Mining and Minerals

Enhance Operational Efficiency in Mining, Minerals, and Metals with Spiro’s Solutions.

Mining and Minerals

Enhance Operational Efficiency in Mining, Minerals, and Metals with Spiro’s Solutions.

The global metals and mining industry is undergoing a significant shift driven by the energy transition. Traditionally dominated by materials like steel, coal, gold, copper, and aluminum, the industry now faces growing demand for materials essential to low-carbon technologies, such as those used in electric vehicles and renewable energy. This shift is gradually reducing the importance of thermal coal while increasing the need for sustainable, affordable access to critical materials. The energy transition introduces new complexities, including supply constraints and rising costs, but also creates opportunities for business growth through portfolio diversification, innovation, and technological advancements like AI and data analytics. The industry’s ability to scale supply and maintain affordability will be crucial for supporting decarbonization efforts and economic growth.

Spiro’s solutions enable mining, minerals, and metals companies to optimize their operations amidst increasing economic pressures and workforce challenges. Through advanced predictive control and real-time analytics, Spiro enhances process efficiency, reduces energy consumption, and improves overall production output. With the use of edge computing, Spiro’s solutions provide immediate insights at the point of data generation, allowing companies to achieve measurable improvements in both cost savings and productivity.

Increased Process Efficiency and Optimization

Spiro MPC (Multivariable Predictive Control) delivers real-time control that optimizes complex mining and mineral processing operations:

By automating the control of assets in grinding circuits, flotation processes, and smelting operations, Spiro MPC minimizes variability and maximizes throughput.
Process adjustments occur continuously, leading to higher production outputs, reduced energy usage, and improved recovery rates in ore processing.

View use case

Holistic Plant-Wide Optimization

Spiro’s plant-wide approach optimizes entire mining and mineral processing plants instead of isolated subsystems:

Cooperative distributed control ensures that each unit is aware of the interactions with other subsystems, achieving holistic optimization across the plant.
In practical terms, this can lead to measurable gains, such as a 5-6% increase in throughput and a 1-5% reduction in energy consumption across the industry.

Real-Time Data Analytics for Improved Decision-Making

Spiro Analytics processes and analyzes data at the edge, allowing companies to act on insights as soon as data is generated:

This edge analytics approach is crucial in remote mining locations where connectivity and network reliability are limited.
By reducing data analysis delays, issues are identified immediately, alerts are generated, and corrective actions can be implemented in real-time.

Use Case – Grinding Circuit Optimization

Grinding circuits are energy-intensive and critical for ore processing. Traditional manual controls can limit production efficiency. Spiro MPC automates control by adjusting variables like water, ore feed rates, and mill speeds in real-time, a typical project can deliver > $1 million in annual benefit. Our solution optimizes key process variables like mill speed, feed rate, and slurry density, improving throughput and particle size distribution. Inferential sensors use available measurements like acoustics and motor amps to predict the onset of mill overload.

Use Case – Cement Kilns

Spiro MPC is used to regulate critical parameters like temperature, fuel feed rates, and airflow, leading to consistent clinker quality and reduced energy consumption. Finishing mill optimization can be further enhanced by dynamically adjusting mill throughput and separator speed based on real-time clinker quality.

Clinker overburn increases energy use and lowers product quality. By automating controls, Spiro MPC enables real-time adjustments that improve kiln stability and process reliability, reducing operator load and improving overall operational efficiency. The technology leads to lower CO2 emissions, cost savings, and more sustainable cement production.

Closeup shot of a rotary kiln for clinker production in cement plant

Use Case – Flotation Circuits

Spiro MPC enhances flotation circuits by stabilizing key variables like reagent dosage, air flow rates, pulp level, and froth stability. This results in 2-4% increased production and 1-4% improved recovery rates by predicting system behaviour and adjusting control variables accordingly.
Advanced control relies on real-time data from physical and inferential sensors monitoring parameters like pH, reagent concentration, and froth height. Where available, optical and X-ray sensors detect mineral grades, allowing dynamic process adjustments.
Continuous adjustments maximize recovery while maintaining concentrate quality, and balancing trade-offs, especially during variable ore feed conditions.
Advanced control optimizes energy usage, reducing operational costs and supporting sustainable ore processing by fine-tuning airflow, agitation, and chemical reagent use.

Spiro’s solutions, including Spiro MPC, Spiro Digital Twin and Spiro Data Analytics can transform mining, minerals, and metals industry operations by offering real-time optimization, energy reduction, and production increases. Through advanced predictive control and real-time edge analytics, Spiro empowers companies to optimize their operations holistically, from grinding circuits to flotation processes. With proven financial benefits and operational efficiency, Spiro is essential for companies looking to maintain competitiveness and achieve sustainability in an increasingly challenging economic environment.