492 Figure 12 —Grind P80 contours (using data in Chauhan (2014)) with experimental ‘noise’ and the resulting SSDEVOP simplex path. The path of the simplex stabilised in a region where P80 ~ 115 µm; while this was much better than the starting conditions where P80 ~ 160 µm, it was not quite as good as the conditions corresponding to P80 ~ 90 µm which was identified by the error-free simplex shown previously in Figure. This is a shortcoming that would be expected in real trials, and which would be exacerbated by larger degrees of measurement uncertainty in the process response. Nevertheless, the process response in Figure was still clearly better at the conclusion of the SSDEVOP, despite the slightly compromised ability of the simplexes to identify the true response minimum. The main benefit of SSDEVOP is that it allows for the seeking out of such improvements via conservative, incremental changes, when the priority is to eliminate the risk of process disruption. It is also suitable for operator involvement in the process, which improves the commitment of operators to the final outcome. 5. CONCLUSIONS Critical decision-making should be driven by rigorous data analysis. The problem for metallurgists is that mineral processing data is complex, owing to the fact that production environments are effectively the worst type of laboratory in which to undertake experimental work. This complexity stems from factors over which metallurgists largely have no control, and is the single-biggest point of difference compared to experimental work undertaken in controlled lab settings. The most effective way to deal with these risks to good decision-making is to design experiments and plant-trials that manage these sources of uncontrolled variability, and then undertake statistical analysis which isolates the effect of the trial from these interfering factors. Application of these statistical techniques will result in financial benefits to a business by guarding against the risk of wasted investment and/or missed opportunities in business improvement initiatives. This has been demonstrated in these case studies, as well as in many others reported in the mineral processing literature. REFERENCES Chauhan, M., 2014. Investigation of a mineral flotation separability test for ore characterisation in geometallurgy., In JKMRC. University of Queensland.
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