next M hours of operation. To tune the strategy, the user must in choose the prediction horizon M, as well as a maximum allowable rate‐of‐change in plant throughput. The algorithm is easily programmed using standard DCS functions and does not require the purchase of third‐party optimization software. Simulation results are included which demonstrate that proposed method provides high‐performance control of electrolyte inventory in response to typical plant disturbances, such as reduction in steam header pressure and step changes in E&M feedrate.