A dynamic fundamental model was developed linking processes from the microscopic scale to the equipment scale for batch froth flotation. State estimation, fault detection, and disturbance identification were implemented using the extended Kalman filter (EKF), which reconciles real-time measurements with dynamic models. The online measurements for the EKF were obtained through image analysis of froth images that were captured and analyzed using the commercial package VisioFroth (Metsor Minerals). The extracted image features were then correlated to recovery using principal component analysis and partial least squares regression. The performance of real-time state estimation and fault detection was validated using batch flotation of pure galena at various operating conditions. The image features that were strongly representative of recovery were identified, and calibration and validation were performed against off-line measurements of recovery. The EKF successfully captured the dynamics of the process by updating the model states and parameters using the online measurements. Finally, disturbances in the air flow rate and impeller speed were introduced into the system, and the dynamic behavior of the flotation process was successfully tracked and the disturbances were identified using state estimation.

Extraction from oil sands is a crucial step in the industrial recovery of bitumen. It is challenging to obtain online measurements of process outputs such as bitumen grade and recovery. Online measurements are a prerequisite for innovating better process control solutions for process efficiency and cost reduction. We have developed a soft sensor to provide online measurements of bitumen grade and recovery in a flotation‐based oil sand extraction process. Continuous froth images were captured using a VisioFroth camera system on a batch flotation unit. A support vector regression (SVR) model with a Gaussian kernel was constructed to develop a soft sensor for bitumen grade and recovery using froth image features as the inputs. The model was trained and validated for batch flotation of different grades of oil sands ore at industry‐relevant process conditions. A Dean‐Stark analyzer was used to obtain offline grade and recovery measurements that were used to calibrate the soft sensor. Mean squared errors (MSE) of 62 and 74 were achieved for grade (%) and recovery (%), respectively, and this was obtained using 5‐fold cross validation. The developed soft sensor model has been applied successfully in the real‐time dynamic monitoring of flotation grade and recovery for different grades of ore and operating conditions.

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