Path-Constrained Dynamic Optimization of Rougher Flotation Process

Concentrate grade directly affects the profit of rougher flotation process, and a dynamic optimization problem should be proposed with practical constraints to optimize the concentrate grade. In this paper, a nonlinear dynamic model of two-phase kinetic rougher flotation process is first constructed. Then, a dynamic optimization problem is presented whose objective function is the overall error between reference and actual concentrate grades, subject to path constraints and other functional constraints on feed flow, pulp level, concentrate grade, and tail grade. Furthermore, the optimization problem is solved to locate optimal control input with rigorous satisfaction of path constraints and other constraints by adapting a new dynamic optimization method. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified by a numerical experiment of a rougher flotation process.