Alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition in tailings thickening process

Abstract

The application discloses a tailing thickening process flocculant adding abnormality alarm system, and relates to the field of mine tailings treatment.The system comprises a dry powder storage bin for storing dry powder flocculant; a flocculant adding assembly for dissolving the dry powder flocculant and delivering liquid flocculant to a deep-cone thickener to mix with tailing slurry; a dry powder monitoring module for collecting the dry powder material surface image in the dry powder storage bin and identifying the material level height and the material flow state of the discharge port; a liquid monitoring module for collecting the flow, concentration and pipeline pressure of the liquid flocculant; a flocculation monitoring module for collecting the flocculation image of the tailing slurry mixed with the liquid flocculant and identifying the flocculation state; and a control module for judging whether each flocculant related parameter is out of the preset range and generating an alarm instruction for on-site and remote alarm when any related parameter is out of the preset range.The application realizes precise control of tailing thickening flocculant adding and guarantees stable and efficient operation of the system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of mine tailings treatment, and in particular to an alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during the tailings thickening process. Background Technology

[0002] The deep cone thickener is a core piece of equipment for tailings dewatering in mines. It adds flocculants to the tailings material, causing the tailings particles to agglomerate into dense flocs, accelerating sedimentation and achieving solid-liquid separation. High-molecular-weight flocculants immediately diffuse and swell upon contact with water. If some powder particles are not completely dispersed, they easily clump together after dissolving in water, forming flocs that cannot be broken up. Currently, there are two main methods for adding dry powder flocculants: airflow dispersion and water jet dispersion. In actual production, the former is widely used. The deep cone thickener has extremely high requirements for the stability of the added flocculant, but existing dry powder flocculant addition methods still have many drawbacks: (1) The status of dry powder flocculant feeding is difficult to monitor: The dry powder flocculant storage silo is a closed structure, and traditional manual inspection makes it difficult to grasp the material level in the silo in real time, which can easily lead to material interruption due to low material level; at the same time, the feed inlet of the feeding screw conveyor is prone to blockage due to the dry powder absorbing moisture and clumping. There is no obvious signal in the early stage of blockage, and it is only discovered after the conveying is interrupted, resulting in the tailings flocculant supply being interrupted, the flocs being unable to form, the settling efficiency of the deep cone thickener dropping sharply, and even problems such as "running muddy" (the sand content of the supernatant exceeds the standard) and the rake frame drive head torque overload causing the stoppage, also known as "rake pressing".

[0003] (2) Incomplete monitoring of flocculant delivery parameters: Existing devices mostly monitor the flow rate of liquid flocculant, ignoring concentration fluctuations (such as unstable water inlet to the dissolving tank leading to excessively high / low concentration) and abnormal pipeline pressure (such as scaling and blockage in the pipeline). Excessively high concentration will cause waste of reagents, while excessively low concentration will affect the flocculation effect. If abnormal pipeline pressure is not dealt with in time, it may lead to pipeline rupture and affect the continuity of production.

[0004] (3) No closed-loop feedback on tailings flocculation effect: Traditional devices only monitor parameters at the flocculant addition end, without relating them to the actual state of tailings flocs inside the deep cone thickener. Even if the addition parameters are normal, if changes in tailings particle size or water quality fluctuations lead to flocs that are too small or have insufficient density, it will not be detected in time, ultimately affecting the dewatering effect and increasing subsequent treatment costs.

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, there is an urgent need for a dedicated alarm device adapted to the flocculation process of tail sand in deep cone thickeners. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide an alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during the tailings thickening process. By integrating visual recognition of dry powder feeding, multi-parameter monitoring, and flocculant effect feedback, it can achieve full-process abnormal early warning and ensure the stable operation of the deep cone thickener.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides an alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening, comprising: Dry powder storage silo, used to store dry powder flocculants; A flocculant addition component is used to dissolve the dry powder flocculant in the dry powder storage bin and to transport the liquid flocculant to a deep cone thickener to mix with the tailings slurry. The dry powder monitoring module is used to collect images of the dry powder surface in the dry powder storage bin, and to identify the material level height and material flow status at the discharge port based on the dry powder surface images. A liquid monitoring module is used to collect the flow rate, concentration, and pipeline pressure of the liquid flocculant; The floc monitoring module is used to acquire floc images of the tailings slurry mixed with liquid flocculant, and to identify the flocculation state of the tailings based on the floc images; The control module is used to determine whether the relevant parameters of each flocculant exceed the preset range, and to generate an alarm command when any relevant parameter of a flocculant exceeds the preset range; the relevant parameters of the flocculant include the material level height, the material flow state at the discharge port, the flow rate, concentration and pipeline pressure of the liquid flocculant, and the flocculation state of the tailings. The alarm module is used to generate alarm signals for on-site and remote audible and visual alarms based on the alarm command.

