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Minerals
Volume 15
Issue 11
10.3390/min15111172
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Performance Assessments of an Advanced Control System in an Iron Ore Industrial Grinding Circuit

by
Pamela Karem Costa
1,2,*,
Patricia Nogueira Vaz
3,
Marcelo Ferreira Calixto
1,
Diego Santana Torga
4,
Mauricio Guimaraes Bergerman
2 and
Homero Delboni, Jr.
2
1
Mineração Usiminas, Itatiaiuçu 35685-000, MG, Brazil
2
Department of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Polytechnical School, University of São Paul, São Paulo 05508-030, SP, Brazil
3
Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Análise de Sinais—NIAS, Department of Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
4
ANDRITZ, Belo Horizonte 30112-021, MG, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Minerals 2025, 15(11), 1172; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15111172 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 5 October 2025 / Revised: 28 October 2025 / Accepted: 4 November 2025 / Published: 7 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy)
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Abstract

Optimizing beneficiation processes in the iron ore industry is essential to meet increasing demand while dealing with declining ore grade. Since grinding has a major impact on product quality and production costs, the implementation of Advanced Process Control (APC) emerges as an effective strategy to enhance efficiency and operational stability. This study quantifies the operational improvements achieved after the implementation of an APC system in the ball grinding circuit of the Mineração Usiminas industrial processing plant. The assessment was based on an ON/OFF test conducted over 67 days, during which operational data were collected for periods with the APC system enabled and disabled, supported by statistical tests and a literature review. The results show significant improvements in both stability and throughput under the unconstrained operating scenario. The standard deviation of the hydrocyclone feed pulp density setpoint decreased by 63%, while the circuit throughput increased from 541 to 571 tph. Moreover, the specific energy consumption was reduced by more than 5% in the same scenario. These findings demonstrate the tangible benefits of implementing Advanced Process Control in industrial grinding operations.
Keywords: comminution; advanced process control; iron ore; grinding and process optimization comminution; advanced process control; iron ore; grinding and process optimization
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MDPI and ACS Style

Costa, P.K.; Vaz, P.N.; Calixto, M.F.; Torga, D.S.; Bergerman, M.G.; Delboni, H., Jr. Performance Assessments of an Advanced Control System in an Iron Ore Industrial Grinding Circuit. Minerals 2025, 15, 1172. https://doi.org/10.3390/min15111172

AMA Style

Costa PK, Vaz PN, Calixto MF, Torga DS, Bergerman MG, Delboni H Jr. Performance Assessments of an Advanced Control System in an Iron Ore Industrial Grinding Circuit. Minerals. 2025; 15(11):1172. https://doi.org/10.3390/min15111172

Chicago/Turabian Style

Costa, Pamela Karem, Patricia Nogueira Vaz, Marcelo Ferreira Calixto, Diego Santana Torga, Mauricio Guimaraes Bergerman, and Homero Delboni, Jr. 2025. "Performance Assessments of an Advanced Control System in an Iron Ore Industrial Grinding Circuit" Minerals 15, no. 11: 1172. https://doi.org/10.3390/min15111172

APA Style

Costa, P. K., Vaz, P. N., Calixto, M. F., Torga, D. S., Bergerman, M. G., & Delboni, H., Jr. (2025). Performance Assessments of an Advanced Control System in an Iron Ore Industrial Grinding Circuit. Minerals, 15(11), 1172. https://doi.org/10.3390/min15111172

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