Energy optimization of mineral processing operations through optimal energy and inventory management

Abstract

Mineral processing plants are facing scenarios of increasing energy demand in Chile. Since many mineral processing plants are located in desert regions with high solar radiation levels, companies are looking at solar energy, as a renewable energy source, to supply their energy needs. This work describes two examples of Solar Energy Systems (SES) integration into mineral processing plants. They provide an overview of the current challenges and deliver some lights about opportunities for further developments. The first example describes a hybridization strategy; i.e. a combination of different energy resources, to meet the energy demand of a large water pumping station. The second example illustrates an application where a load shifting strategies is designed to match the cyclic behavior of the energy sources. The main conclusion of this work, is that given the characteristics of solar energy systems and the operation of current mineral processing plants, optimization and control are key enabling techniques to make an efficient use of this renewable energy source. Further work is underway to look at the development of case study for a Chilean mineral processing plants. The application of this approach to other areas such as comminution circuits will be also explored.