Advances in Engineering Advances in Engineering features breaking research judged by Advances in Engineering advisory team to be of key importance in the Engineering field. Papers are selected from over 10,000 published each week from most peer reviewed journals.
Minerals Engineering, 26 October 2013.
Luis A. Cisternas, Freddy Lucay, Edelmira D. Gálvez
Mineral Process and Chem. Eng. Dept., Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile &
Process Technology, CICITEM, Antofagasta, Chile
Abstract
Different objective functions have been used in the design of concentration plants. The frequently used functions correspond to the maximization of revenue or profit. However, there is no study examining the effect of the type of objective function on the design of these plants. This manuscript analyzes the effect of various objective functions, including the maximization of profits, the return on investment and the net present worth and the minimization of the payback period, among other functions. Additionally, the procedure for a flotation circuit design is presented that is based on a flexible superstructure, where the designer can choose the set of alternatives. Two cases were considered: the equipment design for a given circuit structure and the circuit structure design given the equipment. The generated models correspond to mixed integer nonlinear programming and nonlinear programming problems. The results indicate that the objective function has a significant effect on the obtained solution, as well as the concentration circuit structure.
