Process control company Mipac will be implementing control strategies to improve process performance at Birla’s Nifty Copper Operation in Western Australia.
Birla engaged Mipac initially to review its use of instrumentation and process control in the plant, which is 350 km east of Port Headland, however Birla has now chosen to continue working with the control specialist to implement control strategy improvements in the SAG milling, flotation and thickening areas.
Birla Nifty Copper hopes the process review will help to improve process stability, increase the federate to the SAG mill and reduce the demands on operators.
“At Birla Nifty we actively strive for continuous improvement and aim to use world best practice in process control to increase plant stability”, said Birla Nifty Copper Operation concentrator manager, Johan Welmans.
“We look to manage process outcomes in conjunction with Mipac, which has a relevant track record of implementing process control strategies to help maximise throughput and plant stability.”
According to Mipac principal process control engineer, Andrew Thornton, Mipac will work to maximise the existing control system infrastructure at Nifty and also employ a PLC-based strategy in order to improve plant capability.
“While MIPAC can and has provided successful ‘black-box’ control solutions we feel that the Nifty site being remote is best served with a robust PLC based control strategy which can be understood and maintained locally.”