Comparison of Semirigorous and Empirical Models Derived Using Data Quality Assessment Methods

With the increase in available data and the stricter control requirements for mineral processes, the development of automated methods for data processing and model creation are becoming increasingly important. In this paper, the application of data quality assessment methods for the development of semirigorous and empirical models of a primary milling circuit in a platinum concentrator plant is investigated to determine their validity and how best to handle multivariate input data. The data set used consists of both routine operating data and planned step tests. Applying the data quality assessment method to this data set, it was seen that selecting the appropriate subset of variables for multivariate assessment was difficult. However, it was shown that it was possible to identify regions of sufficient value for modeling. Using the identified data, it was possible to fit empirical linear models and a semirigorous nonlinear model. As expected, models obtained from the routine operating data were, in general, worse than those obtained from the planned step tests. However, using the models obtained from routine operating data as the initial seed models for the automated advanced process control methods would be extremely helpful. Therefore, it can be concluded that the data quality assessment method was able to extract and identify regions sufficient and acceptable for modeling.