Traceability in continuous processes : applied to ore refinement processes

Introduction and purpose: Traceability is central for the identification of the root cause(s) behind a product deviation and thus to achieve a product and process quality that is both high and even. Continuous processes contain several characteristics complicating traceability which are not usually discussed in the scientific literature. The overall purpose of this thesis is to provide a theoretical framework for traceability and to test and develop methods for traceability in continuous processes. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review and interviews with engineers in continuous processes were performed in order to identify existing traceability theories and applications as well as characteristics complicating traceability in continuous processes. In addition, experiments evaluating traceability applications in three continuous processes were conducted at the Swedish iron ore refinement company Loussavaara Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB). Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), chemical tracer, and ideal flow simulations were, for example, used within the studied applications.Findings: A theoretical framework for traceability in continuous processes is outlined based on existing scientific literature. Several traceability methods suitable for continuous processes are described and illustrated within the framework. Furthermore, the complicating characteristics in continuous processes that each method may deal with are described. This thesis also presents and illustrates how traceability may be achieved in three continuous processes operating within ore refinement industries.Research limitations/implications: The presented research gives an insight into traceability theory and more specifically into traceability problems in continuous processes. However, the empirical results from the experiments are based on three specific processes, and research in other processes should be performed to validate the results.Practical implications: The presented results illustrate how to increase the ability to trace, track, and predict the product location in processes where traceability previously has been difficult.Originality/value: Prior research has primarily focused on discontinuous processes. By contrast, this thesis presents traceability from a continuous process perspective as well as the design and development of traceability applications for three of these processes.Introduktion och syfte: Spårbarhet är centralt för identifiering av rotorsaken(erna) bakom en produktavvikelse och därmed förmågan att uppnå en hög och jämn produkt- och processkvalitet. Kontinuerliga processer inrymmer ett flertal egenskaper som försvårar spårbarhet och som vanligtvis inte diskuteras i den vetenskapliga litteraturen. Det övergripande syftet med denna avhandling är att utveckla en teoretisk referensram för spårbarhet och att testa samt utveckla metoder för spårbarhet i kontinuerliga processer. Design/metod/forskningsansats: En litteraturstudie samt intervjuer med ingenjörer i kontinuerliga processer genomfördes i syfte att kartlägga befintliga spårbarhetsteorier och tillämpningar samt egenskaper som komplicerar spårbarhet i kontinuerliga processer. Dessutom utfördes experiment för att utvärdera spårbarhetsapplikationer i tre kontinuerliga processer inom det svenska järnmalmsförädlingsföretaget Loussavaara Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB). Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), kemiska spårämne och ideal flödessimuleringar är exempel på metoder som användas inom de studerade applikationerna.Resultat: En teoretisk referensram för spårbarhet i kontinuerliga processer baserad på befintlig forskningslitteratur har utvecklats. Flera spårbarhetsmetoder lämpliga för kontinuerliga processer beskrivs och illustreras inom den framtagna referensramen. Vidare beskrivs vilka komplicerande egenskaper i kontinuerliga processer som varje metod kan hantera. Denna avhandling presenterar och visar också hur spårbarhet kan uppnås i tre kontinuerliga processer som återfinns inom malmförädlingsindustrier.Forskningsbegränsningar/konsekvenser: Den presenterade forskning ger en inblick i spårbarhetsteorier och mer specifikt den spårbarhetsproblematik som återfinns i kontinuerliga processer. De empiriska resultaten från experimenten bygger dock på tre specifika processer, och fortsatt forskning kan med fördel utföras i andra processer för att validera resultaten.Praktiska konsekvenser: De presenterade resultaten visar hur man kan öka möjligheten att spåra, följa och prediktera en produkts position i processer där spårbarhet tidigare varit komplicerat.Originalitet/forskningsvärde: Tidigare forskning har främst fokuserat på diskontinuerliga processer. Denna avhandling presenterar dock spårbarhet utifrån ett kontinuerligt processperspektiv samt utvecklar och skapar spårbarhetsapplikationer för tre kontinuerliga processer.Godkänd; 2010; 20101020 (bjokva); DISPUTATION Ämnesområde: Kvalitetsteknik/Quality Technology &amp; Management Opponent: Professor Josse De Baerdemaeker, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Ordförande: Professor Bjarne Bergquist, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Onsdag den 24 november 2010, kl 13.00 Plats: D770, Luleå tekniska universitet</p