[0008] According to the specific embodiments provided in this application, this application has the following technical effects: By integrating three core monitoring modules—dry powder monitoring, liquid monitoring, and floc monitoring—real-time, multi-dimensional acquisition and intelligent judgment of key parameters throughout the entire process of flocculant from dry powder storage, dissolution and transportation to mixing and reaction with tailings slurry are achieved, breaking through the technical bottlenecks of traditional tailings thickening operations, which rely on manual inspection, have single monitoring dimensions, and are slow to detect anomalies. Among them, dry powder surface image recognition can accurately control the dry powder level and flow state, liquid parameter monitoring can monitor flocculant flow rate, concentration, and pipeline pressure stability in real time, floc image analysis can intuitively judge the mixing and flocculation effect, and the multi-module data linkage, after analysis by the control module, can quickly trigger dual alarms on site and remotely when any parameter exceeds the preset range. This system can provide timely warnings of abnormal situations such as material blockage, substandard reagent concentration, and poor flocculation effect, avoiding problems such as low tailings thickening efficiency, equipment blockage, or substandard tailings treatment caused by abnormal flocculant addition. It significantly improves the automation and intelligent control level of the tailings thickening process, reduces the cost of manual inspection, ensures the continuous and stable operation of the tailings treatment system, and reduces potential production safety hazards. Attached Figure Description

[0009] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of an alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening, provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0011] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the flocculant addition process in the tailings thickening process of one embodiment of this application.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the monitoring and regulation of dry powder and liquid flocculant delivery in one embodiment of this application.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of tailings flocculation effect monitoring and feedback in one embodiment of this application.

[0014] Reference numerals: 1-Dry powder storage bin, 101-Transparent observation window, 102-Material level auxiliary sensor, 2-Flocculant addition component, 21-Discharge screw conveyor, 211-Heater, 212-Blower, 213-Powder pipe flow switch, 22-Dissolving tank, 221-Mixing tank, 2211-Agitator, 2212-Drain valve, 2213-Material level sensor, 222-Solution tank, 23-Variable frequency pump, 3-Dry powder monitoring module, 31-Industrial camera, 32-Supplemental lighting component, 33-Image analysis unit, 4-Addition pipeline, 5-Dissolving tank inlet control valve, 51-Dissolving tank inlet, 52-Inlet flow switch, 53-Dilution valve, 54-Quick filling valve, 6-Liquid monitoring module, 61-Flow monitoring unit, 62-Pressure monitoring unit, 63-Concentration monitoring unit 7-Floc monitoring module, 71-Floc image acquisition camera, 72-Purge assembly, 73-Particle size analysis unit, 74-Supplemental lighting strip, 75-Transparent acrylic tube, 8-Control module, 9-Alarm module, 91-On-site audible and visual alarm, 92-Remote alarm terminal, 10-Human-machine interface, 11-Deep cone thickener central control platform, 12-Deep cone thickener, 121-Drive head, 122-Main shaft, 123-Central feed well, 124-Slurry pump, 125-Dilution water pipeline, 126-Flocculant pipeline, 127-Tails self-circulation pipe, 128-Overflow weir, 129-Sand inlet pipeline, 1210-Overflow water pipe, 1211-Tails conveying pipe, 1212-P-DUC mixed flow pump, 1213-Rake frame, 13-Flocculant solution preparation machine, 14-Tails floc horizontal observation pipe section. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0016] The purpose of this application is to achieve closed-loop monitoring of the three stages of "dry powder feeding + solution conveying + tailings floc feedback" to solve the problems of difficulty in monitoring abnormal dry powder flocculant feeding, incomplete flocculant conveying parameters, and lack of feedback on tailings flocculation effect in the existing deep cone thickener tailings flocculation process. Furthermore, the addition of visual recognition and particle size feedback is more accurate than existing single-sensor methods, covering the entire process.

