Digital twins for increased efficiency in mineral technology processes

Purpose and goal
The project aims at investigating how mineral engineering processes can be controlled more efficiently and more sustainably by using digital twins of the processes. The project will focus on how the digital twins are designed and how they relate to the management and monitoring of facilities. There are a large number of issues of interest that need to be investigated for the introduction of digital twins and this preliminary study aims to provide an insight into these questions.

Structure and implementation
The project is divided into three phases: an exploratory and investigative phase, a development phase and a verification phase. By checking the current mode and tool, a demonstrator (simulator) will be built. This will be tested in terms of streamlining processes and how it can help and affect the people who work with the processes. The exploratory, investigative and development work is carried out in parallel from the start, and verification and evaluation is done in the latter part of the project.

Expected results
The project will show how digital twins can be used to make mineral engineering processes more effective, resource efficient and sustainable, and how the role of the human is affected. Requirements for accuracy in modeling a specific process and for simulation results and predictability need to be clarified. The project will thus improve the knowledge situation for all participating project partners and provide the basis for further development and research applications.