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72 E&MJ; • OCTOBER 2017 www.e-mj.com PROCESSING SOLUTIONS Ten billion tons of potash reserves. Put an- other way, reserves that exceed global an- nual production by more than 300 times. And it's what a large potash operation in Eastern Europe must fi nd a way to ex- tract and process in the most effi cient manner possible. At these large volumes of material, the company needs to ensure that operations move that potash quickly and reliably throughout their facility. The current challenge for this compa- ny is to maintain its high level of through- put while moving forward with plans to expand operations by the end of the year. It intends to meet the challenge by mar- shalling effi cient processes, more than 4,000 staff, and help from Siemens auto- mation and instrumentation. Worldwide potash extraction exceeds 30 million tons per year and plays a ma- jor role in a large number of industries, including medicines and water softeners, but one far more important than the rest: food. The main use of potash is as a key ingredient in fertilizer, indispensable in feeding the world's growing population. But how to get those millions of tons out of the ground — in this case, from the ground in Eastern Europe — and on the way to becoming fertilizer? And how to do so while staying com- petitive in a global landscape that's in- creasingly more challenging? Fluctuating commodity prices, heightened safety regu- lations, and stakeholders who expect more from less. Companies are becoming leaner yet stronger, and more innovative. As the potash moves from the under- ground mine into the crushing machinery, 32 Siemens Milltronics belt scales monitor the process. Two types of belt scales ensure that operators know at all times exactly how much potash is being transported from the mine and into the processing facility. • Siemens Milltronics MSI belt scales are installed on transport conveyors that moni- tor production totals to ensure that the plant is running as effi ciently as possible. • Higher-accuracy Siemens Milltronics MMI-2 belt scales are located on the feed to the processing plant. Engineers installed the belt scales quickly and easily, and calibrated them using Siemens test chains, which simu- late real, moving loads. Roller test chains are the most accurate solution for belt scale calibration. The chain's ability to react more closely to real conveying con- ditions allows for more accurate calibra- tions, as the changes in belt tension as well as idler alignment are more prevalent during the calibration process compared to static test weights. Operators can have faith in the data be- cause Siemens Milltronics MMI-2 scales are trade approved, with an accuracy of 0.25%, and can be trusted to handle the immense volume of potash being produced. In addi- tion to providing a high level of accuracy, the belt scales' reliability helps to avoid pro- duction-draining slowdowns and stoppages. Weight and speed data from each scale and each of the 32 Siemens Milltronics RBSS speed sensors is fed into one of the 32 Siemens Milltronics BW500 weigh- ing integrators, which calculate the total moving volume. Each integrator, connect- ed to the control system via Profi bus DP, makes this information available on con- trol room displays. This is the fi rst line of integration across the entire plant — close moni- toring ensures maximum input of potash being delivered to the crushers, keeping effi ciency at its peak. Thanks to the high-quality data power- ing their entire ore transportation, crushing and storage facilities, the company has de- cided that it is time to ramp up production. Future-proofi ng Potash Mining: The Need for Intelligent Operations At this large Eastern European potash producer's facility, Profi bus DP allows access to all process data including rate, speed, total and load—as well as any instrument alarming if a problem occurs. Siemens Milltronics MSI belt scales are installed on transport conveyors that monitor production totals to ensure that the plant is running as effi ciently as possible.