What sparks will be ignited when artificial intelligence meets traditional mining industries? On June 11th, it was learned from the Chongqing Geological and Mineral Testing Center that the center's R&D team has independently developed the city's first digital intelligent re-election shaker (hereinafter referred to as the intelligent re-election shaker), which can automatically complete mineral processing through artificial intelligence visual recognition and digital remote operation. At present, the device has completed testing and is officially launched.

Why develop an intelligent reselection shaker? What's special about this shaker? The reporter conducted an interview on site.

In the past, we relied on 'feel', but now we rely on data

At the re-election laboratory in the center, the reporter saw an intelligent re-election shaker. It consists of a cabinet, a sloping shaker, a CNC faucet, and a mineral guide plate. There is also a black high-definition camera directly above the sloping shaker.

The meaning of "reselection" is to use gravity beneficiation, and reselection experiments are mainly responsible for the separation of black metal ores, non-ferrous and rare metal ores, as well as the purification and impurity removal of non-metallic ores. What does this mean? Zhou Chunji, a senior engineer at Selective Metallurgy, opened the intelligent re-election shaker and demonstrated it to reporters.

Zhou Chunji first retrieved the experimental parameters of the intelligent reselection shaker, set various data, and poured the quartz sand slurry into the slurry mixing bucket. Immediately, the shaker tilted automatically and the three faucets began to slowly release water. After the slurry flows into the shaker, the shaker begins to shake. Through the erosion and shaking of the water flow, the originally mixed quartz sand and iron containing impurities gradually separate, forming a boundary line on the left side of the shaker.

Iron containing impurity minerals are heavier than quartz sand, so they will separate. The quartz sand on the right side of the boundary line is usable, while the iron containing impurities are on the left side. "As soon as Dr. Li Ke, a member of the R&D team, finished speaking, the guide plate of the intelligent re-election shaker automatically extended, guiding the screened quartz sand into the concentrate bucket, and the iron containing impurities on the other side into the waste bucket.

This process used to rely entirely on manual operation, and a slight carelessness could cause delays, "said Li Ke. In the past, a re-election took 15-20 minutes and required two staff members. A slight mistake could mix impurities and minerals together, resulting in inaccurate results in subsequent experiments. And the amount of water and the tilt of the shaker in each experiment depend on the "feel" of the staff. If someone is replaced, the reproducibility of the data may be poor and the test results may be affected.

By using an intelligent reselection shaker, all parameters can be recorded in the background, forming a "formula" for the amount of water and inclination when screening minerals. With this "formula", no matter who operates it, the quality of mineral processing can be guaranteed.

Eliminate valuable minerals and elements in one fell swoop

In order to further improve the accuracy and efficiency of mineral processing, Li Ke and his team also equipped the intelligent reselection shaker with "brain" and "eyes", namely artificial intelligence algorithms and visual recognition modules.

Through the high-definition camera above the shaker, artificial intelligence visual recognition can quickly determine the boundary between minerals and impurities, accurately adjust the tilt angle of the shaker and the position of the mineral guide plate. At present, the accuracy of artificial intelligence in mineral processing is around 80%, and we hope to improve the accuracy to 95%, "said Li Ke.

Why is the accuracy of mineral processing so important? Li Ke gave an example that if there is one gram of gold in one ton of ore, it can be used as a gold mine for mining. Considering the cost of mining, the more accurate the beneficiation, the more likely it is to "sand gold mining".

In the past, for low-grade ores and associated ores, considering their low utilization value, they were directly classified as "abandoned ores" or "waste ores" and not used. Through technological innovation and precise beneficiation, valuable minerals or elements in low-grade and symbiotic ores can be screened and converted into economic benefits. This is a transformation of the mining industry from extensive utilization to green development, "said Li Ke.

Remote control is possible and is expected to be promoted to mines

To develop an intelligent re-election shaker, the R&D team of the center spent a year overcoming technical challenges such as equipment water inlet, slurry inlet, slurry recovery, bed surface control, graphic intelligent classification recognition, and artificial intelligence control for ore separation.

What is the application prospect of intelligent reselection shaker? Li Ke introduced that the intelligent re-election shaker is not only "smart" but also not "delicate". It can withstand adverse conditions such as noise and dust, and can be used normally in the production line of mines and mining enterprises. It can also be remotely controlled. The staff can adjust the "formula" for mineral processing at any time according to the production situation, without having to stay by all the time.

At present, the intelligent reselection shaker has been tested in laboratory and mining scenarios, and has shown good performance and stability. It is currently applying for an invention patent. Li Ke stated that this equipment not only solves many pain points of traditional mineral processing technology, enhances the independent innovation capability of domestic mineral processing equipment, but also enables the effective development and utilization of low-grade and symbiotic ores that were previously difficult to economically develop, reducing costs and increasing efficiency for mining enterprises. Next, they will continue to optimize the equipment and strive to bring it to the market as soon as possible.