Advanced Geometallurgical Characterization: Mini Pilot Plant Leveraged by Digital Twin Development

Flotation is the most used separation process worldwide. Flotation characterization is usually carried out in batch conditions at laboratory scale. A dynamic phenomenological description of the flotation process is challenging. However, flotation performance evaluation by means of the utilization of a pilot plant is beneficial to reduce uncertainty on metallurgical results. In addition, leveraging pilot plant results by digitizing them helps describe the process dynamically. Consequently, flotation pilot plant testing allows a digital twin (DT) to be generated by combining ore characteristics, process information, and a digital architectural platform. Therefore, the generation of a Digital Twin of a flotation pilot plant provides a tool to explore and evaluate new operating scenarios. This permits the identification and scale up of an optimum scenario (i.e., industrial operation). In other words, the pilot plant with its digital twin may become the physical twin of the industrial plant as long as a robust scale-up methodology is available. This contribution proposes an innovative and advanced geometallurgical characterization to evaluate ore variability and its metallurgical performance holistically. It is believed that this new proposed approach will help plant operators improve their technical and economic performance.