[0017] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0018] In one exemplary embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, an alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening is provided. It is applicable to the abnormal monitoring and alarm of the entire process of dry powder flocculant feeding and tailings flocculation. It includes: a dry powder storage bin 1, a flocculant addition component 2, a dry powder monitoring module 3, a liquid monitoring module 6, a floc monitoring module 7, a control module 8, and an alarm module 9.

[0019] The dry powder storage bin 1 is used to store dry powder flocculant. A transparent observation window 101 is provided on the side wall of the dry powder storage bin 1.

[0020] A material level auxiliary sensor 102 is installed inside the dry powder storage bin 1. The material level auxiliary sensor 102 is electrically connected to the control module 8 and is used to collect the material level height inside the dry powder storage bin 1. The material level auxiliary sensor 102 is an ultrasonic level gauge.

[0021] In a specific application example, the dry powder storage bin 1 is made of stainless steel, with a sealed feed inlet at the top and a high-strength transparent observation window 101 (made of tempered glass with an anti-scratch film on the inside) in the lower middle part of the side wall, which facilitates the industrial camera 31 to photograph the surface of the dry powder material inside the bin; the bottom of the bin is equipped with a conical discharge port, which is sealed to the feed end of the feed screw conveyor 21 of the flocculant addition component 2 to reduce dry powder leakage and dust.

[0022] like Figure 2As shown, liquid flocculant is first prepared by flocculant solution preparation machine 13, and then transported to deep cone thickener 12 through flocculant pipeline 126. Deep cone thickener 12 includes drive head 121, main shaft 122, central feed well 123, slurry pump 124, dilution water pipeline 125, flocculant pipeline 126, tailings self-circulation pipe 127, overflow weir 128, sand inlet pipeline 129, overflow pipe 1210, tailings conveying pipe 1211, P-DUC mixed flow pump 1212, and rake frame 1213.

[0023] The flocculant addition component 2 is used to dissolve the dry powder flocculant in the dry powder storage bin 1 and to transport the liquid flocculant to the deep cone thickener 12 to mix with the tailings slurry.

[0024] like Figure 3 As shown, the flocculant addition component 2 includes a feeding screw conveyor 21, a dissolving tank 22, and a variable frequency delivery pump 23. The dissolving tank 22 includes a mixing tank 221 and a solution tank 222. The feed end of the feeding screw conveyor 21 is connected to the bottom of the dry powder storage bin 1, and the discharge end of the feeding screw conveyor 21 is equipped with a heater 211. The dry powder flocculant is blown into the mixing tank 221 through a blower 212 and a powder pipe flow switch 213, while the dry powder flocculant is diluted through a dilution valve 53. The dissolving tank 22 is used to stir and dissolve the dry powder flocculant and water inside, and to transport the liquid flocculant to the deep cone thickener 12 for mixing with the tailings slurry. Water is injected into the mixing tank 221 through the dissolving tank inlet control valve 5, the dissolving tank inlet 51, the inlet flow switch 52, and the quick filling valve 54. The mixing tank 221 is equipped with a stirrer 2211 and a discharge valve 2212.

[0025] Specifically, after the dry powder flocculant is fully matured by stirring with water in the mixing tank 221 for more than 40 minutes in the dissolving tank 22, the discharge valve 2212 is opened to inject it into the solution tank 222. The outlet of the solution tank 222 is connected to two variable frequency delivery pumps 23 (one for use and one for standby). The other end of the pump pipeline is connected to the feed pipe or feed port of the deep cone thickener 12 to transport the liquid flocculant to the central feed well 123. A level sensor 2213 is also installed on the solution tank 222.

[0026] The rotational speed of the feeding screw conveyor 21 can be adjusted by the control module 8 to achieve quantitative feeding of dry powder and avoid fluctuations in the feeding amount. The dissolving tank 22 is equipped with a stirring paddle and a liquid level sensor. The stirring paddle is used to fully mix and dissolve the dry powder with water, and the liquid level sensor is used to monitor the liquid level of the liquid flocculant in the dissolving tank 22 to prevent the tank from being empty or overflowing.

[0027] In a specific application example, the flocculant addition component 2 delivers liquid flocculant to the deep cone thickener 12 via the addition pipeline 4.

[0028] The dry powder monitoring module 3 is used to collect images of the dry powder surface in the dry powder storage bin 1, and to identify the material level height and the material flow status at the discharge port based on the images. The material flow status at the discharge port includes normal flow, blockage, and material interruption.

