Norilsk Nickel has installed a smart melt monitoring system at its metallurgical plant in Norilsk in collaboration with Reksoft. The system uses computer vision to assist the converter operator in identifying phases during the tapping process.
According to Nornickel’s press service, the converting process is essential for further purifying matte by removing impurities.
The new smart system utilizes infrared cameras to recognize the position of converter components and the flow of the melt in real time. The system identifies the current stage, analyses the temperature within the stream, and determines which product is being tapped.
"The project delivers a direct economic benefit to Nornickel. Technical projections indicate that deploying this technology as part of the Metallurgist's Digital Assistant suite increases copper recovery into blister copper by 0.6 percentage points; furthermore, the implementation of all modules in the suite helps reduce the loss of nickel and cobalt into converter slag," explained Anton Kharin, Senior Manager at the Innovation Department of Nornickel’s Polar Division.
Plans are in place to roll out the technology to other converters and Nornickel facilities in the future.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
