Level Control of Flotation Tanks at LKAB : Control Design and Robustness Analysis

Abstract: Flotation is one part of LKAB's refining process where minerals are separated from iron ore in cascade connected tanks. A good level control in the flotation tanks is vital to get a high recovery of the iron. Nominal and robust performance of different level controllers are compared in the study. Robust performance is analyzed for uncertainties in valve contants and for hysteresis in the valves. The results show that LQG control give better nominal performance than PI control. The robust performance is worse for the LQG controller than the PI controller for modelled uncertainties in valve contants. The robustness analysis shows also that LQG control is less sensitive to hysteresis in the valves compared to PI control. Thus, type of uncertainty affects different control strategies differently.