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I. INTRODUCTION
Froth flotation is a complex physico-chemical process that
utilizes natural and induces hydrophobicity by chemical
reactors dosage to separate and collect valuable particles from
slurry [2].
Flotation is the most widely used separation process in the
mineral processing industry today. The importance of flotation
in the global economy is significant. The quantity of mineral
treated by flotation is about nine billions tons per day. The
95% of base metals are processed by this technique [1].
Control of the flotation process is an important aspect of
plant optimization. The control and feedback typically is
carried out by operators based on on-stream analyser and

This paragraph of the first footnote will contain the date on which you
submitted your paper for review. It will also contain support information,
including sponsor and financial support acknowledgment. For example, This
work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Commerce under Grant
BS123456.
The next few paragraphs should contain the authors current affiliations,
including current address and e-mail. For example, F. A. Author is with the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305 USA (e-
mail: author@ boulder.nist.gov).
S. B. Author, Jr., was with Rice University, Houston, TX 77005 USA. He
is now with the Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Fort
Collins, CO 80523 USA (e-mail: author@lamar.colostate.edu).
T. C. Author is with the Electrical Engineering Department, University of
Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 USA, on leave from the National Research
Institute for Metals, Tsukuba, Japan (e-mail: author@nrim.go.jp).
traditional controllers as PID controller for pulp level.
Base level flotation control is focused on maintaining
primary variables at setpoints. These primary variables
include: pulp level, air flowrate and reagent addition rate. This
is generally achieved through the usage of conventional SISO
PID control; although more advanced methods are now
commonly used in modern control strategies. Similarly,
traditional base level flotation control was applied to single
cells, although modern control strategies are now regularly
applied to entire banks of cells (e.g. pulp level control) (BJ
Shean, JJ cilliers areview of froth flotation control,
international journal of mineral processing, Elsevier 2011 ed
100, p 57-71).
Considering that the flotation process is subject to a wide
variety of disturbances, several regularity control strategies
have been proposed, sucha as, adaptative control using lienar
SISO models, multivariate models and nonlinear models.
Control of the plant dynamics can be achieved by
proceeding the plant with an adaptative controller whose
transfer function is the inverse of that plant [5]. This paper
instead considers a technique called adaptive inverse control
[6] [7] [8]as reformulated by Widrow and Walach [9]
which does not require a precise initial plant model. Like
feedback linearization, adaptive inverse control is based on the
concept of dynamic inversion, but an inverse need not exist.
In previous work the laboratory of Gestin en tecnologas
de la informacin y comunicacin (GETIC) has worked with
neural predistortion technique in order to linearize the power
amplifier output for mobile satellite communications [10].
This technique widely applied to communication problems is
applied to assess the control of a real dynamic process.
This paper shows the application of an adaptative pre
distorter to control a flotation plant. The controller will be
tested using a flotation model from fundamental equation as
well as empirical [11].
This paper is organized as it follows. First the actual process
control and state of the art of flotation control and
instrumentation is presented in section 2. Section 3 presents
the main equation of the model and its parameters. In section 4
pre distortion technique is describe and how it deals with
nonlinear plants. In section 5 implementation and simulation
results are given.

Controller based on predistortion for flotation
bank
Fabin Seguel1, Nicolas Krommenacker,Ismael Soto1, Miguel Maldonado, MillarayCurilem2and
Nestor Becerra3
2
II. BACKGROUND OF PROCESS CONTROL APLLIED TO
FLOTATION BANKS
Flotation process is highly complex.Arbiter and harris (1962)
estimating that there are approximatelu 100 variables that
affect the flotation process. Moreover co interactions between
variables further complicate control efforts. Increase air
flowrate for example may result in a larger bubble size, wich
will subsequently affect the bubble gas velocity, rate of
attachment, gas holdup, erc. This high number of variables
makes the flotation control very complex.
Wills and Napier 2006 suggest that if the process is running
perfectly, variations in feed rate, pulp density, etc. may be
compensated.
To perform control on flotation banks information about
disturbances, process operating parameters and product quality
is required.
There are two main manipulated variables in flotation control.
The valve position for level control and the air flow rate.
Stenlund and Medvedev (2000); Kmpjrvi and Jms-
Jounela (2003); and Carr et al. (2009) report that flotation cells
traditionally use feedback PI control to ensure pulp levels
remain at desired set-points; although Wills and Napier-Munn
(2006) add that feedforward control is also regularly
integrated to account for flowrate variations upstream. This is
achieved bymanipulating the tailings flow from the cell by
adjustment of the slurry outlet valve. This technique is
effective for the control of isolated cells, but is also commonly
used to control a bank of cells in series.
As such, sophisticated multivariable model-based control
methods have been developed; Despite this, Carr et al. (2009)
reports that these more sophisticated methods are rarely
used in industrial processing plants. Commercial control
packages such as FloatStar Level Stabiliser by Mintek, or
CellStation by Outotec, also aim to control all cell levels
simultaneously using advanced control techniques. Both have
reportedly been trialled successfully and installed on industrial
plants (www.mintek.co.za; www.outotec.com).

