Senyard, LLC.
Providing "hands-off" Complex Base Layer APC Controls to Industries
plus clean methods for extraction of rare earths from mine ore/tailings
Focus Areas
Our primary focus and expertise has been in the field of Advanced Process Controls (APC), more specifically the Complex Base Layer Controls (CBLC) portion that resides in the Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and provide hands-off controls with improved throughput and lower energy usage and emissions.
We have also spent decades developing clean extraction methods (no chemicals) of precious metals, rare earths, and critical metals from mined ore and tailings.
Complex Base Layer Controls (APC) of industrial processes
Based on techniques developed in the 1960s and improved to-date, this form of Advanced Process Control (APC) is remarkably responsive and robust.
Typical improvements demonstrated over decades of use are in the 15-30% rate improvements, 15-30% energy/emission reduction, or a combination of the two.
The results are classified as "hands-off" control, relying upon operations to only address instrument or equipment failures which were deemed "outside the scope of the process controls."
Advanced Data Analytics of Analog Data
Large quantities of process data (time sequenced and representative of all process variability to be addressed) must be gathered and analyzed; outliers must be identified and flagged.
The data is then used to develop either (1) first principal equations or (2) principal component models which can then be coded into the control system for use in control at a processing frequency based on the particular process loop's time constant.
These same equations (inverted) can be used to develop digital models of the process for high level operation and operation.
Extraction of REEs from Mined Ore / Tailings
What began sixteen years ago as development of a clean and efficient process for extraction of a precious metals concentrate (gold and platinum group metals) was expanded six years ago to extract silver and silver compounds, and now to extract rare earths and critical metals from the ore / tailings as concentrates.
Based on some breakthrough discoveries, the process has remained "clean" (no use of chemicals).
It is being further developed to find clean methods for super-concentrating the concentrates and potentially isolating various pure products.
All good APC is based upon
"Theory of Constraints"
“Theory Of Constraints” (TOC) is a management paradigm that views any manageable system as being limited in achieving more of its goals by a very small number of constraints. There is always at least one constraint, and TOC uses a focusing process to identify the constraint and restructure the rest of the organization around it. TOC adopts the common idiom "a chain is no stronger than its weakest link". This means that processes, organizations, etc., are vulnerable because the weakest person or part can always damage or break them or at least adversely affect the outcome.”[1]
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_constraints
As applied to and industrial processes, Theory Of Constraints (TOC) is a paradigm that views any industrial process as being limited in achieving more of its goals/objectives by a very small number of constraints and/or process or control interactions. There are always constraints and/or interactions, and TOC uses a focusing process to identify the constraints/interactions and design/ restructure the rest of the controls around it. In summary, an IAPC Process Study is a “Theory of Constraints” approach to determine the expected improvement for a process under newly installed APC.
More Capacity, Higher On-Stream Time?
If so, how much additional capacity? What is the baseline On-Stream Rate (“OSR”)? If the opportunity for more capacity “exceeds” the desired capacity, then the excess becomes categorized as “soft” credits (versus “hard” credits).
Many don’t correlate OSR against On-Stream Time (“OST”). Often constraints are removed that improve the OST, allowing the process to run at the same OSR but at a higher OST. Both have to be taken into account.
Higher Conversion & Yield, Better Quality?
Conversion & Yield are very specific to processes that have reactions, in which product(s) are made from other precursors, and values can be tied to degree of conversion (single pass or recycle with "costs"), yield of any desirable product, and selectivity to premium or more desirable products.
Of course, almost everyone wants this. But if the Operating Product Quality (“OPQ”) is improved, how much is enough, and what is it worth to improve the quality? Sometimes product quality becomes a tradeoff against OST, so the value of each has to be weighed against each other.
Lower Energy Usage, Less Waste?
There is typically a tradeoff between objectives, and both sides have to be evaluated. If the CBLC Process Study determines that 20% more capacity (OSR) is achievable, with 10% more OST, taking these credits will clearly offset some or all of the energy and waste savings that are possible if the OSR and OST are not changed. Usually a good CBLC Process Study will identify the “energy/unit of feed” and “waste/unit of feed” to clarify the relationship.
Easier Operation?
This carries a real value ... but what is it worth? No plant is going to suddenly use less operators ... In reality, more will be expected of operations as a result of an “easier operation”. A non-stressed operator will typically begin spending more time analyzing and studying the process itself once under CBLC, and begin to implement improvements on the process all on their own. They want to add value to the process, but have been hampered from doing so since they previously had to make frequent process changes to operate the plant under Regulatory Controls.
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