15th Workshop on International Stability, Technology, and Culture

The International Federation of Automatic Control

June 6-8, 2013. Prishtina, Kosovo

Cost Oriented Redesign of Condition-Based Maintenance of

Copper Converting Process

Mincho Hadjiski1,2, Kosta Boshnakov1, Todor Ginchev1

1
University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, Sofia, Bulgaria
(e-mail: hadjiski@uctm.edu, kb@uctm.edu, todor.ginchev.83@gmail.com)
2
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, IICT, Sofia, Bulgaria

Abstract: The presented investigation is focused on one important maintenance problem – tuyeres wear
and their free section reduction solidification of melt. The results of experimental data show that this is
nonstationary stochastic process. Legacy SCADA system provides data available only for the failure
based maintenance. This results in a big losses in productivity of the metallurgical plant. In the present
paper legacy hard instructions based maintenance system is re-designed in order to realize more effective
condition based maintenance (CBM). Decision making process is based on adaptive forecasting and CBR
procedure. The proposed re-engineering is cost oriented. The re-designed system gives competitive
advantages, keeps the risk up to chosen settings, improves the operator’s performance, and reduces the
maintenance expenses.
Keywords: Condition based maintenance, copper, Peirce-Smith converter, re-design, risk

1. INTRODUCTION
Regardless the world economic crisis the price of the non-
ferrous metals continues to be at a very high level. For the
copper the price is twelve more than before five years. More
than 90% of the world copper yield is carried out using
Peirce-Smith process (Boshnakov et al. 2012). This process is
of big importance for a lot of South-East Europe Countries –
Bulgaria, Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania,
Cyprus for which copper production is of paramount
significance.
In the present investigation an attempt is made to show the
effectiveness of multiaspect approach towards one of the
most widespread process in extractive copper
pyrometallurgy-matte converting via blowing in PSC.
Orientation towards Peirce-Smith Converter (PSC) is not as a
case–study problem. It aimed to show the advantages of some
proved implementation approaches in last decade, which are
relatively poor developed as: reengineering of existing legacy
control systems, application of condition-based maintenance
(CBM), data driven decision making, hybrid man-machine
systems. Such integration of business processes
manufacturing and maintenance is achieved via technology
innovation and knowledge fusion during the reengineering of
control and decision support system.
2. PEIRCE-SMITH CONVERTER (PSC)
PSC represents pyrometallurgical unit, in which inlet matte
with 58-65% copper is blowed with enriched with O2 air in
order to remove the undesirable components like Fe, S, Pb,
Si. Oxidation processes is three phases exothermic one and
due that is autothermic. A simplified scheme of PSC is
presented in Fig. 1
Fig.1 Simplified Scheme of Peirce-Smith Converter (PSC)
The process of copper converting is periodic, semibatch as a
sequence of cycles. Each cycles includes three blowings in
order to receive blister copper with 92-98% Cu content.
PSC is used more than hundred years, but a lot of problems
in PSC continue to exist:
-Optimal planning and scheduling of the campanies and
cycles with a view to middle term business targets and
market conditions.
-Improving efficiency of the converting process via
blowing optimizing (flow rate, pressure and O2 enrichment of
air), slagging (relation Fe/SiO2), temperature optimization.
-Organizing advanced maintenance during the cycles,
campaigns and series.
The main goal of the presented investigation is to overcome
or to reduce the sharpness of the above problems. Our work
use data and operational experience from particular PSC
(Boshnakov et al. 2012) with the next main characteristics:
length 10,2m, diameter 3,92m, tuyere zone with 54 tuyers
with diameter 46mm, initial tickeness the refractory lining
58cm. The first blowing is devided in two subblowings stages
with 75-105min common duration. Fe-blowing continues

