Computer process control for the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 77, No. 870, 1984

A. HEWITSON, Eng. MET-CHEM Canada Inc., V. BALAKRISHNAN Kudremukh Iron Ore Company, India

The Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited, a government of India enterprise, has constructed iron ore mining, crushing, handling and concentrator facilities at Kudremukh, in southwest India. Concentrate produced is pumped 65 km to dewater-ing, storage and ship-loading facilities which were built at the same time at the sea port of Mangalore. A computer-based distributed process control system was implemented for all operations at Kudremukh and to interface with and monitor the Mangalore plant. The control system is examined from various standpoints, beginning with a description of its architecture, method of process input/output connection, and major hardware items. Software considerations and process applications are then looked at, with a review of the integration of the computer vendor's system software with user-developed applications programming. A control example of crusher operations is provided. Following the descriptive segment is a discussion of the design considerations and decision factors involved in the implementation of such a system considering the type of process and the remote nature of the installation site. It ends with a review of actual operating experience and conclusions regarding both this system and future similar applications.

Keywords: Computer applications, Process control, Control system, Design, Programming, Crushers, Conveyors, Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited