IDEAS nickel plant
The solution for achieving faster start-up, reducing risk, and increasing profit
IDEAS includes unit operation objects in libraries that enable users to effectively simulate a nickel plant.
Nickel smelter in New Caledonia
These libraries feature a flexible and easily customized database that contains the material properties for components commonly used in the mineral industry. Using IDEAS during the design phase will allow the minimization of capital costs and the design of a plant that is easier to operate.
Steady-state simulation
IDEAS has powerful steady-state capabilities. It performs steady-state mass and energy balances, tracks components, compounds, and element flow and concentration, and handles particle size distributions. IDEAS has been used to model complex plants that include truck and shovel operations, conveying, crushing and grinding (including high pressure grinding rolls), flotation, high pressure acid leaching, heat recovery circuits, neutralization, counter current decantation (CCD), autoclaves, precipitation, filtration, separation, solvent extraction, and electro-winning.
Dynamic simulation
Steady-state models created in IDEAS can be easily converted to a dynamic environment to include detailed dynamic specifications and process control logic. By using IDEAS for control logic verification, plants can reduce costly design errors that could otherwise delay start-up. In fact, studies have shown that using simulation to help with start-up can correct up to 82% of control logic problems before field implementation.
The dynamic simulator can also be used for operator training. Working just like a flight simulator, IDEAS allows trainees to gain realistic, hands-on experience without inflicting harm on themselves, the environment, or the plant.
