Laboratory Analysis vs Online Analysis
The analysis of the elemental composition of raw materials is a crucial part of the mining process directly
impacting yield, quality and profits. Can you afford to ignore the benefits of real time sampling and analysis in an increasingly competitive environment?
There
are
two
broad
categories
of
costs
in
mining
and
mineral
processing:
External
or
Market-Controlled
and
Internal
or
Mill-Controlled.
Market-controlled
are
inputs
such
as
raw
materials
and
energy
costs.
They
usually
account
for
the
vast
bulk
of
production
costs,
an
estimated 80%.
Mill-controlled
costs
are
made
up
of
the
consumables,
labor,
overhead
involved,
etc.
These
are
usually
defined
by
technology
deployed
at a
mill;
however,
can
be
managed
with
efficiency-focused
programmes.
When a
major
technology
overhaul
is
not
an
option
for
the
foreseeable
future,
Efficiency
Conversion
is
the
part
of
Mill-controlled
costs
that
Mill
Director
and
Process
Managers
should
focus
on.
This
is
still
not a
negligible
bit.
With
proper
tools
one
can
achieve 5%
to 10%
upside
in
this
area.
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Energy
bill
often
represents 15%
to 25%
of
overall
mill
costs (up
to 40%
in
steel
making).
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Typically, a
multi-stage
preheater
dry
kiln
would
use 3.6 GJ/ton
in
refractories
and
cement
mills.
With
current
energy
prices
for
industrial
consumers
in
Europe,
that
represents
approximately $23
per
ton
of
product
in
energy
costs.
What
if
you
could
save 5%
of
that?
In
steel
making
overall
energy
use
is
even
higher ≈ 18.2 GJ/ton,
with
approximately 2.8 GJ/ton
in
coking
and 11.5 GJ/ton
in
iron
making.
No
wonder
the
mineral
processing
industry
has
been
heavily
investing
in
energy
conversion
and
process
automation.
Is
there
more
you
could
do?
At
Laser
Distance
Spectrometry
we
believe
there
is.
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Controlling
what
the
energy
is
burnt
on
is
the
way
to
reduce
mill
energy
consumption.
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Laboratory
analysis
has
traditionally
been a
safe
and
accurate
method
of
analysing
the
chemical
elemental
concentration
of
mining
yields.
It
allows
analysis
across a
range
of
elements
and
parameters
to
provide
the
data
necessary
to
identify
impurities,
control
concentrations
and
ensure
environmental
regulatory
compliance
among
other
things.
One
drawback –
accurate
laboratory
results
are
available
only
in 6
to 8
hours
form
the
time
samples
had
been
taken
off
the
conveyor
belt
or
stockpile.
With
material
running
on
the
conveyor
with
the
speed
of a
couple
of
tons
per
minute
what
is
the
true
cost
of
this
delay?
Investing
in
real-time
elemental
analysis
on
every
stage
of
the
process
is
something
that
rare-earth
enrichment
plants
have
been
doing
for
decades.
Doing
that
in
refractories,
cement
and
steel
making
would
stabilise
substance mix,
its
quality
and
enable
total
process
control
in
these
industries
too.
The
goals –
optimal
energy
use,
improved
production
yields
and
more
consistent
product
quality.
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The
ability
to
obtain
accurate
analytical
results
in
real
time
and
feed
them
into
process
automation
systems
can
represent
potential
savings
in
mill-controlled
costs
of
up
to 10%.
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Laboratory
analysis
will
remain a
crucial
benchmark
for
years
to
come.
However,
complimenting
it
with
real-time
online
analysis
enables
prompt
technical
decisions
on
sorting
of
the
raw
material,
dosage
of
ore
or
components
of a
mixture,
energy
use,
all
based
on
the
real-time
data.
As
profitability
has
dropped
industry
wide,
accurate,
quick
data
and
optimised
production
processes
are
arguably
more
important
than
ever.
Effective
process
control
provides
many
benefits
including
reducing
cost,
conserving
raw
material
and
minimizing
environmental
impact.
Online
analysis
solutions
such
as
the
MAYA
online
analyser
are
therefore
increasingly
being
adopted
by
key
players
across
the
mining
industry.
Take
control
of
your
mining
operations.
Laser
Distance
Spectrometry
is a
young
start-up,
full
of
energy
and
desire
to
change
the
world
of
mining.
We
help
mining
and
mineral
processing
businesses
reduce
their
energy
consumption
and
achieve
higher
production
yields.
This
way
we
save
our
planet
resources
and
enhance
lives
of
people.
We
offer
on-line,
automated,
real-time
chemical
analysis
of
mineral
materials,
based
on
latest
laser
spectroscopic
technology
and
heuristic
algorithms.
Our
team
is
comprised
of
the
leading
scientists
and
technicians
in
laser
detection
methodology
and
systems.
At
Laser
Distance
Spectrometry
we
believe
that
Machine
Learning
and
Industry 4.0
have
arrived
and
it
is
only a
question
of
how
quickly
this
will
be
the
mainstream
in
mining
and
mineral
processing.
Laser
Distance
Spectrometry
is
part
of
that
game.
We
are
determined
to
be
part
of
that
future.
Laser
Distance
Spectrometry ©
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