[0029] The dry powder monitoring module 3 includes an industrial camera 31, a supplementary lighting component 32, and an image analysis unit 33. The industrial camera 31 is installed outside the transparent observation window 101 of the dry powder storage bin 1, with its lens facing the dry powder flocculant inside the dry powder storage bin 1. The industrial camera 31 is used to acquire images of the dry powder surface inside the dry powder storage bin 1. The supplementary lighting component 32 is used to provide a stable light source for the industrial camera 31. The image analysis unit 33 is electrically connected to the industrial camera 31 and is used to identify the material level height, surface flatness, and material flow status at the discharge port based on the dry powder surface images using deep learning algorithms (such as convolutional neural networks), and transmits the identification results to the control module 8.

[0030] Among them, the deep learning algorithm is trained by labeled sample images of normal flow, blockage, and interruption of material, and can automatically identify whether the material level in the dry powder storage bin 1 is lower than the preset material level threshold and whether there is blockage (material accumulation on the surface without flow) or interruption (no material falling) at the discharge port.

[0031] In a specific application example, the industrial camera 31 has 2 megapixels and is equipped with an 8mm~12mm zoom lens, supporting autofocus. The industrial camera 31 is mounted 10cm~15cm outside the transparent observation window, with the lens axis forming a 45° angle with the material surface inside the dry powder storage bin 1, ensuring clear imaging of the material level and the material flow status at the discharge port. The supplementary lighting component 32 is an LED supplementary light or LED supplementary light strip with a color temperature of 5000K and adjustable brightness, avoiding glare from the material surface from affecting the imaging. The image analysis unit 33 uses an embedded processor and is equipped with the TensorFlow Lite deep learning framework, capable of completing single-frame image analysis within 1 second, outputting two key parameters: the dry powder level height and the material flow status at the discharge port (normal / blocked / disconnected).

[0032] The liquid monitoring module 6 is used to collect the flow rate, concentration, and pipeline pressure of the liquid flocculant.

[0033] In a specific application example, the liquid monitoring module 6 includes a flow monitoring unit 61, a pressure monitoring unit 62, and a concentration monitoring unit 63, all of which are electrically connected to the control module 8 and transmit monitoring data.

[0034] A flow monitoring unit 61 is installed on the addition pipeline 4 to monitor the flow rate of the liquid flocculant. A pressure monitoring unit 62 is installed on the addition pipeline 4 and located between the flow monitoring module and the deep cone thickener 12 to monitor the delivery pressure of the liquid flocculant in the pipeline. A concentration monitoring unit 63 is installed at the outlet of the dissolving tank 22 or on the addition pipeline 4 to monitor the concentration of the liquid flocculant.

[0035] Among them, the flow monitoring unit 61 adopts an electromagnetic flowmeter (measuring range 0m). 3 / h~-50m 3 The pressure monitoring unit 62 uses a diffused silicon pressure sensor (range 0MPa~1.6MPa, accuracy ±0.2%), which can detect pressure surges caused by pipeline blockage in real time. The concentration monitoring unit 63 uses an ultrasonic concentration meter (measurement range 0.1%~5%, accuracy ±0.1%), installed at the outlet of the dissolving tank 22, to avoid interference from undissolved dry powder on concentration measurement.

[0036] The floc monitoring module 7 is used to collect floc images of the tailings slurry mixed with liquid flocculant, and to identify the flocculation state of the tailings based on the floc images.

[0037] like Figure 4 As shown, the floc monitoring module 7 includes a floc image acquisition camera 71, a purging assembly 72, a particle size analysis unit 73, a supplementary lighting strip 74, and a transparent acrylic tube 75. The floc image acquisition camera 71 is installed in the tailings floc horizontal observation pipe section 14 and is used to acquire floc images after the tailings slurry is mixed with the liquid flocculant. The particle size analysis unit 73 is electrically connected to the floc image acquisition camera 71 and is used to identify the floc particle size, floc density, floc distribution uniformity, and background turbidity based on the floc images. It also determines the tailings flocculation state based on the floc particle size, floc density, floc distribution uniformity, and background turbidity, and transmits the analysis results to the control module 8.

[0038] The floc image acquisition camera 71 is equipped with an anti-fog lens. The transparent acrylic tube 75 of the horizontal observation section of the circulation pipe of the deep cone thickener 12 is externally connected to a purging assembly 72. The purging assembly 72 is used to periodically clean the tailings dust or water mist inside the horizontal observation tube section 14 of the tailings floc, avoiding affecting the clarity of image acquisition. The purging assembly 72 is a compressed air purging nozzle.

