A predictive control solution designed for grinding mills

SmartMill is a new predictive-control solution for continuous control of individual grinding mills. Embedded within a variable-speed drive, SmartMill utilizes realtime data to control feedrate, rotation speed, mill load and more. The speed is varied according to an advanced control concept that keeps the mill’s solids feed as high as possible, while monitoring signals, including power consumption, motor torque, bearing pressure and mill speed, allowing for automatic selection of optimal setpoints, says the manufacturer. For inputs, SmartMill uses power, torque and load, which are used to predict future mill behavior. The outputs can take into account several mill variables, such as feedrate, mill rotation speed, ore hardness and purity, total load and water addition rate. SmartMill provides stability to individual mills without the need for additional controllers or sensors. — ABB, Zurich, Switzerland

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