978-3-902823-34-2/2013 © IFAC 250 10.3182/20130606-3-XK-4037.00049

IFAC SWIIS 2013
June 6-8, 2013. Prishtina, Kosovo

160-270 min. The average blowing is 2900-4200nm3/h with a) It was found non-uniform wear and erosion of the
pressure 70-100kPa. Enrichment with O2 is in a extent 50- tuyers. This is particularly considerable for the central zone
450nm3/h. The mean bath temperature is for the first blowing (Fig.3). The differences between central and side tuyeres
925-10250C, and 1080-1125 for the second. reach 30%. This clearly shows that refractory lining wear
measured via tuyere’s length must be accepted as a control
One of the most serious problems in PSC operation is wear
variable in order to reach more effective use of refractory
and erosion of refractory lining and tuyeres particularly in the
resource and longer RUL.
tuyere line zone (Goni et al. 2006). This is main factor
determining the duration of each campaign, considering 240-
330 separate sequencing cycles. At the end of the campaign,
determining from the minimum still acceptable thickness of
the reftactory lining (8-14cm) partial repair is carried out
including tuyeres replacing, refractory in tuyere zone brick
work changing. This maintain work continues two weeks.
The rate of converter refractory deterioration situated far
from tuyeres zone is more slow and thus the full serie could
contains four campaigns (Fig.2).

Lmin
r =
L0

Fig.3 Length of tuyeres during the campaign K1–1

b) The mean final tuyere length Lf depending on the

Fig.2 Min relative tuyeres length r and risk R during the 4 number of cycles into the campaign is too scattered. This is
campaigns in serie represented in Fig.4 for the data of all available 17
campaigns. This denotes that PSC maintenance actions for
After the end of the serie a overhaul is carried out including blocking/punching tuyers are not defined by regular
all refractory lining bricking, tuyeres replacing and necessary maintenance strategy for residual useful life (RUL) control.
current repair of the converter mantle accomplishing. That Due that the durations of campaigns vary largely into the
take two months. The costs of this maintenance is very high- interval 250-330 cycles (Fig.5)
exceeding $1M (Ng et al. 2005). Thus one of the main goal
of the our reengineering is the prolongation of residual useful
life (RUL) of the converter, but with optimal blowing and
32 Lf, cm
slag processing.
30
In our case, PSC is equipped with SCADA system with a 28
relatively limited functions: measurement of conventional 26
parameters-temperature, pressure and flow rate of blow, gas 24
(O2, SO2) concentration, historical data saving. The end of
22
cycle is determined via analysis of PbO and PbS in the outlet
gas. Some samples are carried out for measurement of Cu- 20
content in the blister copper as well as in the skimming slag. 18
At every tenth cycle the length of each tuyere is measured. 16
14
PSC control is mainly based on the supervisory level via hard
regime instruction for the operators. SCADA fulfils a limited 12
N, cycles
feedback control of a few parameters-mainly flow rate and 10
240 250 260 270 280 290 300 310 320 330 340
pressure of the blow. Maintenance is not connected with
converting process or with common factory business system.
Fig.4 Average final length of tuyeres Lf vs. number of cycles
3. MOTIVATION
c) The individual cycle duration is quite scattered. For
Optimization potential for re-engineering should be estimated
instance in K1-1 campaign it is into the interval 4,4-6,2h, i.e.
before decision out above adequate incremental step. A
could accedes with 40% the minimal value.
feasible investigation was carried out first. The next main
d) Observed large dispersion of the main technological
conclusions have been received:
inexes results in a essential losses in productivity reaching
30% as can be seen in the histogram at Fig.6

