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IKTPLUSS-IKT og digital innovasjon

Development and application of key big data technologies for mineral processing

Alternative title: Utvikling og anvendelse av viktige big data-teknologier for mineralbehandling

Awarded: NOK 10.0 mill.

Digital transformation is emerging as a driver of sweeping change in the world. Digitalization will be a force that changes the nature of companies and their interaction with employees, communities, government and the environment at every step of the value chain, within mining and metal industries. However, this requires cross-disciplinary coordination, such as combination of expertise in mining, metallurgy and digitalization, respectively. Thus, a joint international collaboration is required to solve the challenges through technology innovation and complementation using digitalisation. This project is a collaboration between China's Ministry of Science and Technology and the Research Council of Norway about industry-oriented collaborative research projects on digitalisation. In Norway, production of ferroalloys (i.e. ferrosilicon and ferromanganese) through critical mineral processing processes is a significant land-based industry. Ferromanganese is an essential ingredient for steelmaking. Silicon is used in solar cells for photovoltaic and electronic industries, as an alloying element in aluminium and as a raw material for silicones. However, digitalization is just at the early stages of development in both countries. Considerable financial and technical support are necessary, both nationally and internationally, due to the complexity of the processes and the harsh operational conditions of the environment. The project consortium has the following six participants from Norway and China: Norway: SINTEF AS (SITNEF Industry and SINTEF Digital); Elkem ASA; Eramet Norway China: Beijing General Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group; Shandong Gold Mining Co. Ltd. Sanshandao Gold Mine; Northeastern University. In Norway, high-performance sensoring technology on vibration and particle size measurement are developed in the project, and the later is successfully implemented in the pilot plant of Elkem which could improve raw material processing in harsh environment. A prototype for big data workflow and architecture is established. Hybrid analytic models for ferroalloy metal-slag reaction equilibria is developed. A framework of DGA fault diagnosis is established for the transformer used in submerged arc electric furnace. More than 40 referred journal and conference papers are published from the collaborative projects. Multiple master and PhD students are educated. Funded EU projects such as DataCloud (EU-H2020), enRichMyData and DINAMINE (HORIZON-Europe), are beneficial from the outcomes of BigDataMine's activities.

High-performance sensoring technology on vibration and particle size measurement are developed in the project, and the later is successfully implemented in the pilot plant of Elkem which could improve raw material processing in harsh environment. A prototype for big data workflow and architecture is established. Hybrid analytic models for ferroalloy metal-slag reaction equilibria is developed. A framework of DGA fault diagnosis is established for the transformer used in submerged arc electric furnace. The outcomes of the project can thus contribute to the UN sustainability Goal #12 "Responsible consumption and production" via cleaner and less energy consuming processes, and also to Goal #8 "Decent work and economic growth" by using intelligent monitoring and predictive maintenance.

The project aims to develop key big data technologies for mineral processing industries both in China and Norway to employ digitalisation technologies to increase production and decrease waste of resources. Industries in Norway and China confront enormous challenges in the mineral processing value chain, such as lengthy process flow, a large number of process and operation variables, frequent change in raw material properties which is difficult to label, coexistence of qualitative and quantitative information, data inaccuracy, etc. Thus, a joint international collaboration is required to solve the challenges through technology innovation and complementation using digitalisation. There are many technologies needed for a full implementation of the digital mine and metallurgy architecture. The partners in this consortium include three research institutes - SINTEF AS (Norway), Beijing General Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group (or BGRIMM, China), Northeastern University (or NEU, China), in collaboration with three industrial companies, a manganese ferroalloy producer - Eramet Norway (Norway), a Silicon ferroalloy producer - Elkem Norway (Norway), and a gold mine developer - Sanshandao Gold Mine. Several key digitalization technologies will be selected to develop to meet the challenges in the processing of silicon and manganese containing mineral, and gold ore. The researches focus on high precision data acquisition, artificial intelligence based on data analytics, and big data framework.

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Funding scheme:

IKTPLUSS-IKT og digital innovasjon

Thematic Areas and Topics

IKT forskningsområdeProgramvarer og tjenesterIKT forskningsområdeVisualisering og brukergrensesnittIKT forskningsområdeSmarte komponenterBransjer og næringerIKT-næringenKlimarelevant forskningLTP3 Miljøvennlig energi og lavutslippsløsningerIKT forskningsområdeRobotikk, automatiseringDelportefølje KvalitetAnvendt forskningPortefølje Energi og transportLavutslippAvanserte produksjonsprosesserFNs BærekraftsmålIKT forskningsområdeKunstig intelligens, maskinlæring og dataanalyseLTP3 Klima, miljø og energiBransjer og næringerLTP3 Fagmiljøer og talenterGrunnforskningFNs BærekraftsmålMål 12 Ansvarlig forbruk og produksjonBransjer og næringerProsess- og foredlingsindustriDigitalisering og bruk av IKTPrivat sektorIKT forskningsområdePortefølje Banebrytende forskningDelportefølje InternasjonaliseringIKTInternasjonaliseringInternasjonalt prosjektsamarbeidAvanserte produksjonsprosesserAvansert produksjonsteknologi som fag og teknologi (ny fra 2015)InternasjonaliseringPolitikk- og forvaltningsområderLTP3 Rettede internasjonaliseringstiltakDelportefølje Et velfungerende forskningssystemLTP3 Et kunnskapsintensivt næringsliv i hele landetLTP3 Styrket konkurransekraft og innovasjonsevneDigitalisering og bruk av IKTLTP3 Høy kvalitet og tilgjengelighetPortefølje Muliggjørende teknologierInternasjonaliseringInternasjonalt samarbeid om utlysningLTP3 Nano-, bioteknologi og teknologikonvergensLTP3 IKT og digital transformasjonMineralerLTP3 Muliggjørende og industrielle teknologierPolitikk- og forvaltningsområderForskningMineralerLandbaserte mineralerPortefølje ForskningssystemetPolitikk- og forvaltningsområderDigitaliseringPolitikk- og forvaltningsområderNæring og handelPortefølje Innovasjon