Objective
In Europe the preparation of ceramic pastes is facing increasing economical and ecological problems due to the nature of used raw materials and to the treatment techniques.
For trying to compose homogeneous lots with the required
specifications, differential crushing and grinding operations followed by screening are a frequently used treatment. Hand cobbing, flotation in mechanical cells and magnetic separation are also adopted alternative processes, as well as, systematic controlled blending. Cut the peculiar environment imposed upon the functioning in preparation of ceramic components requires the utilisation of flexible
cleaning/concentrating processes with an inserted reliable real time control where the set points adjustment should tolerate a wide variation of input and output conditions. The flotation process carried out in columns associated or not with mechanical cells is very adequate for separating quartz from feldspar, for cleaning pegmatites and also kaolinitic sands or clays, when treating fine size material. Flotation process consents very wide range of work conditions. Simultaneously, can be adapted to diverse outputs when controlled by a neuro fuzzy system. Such a combination (flotation plus neuro fuzzy control) would lead to positive industrial benefits.
The column flotation process associated or not with mechanical flotation controlled on line by a neuro fuzzy system to be developed in this project will consist of a new mineral processing methodology for treating paste components.
The final result will be the prototype of a mobile and compact pilot plant, which can be installed in the industrial plants to disclose the adequate industrial treatment policy for different types of input material and various output specifications. It is expected that, after the end of the project, about two years for scaling up and respective building up will be needed to make the new paste components processing system sufficiently reliable for operating at an industrial environment.
Claimed innovative aspects of this project include:
. to use a process flexible and well adapted to severe working conditions in thepreparation of ceramic pastes;
. new opportunities for the composition of ceramic pastes, either from the side of geological bodies available, or in what concerns the quality of the pastes produced; . to improve avery effective control on the field of the particulate systems: the on line neuro fuzzy control.
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
1049-001 LISBOA
Portugal