Abstract
In many cases, the design process of a structural ceramic comminution plant typically consists of an ‘expert designer’ who makes decisions using intuitive criteria to select commercial equipment. This paper proposes a simulationbased optimization approach to help decisionmaking. The complexity of the problem lies in selecting the model and amount of equipment for each stage at the lowest cost while simultaneously satisfying a previously fixed production and granulometry. The proposed approach is based on a genetic algorithm to generate solutions and facilitate the optimization process, together with discrete simulation to evaluate the performance of the comminution process according to its service level. To evaluate the algorithm, different problems, whose parameters are based on the requirements of the ceramic industry, are solved and analyzed.
Highlights
Comminution is commonly defined as the reduction in the average particle size of solid materials
The models and parameters used in this study were based on the real-world equipment of a company located in Zaragoza Spain, dedicated to the design and manufacturing of machinery for the treatment and preparation of clay in the ceramic industry
We proposed a simulation-optimization-procedure-based genetic algorithm (GA) to obtain an economical solution to the problem of equipment selection
Summary
Comminution is commonly defined as the reduction in the average particle size of solid materials It is usually performed via crushing, grinding, cutting, vibrating, among others (Martins, 2016). These processes are commonly used in the mining, pharmaceutical, food, chemical, recycling (Kruszelnicka, 2020), and ceramic industries. Most companies operating in this sector obtain their raw materials from quarries close to their installations, regardless of whether these quarries belong to them or to third parties. Untreated clay obtained from quarries is transported by truck to the company site, where it is unloaded and stored for later use (Regional Activity Centre for Cleaner Production, 2006)
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