| Abstract Scope |
Plant volume control is a challenge for all alumina refineries because it involves complex mass and energy balances with numerous variables and conflicting goals. For instance, maximizing tank levels means increased production, but tank overflows mean safety risks and unnecessary cleaning expenses, increased water in red mud filtration means better caustic recovery, but higher costs in water evaporation. Bayer process refineries have large number of equipment and tanks in which caustic liquor flows and many parameters vary dynamically. Therefore, it is necessary to have well-established control limits, plant volume parameters and targets to allow daily routines of caustic cleaning and maintenance. This paper presents the development in CBA's alumina refinery, regarding the tools to support teams to make important decisions in volume control and management system created to support weekly and annual planning. |