Från avfall till lönsam produkt : egenkontroll och produktmärkning av järnsand vid New Boliden Rönnskärsverken

Validerat; 20101217 (root

Traceability methods for continuous processes

The subject of this thesis is traceability in continuous processes, i.e. the ability to trace products or batches through a certain process. Examples of the benefits from traceability are that it minimises the extent to which products are affected by product recalls and assures lot uniformity in production. The traceability in part production is often high, since various kinds of identification markers can be attached to a product or batch and followed. Further, the literature in the traceability field is dominated by descriptions of traceability issues in parts production. However, creating traceability in continuous processes implies vast challenges: process flows can be parallel, serial and reflux; sub processes can be continuous as well as batch-wise. These challenges are not commonly addressed in the research literature about traceability. Continuous processes are commonly found in process industries such as the mining, dairy and food, paper, and steel industries. The purpose of this thesis is to explore and describe how traceability can be improved in continuous processes. A research study consisting of a case study was designed and performed to fulfil the purpose. The results from the study are described in four papers. In Paper 1, various traceability methods that could be used to improve traceability in continuous processes are identified and described together with their advantages and disadvantages. A mind map connecting different terms of traceability found in the literature is also presented. Further, the mind map describes how traceability may be improved in a continuous process. In Paper 2, a procedure to develop a flow simulation model for a process section to improve traceability is presented. The constructed flow model is then used to simulate the product flow in the pelletizing plants at LKAB. In Paper 3, a novel method to create traceability in a granular product flow using radio frequency identification (RFID) technique is presented. RFID is a wireless and automatic data capturing technique. The method showed promising results when it was initially tested at a conveyor. In Paper 4, the RFID technique is tested in two full scale experiments in a distribution chain of iron ore pellets at LKAB. Different types of RFID- tags and tag containers are tested in the experiments. The results of the experiments show that the RFID technique can be used to improve traceability in the distribution chain. Finally, the results from the research study illustrate that it may be possible to improve traceability in continuous processes by applying the presented traceability methods.Avhandlingen behandlar spårbarhet i kontinuerliga processer. Kontinuerliga processer återfinns exempelvis inom processindustrier såsom gruv-, livsmedel-, pappers- och stålindustrier. Med spårbarhet menas förmågan att kunna följa en produkt eller produktionssats genom en specifik process. Exempel på fördelar med en hög spårbarhet är att antalet produkter som behöver återkallas vid en produktåterkallning minskas samt att likformighet inom en produktionsserie kan säkerställas. Vid stycketillverkning är spårbarheten ofta hög, eftersom produkterna eller produktionssatserna normalt är märkta med ett unikt identifikationsnummer som kan följas genom processen. Att skapa hög spårbarhet i kontinuerliga processer inbegriper dock en mängd problem. Exempelvis kan en naturlig produktenhet saknas,processflöden kan vara parallella, seriella och innehålla återflöden och delprocesser kan vara kontinuerliga eller satsvisa. Problemen som rör kontinuerliga process tas vanligtvis inte upp i forskningslitteraturen som behandlar spårbarhet.Syftet med avhandlingen är att undersöka och beskriva hur spårbarheten kan förbättras i kontinuerliga processer. För att uppfylla syftet har forskningen bedrivits i form av en fallstudie. Resultatet av studien är beskriven i fyra artiklar. I artikel 1 identifieras och beskrivs olika spårbarhetsmetoder som kan användas till att förbättra spårbarheten i kontinuerliga processer samt styrkor och svagheter för varje metod. En tankekarta över hur olika begrepp inom ämnesområdet spårbarhet hänger ihop presenteras också. Tankekartan beskriver även översiktligt ett tänkbart tillvägagångssätt för att försöka förbättra spårbarheten i en kontinuerlig process. I artikel 2 presenteras en strategi för att ta fram en flödesmodell över en process i syfte att förbättra spårbarheten. Den upprättade flödesmodellen används även till att simulera produktflödet genom en specifik process, i detta fall LKABs pelletsverk i Malmberget. I artikel 3 beskrivs och testas en innovativ metod för att förbättra spårbarheten i granulära produktflöden. Metoden innebär att RFID (radio frekvens identifieringsteknik) används för att skapa spårbarhet i det granulära produktflödet. RFID är en trådlös och automatisk identifieringsteknik. De initiala experimenten med tekniken vid ett transportband för en granulär produkt visade lovande resultat. I artikel 4 beskrivs resultaten från två fullskaliga experiment med RFID-tekniken i en distributionskedja för den granulära produkten järnmalmspellets. Olika modeller av taggar (den identifieringsbara markören) och behållare för taggar testades i experimenten. Resultaten från experimenten tyder på att RFID är en metod som kan användas för att förbättra spårbarheten i den studerade distributionskedjan. Sammanfattningsvis så indikerar resultaten ifrån forskningsstudien att det är möjligt att förbättra spårbarheten i kontinuerliga processer genom att använda de spårbarhetsmetoder som beskrivs i avhandlingen.Godkänd; 2008; 20080424 (ysko