[0039] In a specific application example, the floc image acquisition camera 71 is a waterproof and dustproof industrial camera (IP67 protection rating), equipped with a supplementary light strip 74, and installed in the transparent observation section of the horizontal section of the tailings self-circulation pipe of the deep cone thickener 12 (3m~5m away from the slurry pump to avoid the tailings flocs being in a turbulent state). The observation section is equipped with an automatic purging component 72 (purging for 15s~30s after each start and stop of self-circulation, with a purging frequency of 2 times / second). The essence of tailings flocculation is "flocculation of tailings particles by flocculant to form flocs". When the condition is not good (such as insufficient / excessive flocculant dosage, insufficient stirring), the shape, size, distribution, and density of the flocs will show obvious abnormalities. Image recognition needs to focus on extracting the four types of visual features in Table 1 as the basis for judgment.

[0040] Table 1

[0041] The control module 8 is used to determine whether the relevant parameters of each flocculant exceed the preset range, and to generate an alarm command when any relevant parameter of a flocculant exceeds the preset range; the relevant parameters of the flocculant include the material level height, the material flow state at the discharge port, the flow rate, concentration and pipeline pressure of the liquid flocculant, and the flocculation state of the tailings.

[0042] The control module 8 is preset with the following thresholds: dry powder level threshold (lower limit), material flow status judgment criteria at the discharge port (no flow / interruption judgment threshold), liquid flocculant flow rate threshold range, concentration threshold range, pipeline pressure threshold range, and tailings floc particle size threshold range (lower limit). The control module 8 is electrically connected to the dry powder monitoring module 3, liquid monitoring module 6, floc monitoring module 7, and alarm module 9. When the received monitoring data or identification results exceed the preset range, the alarm module 9 is controlled to issue an alarm.

[0043] The control module 8 is also used to determine whether the deviation between the material level height collected by the material level auxiliary sensor and the material level height identified by the dry powder monitoring module 3 exceeds a preset error range, and to generate an alarm command when the deviation exceeds the preset error range. The material level auxiliary sensor assists in verifying the material level height identified by the industrial camera 31. When the deviation between the two data exceeds the preset error range, the control module 8 triggers a self-test alarm of the dry powder monitoring module 3.

[0044] The control module 8 is also electrically connected to the feeding screw conveyor 21 of the flocculant addition component 2. The control module 8 is also used to control the feeding screw conveyor 21 to reverse for a preset time (5 seconds to 30 seconds) when the material flow at the feeding port is blocked, in order to try to clear the blockage. If the blockage is still detected after reversal, an alarm is triggered. When the material level is lower than the preset material level threshold, the control module 8 controls the feeding screw conveyor 21 to reduce the speed and reduce the feeding amount, and at the same time triggers an alarm to remind the user to replenish the material. When the concentration of the liquid flocculant is higher than the preset upper limit or lower than the preset lower limit, the control module 8 adjusts the speed of the feeding screw conveyor 21 (increase or decrease the dry powder amount) and the water inlet of the dissolving tank 22 to adjust the concentration of the liquid flocculant and realize closed-loop concentration regulation.

[0045] A variable frequency delivery pump 23 is installed on pipeline 4 and electrically connected to the control module 8. The control module 8 is also used to control the speed of the variable frequency delivery pump 23 to adjust the flow rate of the liquid flocculant when the flow rate is lower than a preset lower limit. If the flow rate is still not up to standard after adjustment, an alarm is triggered.

[0046] In a specific application example, control module 8 uses a PLC controller (model S7-1200) that supports analog and digital signal acquisition and PID regulation.

[0047] The control module 8 also includes a data storage unit and a human-machine interface 10. The data storage unit stores visual recognition data of flocculant dry powder feeding, flow / concentration / pipeline pressure monitoring data, and tailings floc analysis data for the past 6 months. The human-machine interface 10 is a touch screen used to display various monitoring parameters in real time, query historical data, and modify threshold parameters.

[0048] The alarm module 9 is used to generate alarm signals for on-site and remote alarms according to the alarm command.