Wills and Napier-Munn (2006) elaborate just how important
and useful aeration control is; adding that flotation generally
responds faster to changes in aeration, than to changes in froth
depth, and because of this aeration is often a more effective
control variable. Similarly, they infer (by use of an example)
that in comparison to reagent addition, air is by far the
cheaper reagent and leaves no residual concentration if used
in excess.
III. PLANT MODEL
In order to perform the proposed controller a formulaltion of a
model from fundamental equation as well as empirical
relationships is developed. All the equations that will be
descused corresponds to a single cell model. A cell bank is
created by connecting individual cells models in serie.
The implementation of this model and model responses will
be given.
Material enters to the cell in the pulp phase as feed and pulpo
ut of the cell as tailings. Valuable mineral leaves the pulp
phase by true flotation or entrainment. Gangue leaves the pulp
phase just by entrainment.
In this case. The model involved two clases of mineral
definded as
*
()
()


The componen balances for the minerals in the cell are shown
in the equation XX

+
Each component of the mass balance of the pulp is calculed
by the following relationships

+
The pulp phase concentration as well as volumetric flow of
tailings can be calculates from equations XX and XX
respectively. In this case we asume that each cell is connected
to the next by a control valve.

()

+
The fraction of mineral leaving the pulp fase by true flotation
is determined by

+
The volumen of the pulp phase is given by four components.
Valuable mineral, gangue, wter and air. The contribution of
the first three component is given by the equation XX. The
pulp level in the cell will be higher tan the level calculares
from XX due the air holdup.

[]
The pulp phase contains material leaving the pulp phase by
flotation and re-entering material through drop back. It is
posible conbine these terms and model net trate at wich
material leaves the pulp phase. The collection zone constant is
given by the equation XX. The flotation probability of wach
class of material is given in the apendix A. Its used to model
the rate at wich particles attach to bubbles in the pulp phase.
The overall flotation rate is given by the equation XX.

+
The fraction of each material recovered by entrainment can be
determined using the equation XX

(4.23)
Rate recovery of water can be assumed to be proportional to
the mass of water in the pulp phase (Lynch et al, 1981:74) The
classification function is given by the equation XX.
3

(4.21)
The following empirical relationship given by Gorain et al
1999 is used to calculate the bubble surface rea flux.
The values of the constants are contained in the apendix A.

(4.17)
The relationshio given by Vera et all 2002 was used to predict
thefroth recovery factor

) (

) (4.18)
The correlation requieres froth retention time calculed by the
level of froth in the cell and volumetric air flow.

(4.19)

(4.20)

A mass flow can also be calculated for water as shown in
equation XX

(4.9)
Each componen of the mass balance is detailed next.
The water mass that leaves the pulp in the tailings is
determined by XX

(4.10)
Concentration of water is determined by XX. The volumetric
flow of tailings was described above.

(4.13)
Water can only leave the pulp into concentrate by entrainment.

(4.12)
In this case it was assumed that

is not a function of froth

level.

(4.11)
The cell parameters are shown in the table 1 with their
respective units.


Parameter
Symbol Value Unit
a

Mineral Flotability

() Dimensionless
Mineral Flotability

() Dimensionless

Bubble surface rea
flux constant
Dimensionless
Bubble surface rea
flux constant
Dimensionless
Bubble surface rea
flux constant
Dimensionless
Bubble surface rea
flux constant
Dimensionless
Bubble surface rea
flux constant
Dimensionless
Drainage Parameter
[

]
Froth Parameter []
Parameter in
relationship for flow
between cells

Valve constant

Dimensionless
Valve constant

Dimensionless
Impeller aspect ratio

Dimensionless
Impeller perpheral
speed

+
80% Passing feed size

[]
Cell cross section rea [

]
Cell height []





IV. PREDISTORTION
This paper introduces a neural network adaptive pre-distortion
technique wich is commonly used in HPA to compensate
nonlineatities. The technique adapts to changes in the
nonlineality of the process.
Several other solutions have been applied to the problem.
These techniques tend to require a larger, heavier, more
expensive and, be less efficient.
The digital mapping techniques have been limited by the
massive amount of storage required for a sufficiently accurate
mapping to be stored. The use of neural networks was first
investigated by the autors in [6] as a digital baseband
predistortion wich utilizes a multilayer perceptron to
approximate the inverse of any amplifier response.

Como utilizare la tecnica y la contribucin.
A. Neural networks


Neural Network training and Kalman Filter


B. Controller based on predistortion for flotation bank

4


V. SIMULATION AND RESULTS
Curvas de entrenamiento de la red neuronal, velocidad de
convergencia y error en la aproximacin Tablas de
Indice de adecuacin
Error RMS
RSD (relative standard deviation)
Grficos de celda con ruido a la entrada sin control y su
respuesta
Grfico de respuesta con control
Tablas de RSD con y sin control y comparacin
(disminucin de la perturbacin)
Tabla de aumento de recuperacin con y sin control
(aumento de beneficio)

The controller C is designed to optimally drive the plant
output on a referent trajectory given by an operator. A
controller was built by using a neural network to generate an
adaptative predistorter. The controllers has the following
variables as inputs:
Controller: Desired output, Feed grade (%), Federate
(tons/s) and collector addition (g/min).
For the training a signal with noise was used for collector
addition is shown in the figure XX the control signal.



VI. CONCLUSIONS
Inverse control is very simple yet highly effective. It can be
optimized by adapting a disturbance canceler for closing the
loop
Results show the benefits of using the feed forward action
to attenuate the effect of typical flotation feed disturbances.
By using predistortion technique the noise power is reduced
making the controlled response closer to the desired response
than the uncontrolled plant.
The feed disturbances are commonly measured but the
configuration of feed forward control cant prevent the effect
of unmeasured disturbances. A disturbance canceller can be
adapted for its purpose.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The preferred spelling of the word acknowledgment in
American English is without an e after the g. Use the
singular heading even if you have many acknowledgments.
Avoid expressions such as One of us (S.B.A.) would like to
thank ... . Instead, write F. A. Author thanks ... . In most
cases, sponsor and financial support acknowledgments are
placed in the unnumbered footnote on the first page, not here.

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