Process Simulation
Traditional plant design focusses on flowsheets and the use of steady state energy and mass models. Today, due to dynamic nature of a mining value chain, it is best practice for project proponents to build dynamic plant models that can be used to simulate the behaviour of abnormal events and assess the impact that these disruptions can have on plant performance.
Such models enable powerful scenario analyses to be performed in a safe and cost constrained setting and provide objective decision criteria to help management evaluate and compare alternative development options. Given the typical capital cost associated with a new plant or a major plant expansion often involves hundreds of millions of dollars, any improvement in the design, engineering, construction, or start-up that allows full operation of the plant to be achieved in a shorter period of time can result in significant savings to the project.
Our process simulation services support our clients across the full project lifecycle and can investigate:
· Whole of system capacity, including surge capacity,
· Orebody composition, grade variability and blending strategies,
· Stockyard and stockpile sizing, layout and management,
· Critical equipment sizing,
· Process control validation,
· Different maintenance regimes and associated plant availability and utilisation,
· Unit operation performance,
· Water, energy, reagent usage.