Application of ACARP DMC R&D between CSIRO and JKMRC

In 2006 ACARP funded "The Intelligent Plant" project (C11069) to the value of $0.5M over three years for the CSIRO team at QCAT to define the requirements in terms of instrumentation, monitoring, control and overall management of the next generation dense medium cyclone plant). This work delivered a system for categorising the "health" of a plant, an important step in controlling and optimising the plant as well as a relational data base for these categories. The work also developed models that were used to identify the important factors affecting the plant "health" and also identified instrument requirements, both existing and those to be developed, that would provide plant condition and performance information for a higher level plant monitoring and operational excellence.  These were summarised as diagnostics charts and provided in the form of an EXCEL workbook/handbook.  Subsequently ACARP funding was provided for the development of the instruments identified required for higher level plant monitoring and further development of new models and software. In 2009 an agreement was reached between ACARP, New Hope Coal, CSIRO and the JKMRC to test and further develop these hard and soft technologies at the New Acland Coal Preparation plant. This process has been in effect now for six years, generating further ACARP funded projects that have led to a very good understanding of what the new generation plant would require and should deliver.

This project has put together a summary of the key research projects in the form of Power Point presentations that together link the work of the CSIRO and JKMRC over the last ten years around the dense medium cyclone circuit. This series of presentations outlines the use of the instrumentation and techniques by the coal producer to obtain better management of the dense medium process, explains the capabilities of the instruments and techniques and outlines the requirements for the next generation of coal preparation plants.