Improving metallurgical performance in pyrometallurgical processes

The measurement of the operational efficiency of metallurgical processes depends on the accurate determination of the process flows and the concentrations of the refined metals. Unfortunately, the measurement of both flows and concentrations are sparse in these types of processes. A mixture of information has to be gathered and recorded, from continuous to discrete information and from automatic to manually collected data. This significantly hinders the ability to maintain a smart operation. This paper presents new tools and methodologies to increase the operational efficiency of the metallurgical process and reduce metal losses. Among the topics included are the integration of all sections of a metallurgical complex and the implementation of real-time performance management, which uses unifying analysis methods to provide real-time intelligence.