MMG deploys digital twin at Queensland zinc mine

Miner MMG is using a digital twin to power continuous improvements to zinc processing operations at its Dugald River site near Cloncurry in north-west Queensland.

Image credit: MMG

The digital twin was developed in partnership with Hatch and has been in production use for about a year.

Specifically, the digital twin is of the flotation process, which is used to extract the target mineral - in this case, zinc - from the mined ore.

In a statement, co-designers Hatch said that the twin “combines process models, machine learning and advanced process control to automatically adjust the plant’s operations based on incoming feed” of zinc.

“We’ve been running a successful zinc processing operation with clearly defined goals to deliver continuous improvement, and our team has delivered strong outcomes over many years,”  Dugald River general manager Tim Akroyd said. 

“As an operation, we are focused on identifying and implementing the right technology that can continue to drive safety and performance improvements. 

“This is effectively like an always-on assistant that continuously adjusts how the plant runs to get the most zinc out of every tonne of ore processed.”

Senior metallurgist Alec Malcolm, who led the implementation of the project onsite, said the system had brought a new level of consistency to the plant.