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RUSAL, one of the world's largest aluminum producers, has integrated machine listening technology into its alumina production. This innovation analyzes acoustic vibrations generated by grinding operations using mathematical algorithms, enabling the optimization of bauxite ore loading, reduction of equipment wear, and decrease in energy consumption.
RUSAL's Engineering Department developed a machine listening system to control the grinding unit and successfully tested it on a small-scale wet grinding unit at the Krasnoturinsk alumina plant.
Having developed and implemented numerous machine vision technologies to date, RUSAL is now implementing machine listening technology for the first time. Vibroacoustic sensors installed in the grinding unit record operational sounds and convert them into digital signals. A mathematical algorithm analyzes these signals and determines the ore load of the grinding unit based on vibration frequency and magnitude. The system then instructs the grinding unit to make automatic adjustments. The algorithm has been trained to recognize the precise relationship between sound patterns and grinding unit loading and can ignore noise unrelated to the process.
RUSAL's Alumina Production Engineering and Technology Directorate has begun evaluating the applicability of machine listening technology at the Achinsk Alumina Refinery. Achinsk stands out as the only alumina refinery in the world that processes a mixture of nepheline and limestone ore. The vibration and sound patterns of the grinding equipment here differ from those of bauxite grinding units. Therefore, the system will be specially fine-tuned to ensure optimal performance.