COMPUTER MODELING OF MINERAL PROCESSING EQUIPMENT USING FUZZY MATHEMATICS

Fuzzy mathematics is used to produce computer models directly from eng ineering data acquired from mineral processing systems. A fuzzy model is developed that uses linguistic terms to describe the relationships between the variables in select mineral processing systems. Such fuzzy linguistic models rely exlusively on data collected from the systems being modelled; they do not presuppose an understanding of the physics of the system. The lack of requirement for fully understanding the ph ysics of the system being modelled is important in the mineral process ing industry where these relationships are complex and difficult to ac quire. The linguistic computer models that are developed are tuned wit h a genetic algorithm which is employed to simultaneously select lingu istic rules and tune fuzzy membership functions. The result is an extr emely flexible approach to modelling that is applicable in a variety o f mineral processing systems. The effectiveness of this approach to me ddling is demonstrated using data from two pieces of mineral processin g equipment: (I) a grinding circuit and (2) a hydrocyclone.