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IFAC SWIIS 2013
June 6-8, 2013. Prishtina, Kosovo
j ( N)
N
Fig.5 Histogram of cycle’s number N
j (W)
t formation, air enriching with O2, cooling plant reverts and
h
Fig.6 Histogram of cycle capacity in campaign K1–1
The results obtained in feasible investigation clearly show
that operations in PSC contain a considerable optimization
potential. Regarding the re-engineering aspect incremental
effort should be directed to stabilize the technological
parameters at optimal level and to create a new optimizing
maintenance model using condition based maintenance
(CBM) approach (Van et al. 2012).
4. PROBLEM STATEMENT
4.1 The main re-engineering targets
Taking into account the lesson learned in functional aspect
(Van Horebbeek and Pintelon 2011), PSC peculiarities
(Boshnakov et al. 2012), and analysis of the results in our
feasible study it was decided that the incremental type of re-
engineering should be the most suitable. The main targets
should be:
a) The total control of PSC to be solved as an united
optimizing problem including both technological process and
maintenance as well.
b) New maintenance strategy should be defined as a
consequence of common optimizing problem solving. All
aspects of converter maintenance must be considered-tuyeres
blocking, partial and full repairs during the cycles, campaigns
and series.
c) New hierarchical and multistage control structure of
PSC should be re-engineered in order to proper realization of
the stipulated changes. The main emphasis should be directed
to campaign operations and maintenance.
d) Cost-oriented approach should be accepted in
correspondence with the results of cost/benefit analysis.
252
The fulfilled feasibility investigations have shown that a
number of serious difficulties will trouble the realization of
the above targets. - A lack of convicting theoretical results for
united production/maintenance problem decision for PSC, no
adequate mathematical models for tuyere/refractory wear and
erosion, sparse and insufficient measurements, large
uncertainty of disturbance parameters (initial Cu content in
the matte), quantity and content of matte and plant reverts
charging).
4.2 Reengineering problem statement
An objective function is defined for multicriteria optimization
via partial criteria scalarization:
J= a 1Q - ( a 2 H+ a 3 E P ) - ( a 4 EW + a 5 M ) (1)
Where Q – productivity, H – losses of Cu in the slag, EW –
expenses for power, M – expenses for maintenance, E P -
production costs including:
E P = E SiO2 + EO 2 + EGC + E S (2)
The components in (2) correspond to the costs for slag
labor costs.
Since an incremental re-engineering is adopted with emphasis
on the maintenance it is possible the objective function (1) to
be reduced up to the form:
J a= a 1Q - ( a 4 EW + a 5 M ) (3)
This is admissible, because according the results of feasibility
study was clarified that changes of the H and E P
components are considerably less than Q , EW and M . The
objective function (3) must be subjected by the constraint
based on the admissible risk
R( k ) < R r (4)
The condition (4) could be considered as a transformation of
available limit, defined on the base of minimal admissible
tuyere length Lmin
Lmin ( k ) ‡ Lr (5)
r r
In (4) and (5) R and L are reference thresholds, which
could be adapted.
4.3 Integrated control and condition based maintenance
problem statement
PSC control system is considered at three levels as it show in
Fig.7
On the cycle level mainly stabilizing control is carried out
following reference values, given from operators based on
verbal process instructions.
On the campaign level (250-330 cycles duration) both
technological operations and maintenance actions are
accomplished. The present research is focused towards this
level in order to solve the united objective function
optimization (3) subject to constrain (4) or (5).
IFAC SWIIS 2013
June 6-8, 2013. Prishtina, Kosovo
Fig.7 Multilevel control and condition-based maintenance of
Pierce-Smith converter
On the series level planning and scheduling problems should
be solved in order to form reference optimal values for the
