What is Needed to Create a Plant Simulation
To create an accurate aggregate and water mass balance simulation it is best to start with a thorough equipment survey.
Simulating Aggregate Plants
| Plant Flow Chart | A hand drawn, AutoCad or similar layout of the plant. |
| Vibrating Screen Survey | Make & Model, Size, Horsepower, Mesh Size, Operating Speed and Stroke for each machine. |
| Crusher Survey | Make & Model, Size, Horsepower, Closed Side Setting (CSS) and Liners for each machine. |
| Feeder Survey | Type and Size for each. |
| Conveyor Survey | Length/Width, Direction, Horsepower and location for each. |
| Product List | Inventory Piles, Stock Piles and Blending Piles. |
| Product Specifications | Including target bands for the product. |
| Wash Equipment Survey | Sand Screws, Log Washers, Classifiers, Clarifiers and other separators. |
| Initial Feed Gradation | The initial feed gradation is hard to measure because material sizes at this stage are typically larger than 8 inches (200 mm). The most important factor in determining the initial feed gradation is the amount of material that passes through the first screening point. For example, if the feed is to a grizzly feeder with a 5-inch bar opening (125 mm), then an accurate value for the percent of material passing 5 inches is required. |
| Field Measurements | Field measurements are needed to compare calculated results to field results. Field measurements can include gradation analysis and product rates (tph) using belt cuts, belts scales and finished product gradations. |
Simulating Water Mass Balance in a Plant
You will need to assemble information about water equipment including:
- Pumps (volume and power).
- Water sources (ponds and tanks)
- Water Retention (ponds and tanks)
Sample Buckets allow you enter actual field samples into the simulation and
compare actual results to calculated results.