Developing distribution chain traceability in continuous processes : experiments in the iron ore pellets industry

Godkänd; 2007; Bibliografisk uppgift: Proceedings från konferensen distrubuerades elektroniskt (USB-minne) under konferensen; 20070927 (evan

Tracing granular products using RFID

Godkänd; 2010; Bibliografisk uppgift: Værtspublikationsredaktører: Göran Bäckblom Sider: 33-35; 20100615 (biem

Modelling process flows in continuous processes with radio frequency identification technique

Sources of disturbances are often difficult to identify in continuous processes, as the process flows are complex. There are, however, several methods that can be used to monitor flows in complex processes and thereby to improve traceability. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technique is one such method that has been extensively used in parts production for improving traceability. The application of the technique in continuous processes is, however, sparse. The RFID technique offers the possibility to create unique tags with different characteristics that can be detected at specific locations in the process flow. With RFID, virtual batches, possible to follow through the production process, could be created in many types of continuous processes. To report the suitability of using RFID in continuous processes, experiments were conducted in a distribution chain of iron ore pellets produced at LKAB in Malmberget. In a set of experiments eight tag containers were added to the product flow to test the behavior and ability of tag readers to detect the different containers. Three characteristics were varied among the containers: shape, coating mixture and size of tag. The results from the experiments show that large tags increase the read rate, and that no significant effect on read rate could be detected when coating mixtures and shapes were shifted. A conclusion is that the RFID technique could be used to improve traceability in the distribution chain for pellets. Finally, different advantages of improved traceability in continuous processes are discussed.Godkänd; 2008; 20080915 (bjokva)</p

Improving traceability in continuous processes using flow simulations

Traceability is normally difficult to achieve in continuous processes, since there are no natural batch structures. In this article, we demonstrate flow-based simulation using process data to improve traceability in a continuous pelletising process. Using the simulation model, the engineers could test the impacts of process disturbances, identify cause and effect relations and aid control in case of process disturbances. In a field trial where the chemistry of an additive was varied during production of a special product, the simulation forecasts predicted the level of the chemical content after the plant within the errors that the engineers found acceptable.Validerad; 2012; 20091116 (bjokva

ICPQROM 2011 Tracking and Tracing Products in Continuous Processes The Importance of Traceability for Improving and Controlling Quality

Summary Traceability is important for quality control and process improvements, but it is often difficult to track or trace products in continuous process production, since products and product lots are difficult to separate. In the past, engineers have had to rely on coarse calculations for tracing products, but new possibilities emerge as new technology and models are being used. In this paper, we present experiences from applying chemical and RFID tracers to achieve traceability in continuous flows, with examples taken from the minerals processing sector. Keywords RFID, Experiments , Tracers, Logistic regression, Process industry, Time series analysis The Importance of Traceability for Improving and Controlling Quality Failing equipment, human errors and variation of raw material properties often lead to product defects that may be harmful for customers and customer feedback is thus one important source of information that may guide improvement work. When customers complain, we need to understand why the customers were unsatisfied and what the defects were. When we know what caused the complaints, regular methodology includes tracing a defective product to where the defect had its origins. This could for instance include investigating from what raw material batch the product was produced, when it was produced and if the production process&apos; control system did indicate that something was unusual during production

Tracking and tracing products in continuous processes

Traceability is important for quality control and process improvements, but it is often difficult to track or trace products in continuous process production, since products and product lots are difficult to separate. In the past, engineers have had to rely on coarse calculations for tracing products, but new possibilities emerge as new technology and models are being used. In this paper, we present experiences from applying chemical and RFID tracers to achieve traceability in continuous flows, with examples taken from the minerals processing sector.Godkänd; 2011; 20110309 (bjarne_b