successive campaign (Van Horebbeek and Pintelon 2011).
Experimental data from 17 campaigns including more than
5000 cycles all together show that each campaign could be
divided in three stages:
-Stage A from the beginning up to 130-150 cycles. In
average only two tuyeres are blocked. The main problem is
technological process control through nonconstrained
optimization based at objective function (3).
-Stage B continues up to 230-250 cycles. Here intensive
maintenance actions are fulfilled together with process
control. In average 7 tuyers are blocked and 2 punched during
the stage. Te main maintenance and control problem is to
define which tuyeres namely and when must be blocked to
maximize (3). Constraints (5) are still not in use. In Fig. 8 the
time profile of blocked tuyeres is represented during the
campaign K1-1.
Fig.8 Time profile of plugging on tuyeres
-Stage C continues up to end of campaign. The conversion
runs with increasing risk, because the wall tickeness could
reach the critical 8-14 cm. Objective function (3) must be
solved subjected by constraint (4) or (5).
4.4 Main accepted approaches
-In the contrast of existing works of PSC optimization
(Van Horebbeek and Pintelon 2011), a united approach is
proposed for integration of process control and maintenance
operating.
-Residual useful life (RUL) is accepted as a basic
principle to maximize objective function (3) with constraint
(5).
-Data driven approach is accepted.
253
-Only gradual, not sporadic failures are tracking into
account.
-Some intelligent techniques are accepted: case base, case-
base reasoning and rule base control.
-The re-engineered system is human machine in the form
of decision support system (DSS)
5. MODELING AND PREDICTION
5.1 State-of the art
Advanced condition based maintenance is model based
(Hadjiski and Boishina 2011). Analytical thermodynamical
models are developed to describe and predict slag processing
and temperature state in the melt (Kyllo and Richards 1998),
Cardona et al. 2012). In addition finite element method based
models are proposed in order to describe the behaviour of
three- phase physico-chemical system (gas, slag, matte)
(Valencia et al. 2004), Chen et al. 2001). This models have
limited application in real production because of big
difference between real behavior of PSC and its idealized
models (thermodynamic equilibrium, ideal mixing, lack of
measurement errors, uncertainty neglecting, not correct
formulation of boundary conditions). No works when
maintenance and process control actions to be integrated in
common problem decision. Real effect as tuyere wear and
corrosion, accretion, build up, blockage are not taking into
account in the reported models.
5.2 Problems and main statements in modeling and
prediction
PSC degradation depends on many factors: thermal
conditions (melt, slag, matte and surface temperatures),
nonstationarity fluid dynamics (bubbles and waves
formation), mass transfer in three-phase system, thermal
fatigue of the lining, which are not considered united. In the
case of PSC 54 tuyers represent parallel working system and
both modeling and decision making must be strictly
individual. The crystallization due to the local cooling is
quite stochastic resulting from nonhomogenous temperature,
concentration and velocity field of the melt.
The next statements for modeling and prediction have been
accepted:
-It is necessary to develop two degradation models: one
for the tuyere zone and one for the refractory lining.
-Thermomechanical modeling is still not correct enough
and hybrid models should be suitable combining data driven
approach with knowledge based reasoning.
-The models should be individual for each tuyere or for
reasonable formed clusters.
-Two types models for forecasting must be available: short
term (2-3 steps ahead) and long term (up to the end of
campaign).
-Models should be adaptive and/or gain scheduled.
5.3 Degradation modeling
Experimental results from 918 separate tuyers degradation in
17 campaigns show extremely nonstationary process of
deterioration. This is illustrated in Fig.9 for the 5 central
tuyeres in campaign K1-1.
IFAC SWIIS 2013
June 6-8, 2013. Prishtina, Kosovo

