Abstract: A system for automatically or semi-automatically controlling the operation of a tuyere puncher comprises a distance measuring device which measures the distance of the puncher from a reference position, and a programmable device having a memory which may be used to store the position of each tuyere relative to such reference position, the capability of communicating with the distance measuring device to obtain the current puncher position, input capability to read signals from external devices, output capability to control indicating devices and the movement and punching operations of the puncher, and the calculating facility to determine the motion of the puncher to punch all possible punchable tuyeres.

Abstract: A method and a system are disclosed for maintaining optimum throughput in a grinding circuit of the type in which fresh ore is fed to a rod mill and the ground ore from the rod mill, together with the ground ore from a ball mill operated in a reversed circuit, are combined in a pump box and pumped to a cluster of hydrocyclone classifiers. The rod mill is operated in open circuit but the ball mill is operated in closed circuit with the cyclone classifiers which serve to classify the mill discharge material, returning the oversize to the ball mill. The system comprises monitoring devices for sensing the cyclone classifier feed density and any one or combinations of the following conditions of the grinding circuit: (1) rod mill sound, (2) ball mill sound, (3) pump box level, and (4) cyclone overflow particle size and density.