[0049] In a specific application example, the alarm module 9 includes a local audible and visual alarm 91 (110 dB, flashing red light) and a remote alarm terminal 92, which can issue alarms at different frequencies according to the level of abnormality (minor / serious) (minor: audible and visual alarm with a 3-second interval; severe: continuous audible and visual alarm). The remote alarm terminal 92 includes a mobile APP for staff and a deep cone thickener control platform 11. The mobile APP receives signals via 4G / 5G, and the deep cone thickener control platform 11 is connected via Ethernet.

[0050] The alarm signal includes the type of anomaly, the time of occurrence of the anomaly, and a screenshot of real-time monitoring data, which helps staff quickly locate the problem. The types of anomalies include dry powder blockage, material interruption, abnormal material level, abnormal flow rate, abnormal concentration, and / or substandard floc particle size.

[0051] This application addresses the problems of material interruption, blockage, and insufficient material level in the dry powder flocculant feeding process during the tailings flocculation of the deep cone thickener 12, as well as the difficulty in timely monitoring of the tailings flocculation effect. By integrating a dry powder monitoring module 3, a liquid monitoring module 6, a floc monitoring module 7, a control module 8, and an alarm module 9, it achieves full-process monitoring of the dry powder flocculant feeding status, conveying process, and tailings flocculation effect. When abnormalities are detected in the dry powder flocculant feeding (material interruption, blockage, low material level) or abnormal parameters (flow rate / concentration / pipeline pressure exceeding limits), or when the tailings flocculation effect is poor, multi-dimensional alarms can be triggered in real time, ensuring the tailings settling efficiency and processing stability of the deep cone thickener 12. It has the advantages of strong adaptability, comprehensive monitoring, and accurate response.

[0052] The following describes the workflow and fault handling logic of the flocculant addition anomaly alarm system during the tailings thickening process. The workflow of the flocculant addition anomaly alarm system during the tailings thickening process revolves around three stages: "dry powder feeding - dissolution and conveying - tailings flocculation," as detailed below: Phase 1: Monitoring and handling of abnormalities in the feeding of flocculant dry powder.

[0053] Industrial camera 31 captures an image of the dry powder level in dry powder storage silo 1 every 2 seconds during the feeding process. Image analysis unit 33 transmits the material level height to control module 8. (1) If the material level is lower than the preset lower limit (e.g., 10% of the storage bin volume), the control module 8 will first trigger a "low material level alarm" (the sound and light alarm will sound every 3 seconds, and the APP will push the message "please replenish dry powder flocculant"), and at the same time control the speed of the feeding screw conveyor 21 to be reduced by 20% to reduce the consumption of dry powder and buy time for replenishment; if the material level does not rise within 30 minutes, the alarm will be upgraded to "severe low material level" (the sound and light alarm will continue, and the central control platform will pop up a prompt).

[0054] (2) If the image analysis unit 33 detects material blockage, that is, if three consecutive frames of dry powder material surface images show no material flow at the discharge port and the material surface is piled up, that is, there is material but it is blocked at the dry powder silo outlet or the mixing tank inlet and cannot fall, and at the same time the current of the discharge screw conveyor 21 is too low (idling) or overloaded, the control module 8 immediately controls the discharge screw conveyor 21 to reverse for 10 seconds (the reverse speed is 50% of the normal speed) to try to clear the blockage; if the blockage is still detected after reversal, the "blockage alarm" is triggered, and the operation of the discharge screw conveyor 21 is stopped, the discharge valve of the mixing tank is closed, and the flow rate of the variable frequency pump 23 of the flocculant addition pipeline 4 and the tailings slurry feed flow rate of the deep cone thickener 12 are reduced.

[0055] (3) If a material shortage is detected, i.e., three consecutive frames of dry powder material surface images show no material falling from the discharge port and no change in the material surface height, the control module 8 determines that the material discharge screw conveyor 21 is faulty (the current sensor shows that the current is 0 or too low, but the air pressure is normal) or the blower is faulty (the conveyor current is normal or overloaded, and the blower air pressure is lower than the set value by 50%). The "material shortage alarm" is immediately triggered, and the material discharge screw conveyor 21 is stopped to avoid motor overload damage. At the same time, the discharge valve of the mixing tank is closed, and the flow rate of the variable frequency conveying pump 23 of the flocculant addition pipeline 4 and the tailings slurry feed flow rate of the deep cone thickener 12 are reduced.

[0056] Phase 2: Monitoring and regulation of liquid flocculant delivery.

