Project Title : USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR DEVELOPING A NOVEL COAL PREPARATION PLANT SIMULATOR

Coal preparation plant simulators are computer programs used to evaluate the performance of a preparation plant for given feed coal characteristics and the type of process flowsheet selected. However, none of the commercially available plant simulators attempts to maximize the overall plant yield for alternative flowsheets and also select the most suitable circuit configuration based on maximized plant profitability. In addition, none of these simulators has the ability to determine the required operating conditions for satisfying multiple product quality constraints while maintaining plant yield at its maximum level. This study developed a comprehensive plant simulator that not only maximizes overall plant yield while satisfying multiple product quality constraints for various circuit configurations, but also recommends the best circuit configuration based on maximized plant profitability. This new simulator, named as SIU-Sim, utilizes genetic algorithms, an artificial intelligence based optimization technique, to maximize overall plant yield for each alternative plant flowsheet. Furthermore, it utilizes the net present value (NPV) analysis technique to maximize plant profitability considering the total life of a new plant and the remaining life of an existing coal preparation plant. The new simulator has been tested for its utility with size-by-size feed characteristics obtained from a preparation plant processing Illinois coal. For the coal washability characteristics of that plant, a water-only plant was shown to be more profitable than a heavy media-based plant, although the latter provides better separation efficiency. The differential cost of a wateronly plant versus a heavy media plant outweighs the incremental benefit obtained from the latter in the form of higher plant yield. It is believed that this simulator will be extremely useful for Illinois coal companies in selecting the most suitable cleaning alternative for new preparation plants as well as in upgrading existing plants to ensure maximum plant profitability.