L, cm
60

Campaign K1 – 1
29

50 10
27
35
– 13
31

29
40 31
35
–2
–5
–5

–3 27
30 –5
+3 –2 +8
+8
–4 +2 –2 0
–6 –6
29 27
–6 +6 – 14

31 – 16
20 –2

k
10
180
Fig.11 Enveloped minimal measured length of tuyeres Lmin
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 200 220 240 260

Fig.9 Estimation of prolongation of real length Lmin

6. SIMULTANEOUS PROCESS CONTROL
In this work the total state of the tuyeres is accepted to OPTIMIZATION AND CONTROL BASED
represents the cumulative effect of continuous MAINTENANCE
degradation LW , slag crystallization LC and additional
6.1.Premises
probabilistic component Ln , resulting from the measurement
errors, obscure thermal fatigue mechanisms, individual A lot of circumstances and facts must be taken into account
distinction among neighborhood tuyeres. The scheme of in the re-engineering process. The main of them are:
tuyere length formation is presented in Fig.10. -Existing legacy system.
-The process is semi-batch with rare measurements,
CCum
stochastic and uncertainty (Boshnakov et al. 2012, Khatab et
q
al. 2012).
V m
q
O2 q s
Heat
exchange
RS
Lining Lw Lv -Changeable duration of the campaigns make preferable
Gc
using model prediction control methods instead dynamic
degra-
Blowing dation
SO2 Cs
L = L0 - Lw
nf programming (Hadjiski and Boishina 2011).
+ Lc + Lv
Cs
Lc
-Both continuous and discrete control variables should be
accepted for process control and maintenance.
Crystal-
q s lization

-Soft constraints could be used in dependence on

Fig.10 Measured tuyeres length formation particular situation.
6.2 Optimal maintenance actions formation
For short term prediction a model is accepted using infimum
enveloping (Fig.11) of the measured tuyere length and In this work the main attention is turn to optimal time profile
consequent adaptive filtration: of blocked and punched tuyeres during the campaign (Fig.8).

Lkim = inf Li ( k ) (6) On the base of feasibility study five clusters of tuyeres have
been formed depending mainly of their disposition in tuyere
After enveloping the ratio noise/signal is many times better line. The prediction and optimization is accomplished in each
than in nonprocessed data (Fig.9). 10 cycles, when new measured data are available.
Enveloped model is used for short term forecasting using AR The new reengineering integrated system for process control,
model for each tuyere. One of the received model for 5 optimization and maintenance is presented in Fig.12.
tuyeres in campaign K1-1 has the form
The system is DSS based (Van Horebbeek and Pintelon,
y( k ) = 1.04 y( k - 1 ) - 0.33 y( k - 2 ) + 0.24 y( k - 3 ) { A } 2011, Khatab et al. 2012). A hybrid approach is accepted
y( k ) = 0.34Y ( k - 1 ) + 0.34 y( k - 2 ) + 0.25Y ( k - 3 ) { B } (7) (Hadjiski and Boishina 2011) in order to use information and
knowledge from: PSC, data from upper level as well as from
y( k ) = 0.85 y( k - 1 ) + 0.26 y( k - 2 ) - 0.18 y( k - 3 ) { C } the legacy regime instruction, estimations of the state and
Based on regression envelopment models a variety of forecasting of tuyeres length and refractory lining thickness,
approaches are possible for zone cluster and total forecasting the result of optimization module and Case-based Reasoning
(averaging, weighted averaging). Models like (7) are with system (CBR). The main result is the time profile of blocked
varying coefficients in stages A, B and C. tuyers during the campaign nf (Fig.8, Fig.12).

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IFAC SWIIS 2013
June 6-8, 2013. Prishtina, Kosovo
P PLC
P0 – Hm
H m0 – Hm
Series
Level Decision
Support
H m0
Regime System
P0 Instruc-
tion
Fig.15 Redesigned campaign control and condition-based maintenance system
7 CONCLUSIONS
The results of comprehensive feasible study of PSC focused
on clarifying the optimization potential are reported. The
main properties of the plant are defined in the aspect of
creation of new maintenance model in order to its integration
in plant wide production control system. A new hybrid
method for prediction is discussed using enveloped statistical
data, adaptive regression modeling and implementation of a
knowledge in the form of condition based reasoning.
Remaining Useful Life (RUL) based method for Condition
Based Maintenance is accepted via current optimization of
the configuration of working tuyeres. The re-engineering of
existing human machine legacy system is considered as
incremental optimization problem.
Acknowledgments: This work was accomplished with the
financial support of the National Scientific Fund of Bulgaria,
Ministry of Education, Youth and Science under the Project
“Diagnostic and Risk Assessment Asset Maintenance” No
DVU-10-0267/2010
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