[0057] Liquid monitoring module 6 transmits data to control module 8 every second, and control module 8 performs real-time analysis. (1) Abnormal flow rate: If the flow rate is lower than the preset lower limit (e.g., 2m³ / h), it indicates an abnormal flow rate. 3 / h), the control module 8 controls the variable frequency delivery pump 5 to increase its speed by 10%. If the flow rate still does not meet the standard within 5 seconds, a "low flow alarm" is triggered; if the flow rate is higher than the upper limit (e.g., 8m³ / h), the alarm is triggered. 3 ( / h), reduce the speed of the variable frequency delivery pump 5. If the adjustment is ineffective, trigger the "overflow alarm".

[0058] (2) Abnormal pipeline pressure: If the pressure is higher than the preset upper limit (e.g., 1.2MPa), it is determined that the pipeline is blocked. The control module 8 immediately stops the variable frequency delivery pump 23 and triggers the "pressure too high alarm" to avoid pipeline rupture; if the pressure is lower than the lower limit (e.g., 0.2MPa), it is determined that the pipeline is leaking and triggers the "pressure too low alarm".

[0059] (3) Abnormal concentration: If the concentration is higher than the upper limit (e.g., 3‰), the control module 8 increases the water inlet of the dissolving tank 22 (increases by 10%), and at the same time reduces the speed of the feeding screw conveyor 21 (reduces by 10%); if the concentration is lower than the lower limit (e.g., 1‰), the water inlet is reduced and the speed of the feeding screw conveyor 21 is increased; if the concentration still does not meet the standard within the preparation interval of the next mixing tank after adjustment (not less than 40 min), the "abnormal concentration alarm" is triggered.

[0060] Phase 3: Monitoring and feedback on tailings flocculation effect.

[0061] With the tailings self-circulation pipeline open, the floc monitoring module 7 takes a floc image every 5 seconds. The judgment criteria and handling measures are as follows: (1) Based on the actual engineering scenario, the three common problems of poor flocculation state shown in Table 2 can be accurately determined by image recognition.

[0062] Table 2

[0063] (2) If the control module 8 determines that the flocculation effect is not good, the flow rate of liquid flocculant is increased (by 5%), and the "floc particle size is too small, flow rate has been adjusted" message is pushed through the APP. If the floc particle size still does not meet the standard after 30 minutes of adjustment, the "flocculation effect is poor alarm" is triggered to remind the staff to check the quality of the single batch of flocculant or change the flocculant model.

[0064] In summary, compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application include at least the following: (1) Precisely adapted to deep cone thickener scenarios: The design of the entire process of "dry powder feeding-dissolving-mixing flocculation" for deep cone thickener tailings flocculation solves the drawback of traditional devices that only monitor a single link. In particular, through the dry powder monitoring module, it realizes for the first time the real-time identification of dry powder blockage and material interruption in the closed storage bin, avoiding problems such as "running muddy" or even "rake pressing" of the deep cone thickener caused by abnormal feeding.

[0065] (2) Full-process monitoring without blind spots: From the dry powder material level and feeding status to the flow rate, concentration and pipeline pressure of liquid flocculant, and then to the particle size distribution of tailings flocs, a closed-loop monitoring system of "addition end - conveying end - effect end" is formed, covering all key nodes in the tailings flocculation process of the deep cone thickener.

[0066] (3) Intelligent adjustment and alarm combination: The control module can actively adjust the speed of the feeding screw conveyor, the speed of the conveying pump and the water inlet of the dissolving tank according to the monitoring data, reducing manual intervention; the alarm module adopts a dual mode of "on-site + remote", and alarms are classified according to the level of abnormality, which not only avoids staff from missing key faults, but also reduces excessive interference from minor abnormalities.

[0067] (4) Data support for process optimization: The data storage unit can store monitoring data for a long time. Staff can query historical curves (such as the correlation between floc particle size and flocculant concentration within a certain period of time) through the human-computer interaction interface, providing data support for optimizing the flocculant addition of the deep cone thickener and improving the tailings treatment process, thereby reducing reagent costs.

[0068] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, data stored, data displayed, etc.) involved in this application are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of the relevant data must comply with relevant regulations.

