DYNAMIC MODELLING OF ALUMINA PRECIPITATION USING THE NIMBUS PROCESS SIMULATOR
Cresswell, P.J. and Newell, R.B.
One of the outstanding problems in the Bayer process is the optimal design and effective operation of precipitation. The precipitation section of the plant is complex, with large numbers of tanks and massive recycles. Mathematical modelling offers the best approach to the design problem, but success has been limited by insufficient understanding of the fundamentals of the process and the lack of good models. There is a special problem with the dynamics of the precipitation, which may be subject to changes on a timescale of weeks or months.
More effective control of the process is a desirable goal. The development of a dynamic model for alumina precipitation is described. The model is developed using NIMBUS, a new dynamic process simulator which has been developed at the University of Queensland. Both batch and continuous operations can be simulated with the same model.