Advanced Process Control (APC)

Unlock plant performance with Mipac’s APC expertise

Variability is the biggest challenge in mineral processing. Fluctuating feed quality, manual interventions, and complex process interactions can limit throughput and recovery. Advanced Process Control (APC) helps overcome these challenges by stabilising operations, optimising control loops, and enabling smarter automation.

Mipac offers a complete APC capability, from readiness assessment to advanced AI-driven control strategies, tailored for mineral processing plants.

Maximise performance

Our advanced solutions are designed to unlock the full potential of your concentrator. From crushing and grinding to flotation and beyond, APC delivers measurable improvements at every stage of the process.

We combine your team’s best practices with Mipac’s 28+ years of expertise to create a collaborative approach that delivers results quickly. Integration is seamless, and we prioritise the health of your equipment because when your process runs efficiently, wear is reduced, and maintenance intervals are extended.

Improve energy efficiency

APC doesn’t just optimise performance. It helps you operate more sustainably. By continuously monitoring process conditions and adjusting control strategies, APC reduces unnecessary energy consumption.

For example, in SAG mill control, APC systems can optimise mill speed based on real-time load conditions, preventing energy waste and extending liner life. Automatic control ensures your plant runs at peak efficiency without compromising reliability.

Increase process stability

Variability is inevitable in mineral processing. Changes in ore characteristics or equipment conditions can disrupt operations. APC compensates for these changes automatically, maintaining a consistent, stable process. By analysing multiple signals and making real-time adjustments, APC reduces variability by up to 30%, improving product quality and overall operational efficiency.

Improve operator efficiency and decision-making

With APC automating complex control tasks, operators spend less time on manual interventions and more time on strategic oversight. Real-time insights and predictive control improve confidence in decision-making and reduce human error.

Our APC capabilites

APC readiness

Before implementing APC, your plant must meet key infrastructure and control benchmarks. Our APC Readiness Audit identifies gaps and builds a roadmap for success.

Why it matters:

APC deployment without readiness leads to poor results. We ensure your site is prepared for a smooth transition.

What we deliver:

Instrumentation and historian review
Control loop performance analysis
Digital maturity assessment
Recommendations for infrastructure and logic improvements

APC design and implementation

We design and deploy APC solutions that integrate seamlessly with your existing control systems.

Why it matters:

A well-designed APC system ensures seamless integration with your existing control environment, delivering measurable improvements in stability, throughput, and efficiency without disrupting operations..

Our approach includes:

Multivariable control strategy development
Model Predictive Control (MPC) configuration
Integration with DCS and historian systems
Operator training and change management

Advanced Regulatory Control (ARC)

ARC enhances traditional PID control strategies with advanced techniques like cascade, feed-forward, and override control. It’s a cost-effective way to improve stability before moving to full APC.

Why it matters:

ARC enhances traditional PID control strategies, providing a cost-effective way to improve process stability and performance before moving to full APC.

Applications:

Grinding circuits
Flotation cells
Thickening and leaching systems

Multivariable Predictive Control (MPC)

Complex mineral processing circuits often involve multiple interacting variables and controlling them individually can lead to inefficiencies and instability. Multivariable Predictive Control (MPC) solves this challenge by using dynamic models to predict future process behaviour and optimise multiple variables simultaneously.

Why it matters:

MPC anticipates process changes and optimises multiple variables simultaneously, enabling plants to push throughput and recovery while maintaining stability and equipment health

Our approach delivers:

Predictive control that anticipates changes before they occur
Coordination of multiple loops for optimal plant performance
Constraint handling to keep operations within safe and economic limits

AI & Machine Learning

We combine AI and ML with APC to enable adaptive, self-learning control strategies.

Why it matters:

AI and ML bring adaptability and intelligence to APC, allowing systems to learn from changing conditions and continuously optimise performance for maximum economic benefit.

Capabilities include:

Predictive maintenance and anomaly detection
Dynamic optimisation under changing ore conditions
Integration with digital twins and remote operations

Not sure if your plant is APC ready?

Download our APC Readiness Checklist to assess your site’s instrumentation, control systems, and digital maturity.

Why choose Mipac for your APC journey

Mineral processing specialists:
Decades of experience across concentrators, smelters, and refineries.
Proven methodology:
Structured approach from readiness to implementation.
Technology leadership:
Expertise in MPC, AI, and ML for process control.
End-to-end support:
From audit to deployment and ongoing optimisation.

If you want to see how we can assist your plant to get ready for APC, or have APC plans to implement, contact us and we’ll set up a call with an APC specialist today.

Got questions?

What is Advanced Process Control (APC) in mineral processing?

APC uses predictive, multivariable algorithms to stabilise and optimise plant operations. It goes beyond basic PID control to improve throughput, recovery, and efficiency.

Why is APC important for mineral processing plants?

APC reduces variability, increases throughput, and lowers energy and reagent costs. It helps plants achieve consistent performance under changing ore conditions.

What is APC readiness and why does it matter?

APC readiness ensures your plant has the right instrumentation, data quality, and control stability before implementing APC. Without readiness, APC performance suffers.

How does Advanced Regulatory Control (ARC) differ from APC?

ARC enhances PID control with advanced strategies like cascade and feed-forward. APC uses predictive models and multivariable optimisation for higher-level control.

What is Model Predictive Control (MPC) and where is it used?

MPC predicts future process behaviour and adjusts control actions to optimise performance. It’s widely used in grinding, flotation, and leaching circuits.

How do AI and Machine Learning improve APC?

AI and ML enable adaptive control, predictive maintenance, and dynamic optimisation. They help APC systems learn and improve under variable conditions.

Advanced Process Control (APC)