[0069] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0070] This document uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the methods and core ideas of this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. An alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process, characterized in that, The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during the tailings thickening process includes: Dry powder storage silo, used for storing dry powder flocculants; A flocculant addition component is used to dissolve the dry powder flocculant in the dry powder storage bin and to transport the liquid flocculant to a deep cone thickener for mixing with tailings slurry. The dry powder monitoring module is used to collect images of the dry powder surface in the dry powder storage bin, and to identify the material level height and material flow status at the discharge port based on the dry powder surface images. A liquid monitoring module is used to collect the flow rate, concentration, and pipeline pressure of the liquid flocculant; The floc monitoring module is used to acquire floc images of the tailings slurry mixed with liquid flocculant, and to identify the flocculation state of the tailings based on the floc images; The control module is used to determine whether the relevant parameters of each flocculant exceed the preset range, and to generate an alarm command when any relevant parameter of a flocculant exceeds the preset range; the relevant parameters of the flocculant include the material level height, the material flow state at the discharge port, the flow rate, concentration and pipeline pressure of the liquid flocculant, and the flocculation state of the tailings. The alarm module is used to generate alarm signals for on-site and remote audible and visual alarms based on the alarm command.

2. The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dry powder storage bin is equipped with a material level auxiliary sensor; the material level auxiliary sensor is used to collect the material level height inside the dry powder storage bin. The control module is also used to determine whether the deviation between the material level height collected by the material level auxiliary sensor and the material level height identified by the dry powder monitoring module exceeds a preset error range, and to generate an alarm command when the deviation exceeds the preset error range.

3. The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material flow status at the discharge port includes normal flow, blockage, and interruption.

4. The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flocculant addition component includes a feeding screw conveyor, a dissolving tank, and a variable frequency delivery pump; The feed end of the feeding screw conveyor is connected to the bottom of the dry powder storage bin, and the discharge end of the feeding screw conveyor is equipped with a heater and injects the dry powder flocculant into the dissolving tank through a blower. The dissolving tank is used to stir and dissolve the dry powder flocculant inside with water, and the liquid flocculant is transported to the deep cone thickener by the variable frequency pump to mix with the tailings slurry.

5. The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process according to claim 4, characterized in that, The control module is also used to control the discharge screw conveyor to reverse for a preset time when the material flow at the discharge port is blocked, to control the discharge screw conveyor to reduce its speed when the material level is lower than a preset material level threshold, and to adjust the speed of the discharge screw conveyor and the water inlet of the dissolving tank when the concentration of the liquid flocculant is higher than a preset upper limit or lower than a preset lower limit, so as to adjust the concentration of the liquid flocculant.

6. The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flocculant addition component delivers liquid flocculant to the deep cone thickener via an addition pipeline; a variable frequency delivery pump is installed on the addition pipeline; the control module is also used to control the speed of the variable frequency delivery pump to adjust the flow rate of the liquid flocculant when the flow rate of the liquid flocculant is lower than a preset lower limit.

7. The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dry powder storage compartment has a transparent observation window on its side wall; the dry powder monitoring module includes an industrial camera, a supplementary lighting component, and an image analysis unit. The industrial camera is mounted outside the transparent observation window of the dry powder storage bin, with its lens facing the dry powder flocculant inside the dry powder storage bin; the industrial camera is used to capture images of the dry powder material surface inside the dry powder storage bin. The supplemental lighting component is used to provide a light source for the industrial camera; The image analysis unit is used to identify the material level height and the material flow status at the discharge port based on the dry powder surface image using a deep learning algorithm.

8. The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The floc monitoring module includes: A floc image acquisition camera is installed in the horizontal observation section of the tailings floc in the circulation pipe of the deep cone thickener to acquire floc images of the tailings slurry after it is mixed with the liquid flocculant. The particle size analysis unit is used to identify the floc particle size, floc density, floc distribution uniformity, and background turbidity based on the floc image, and to determine the tailings flocculation state based on the floc particle size, the floc density, the floc distribution uniformity, and the background turbidity.

9. The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process according to claim 8, characterized in that, The floc image acquisition camera is equipped with an anti-fog lens; the circulation pipe of the deep cone thickener is connected to an external purging assembly; the purging assembly is used to periodically clean the tailings dust or water mist in the horizontal observation pipe section of the tailings floc.

10. The alarm system for abnormal flocculant addition during tailings thickening process according to claim 1, characterized in that, The alarm signal includes the type of abnormality, the time of occurrence of the abnormality, and a screenshot of real-time monitoring data; the types of abnormalities include dry powder blockage, material interruption, abnormal material level, abnormal flow rate, abnormal concentration, and / or substandard floc particle size.

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