Confidential
PRJ-10 · Tilden Mine
Concentrator Desliming & Recovery Optimization
Project PRJ-10: Process Chemistry Optimization — Concentrator
Site Tilden Mine — Concentrator (desliming + flotation circuits)
Champions Keith Holmgren (Sr. Dir. Mining Tech), Sean Halston (Concentrator Ops)
Key SMEs Ryan Korpela (Site Leader), Met tech team
Vooban Lead Pascal Lalancette
IE Lead Erico Lemos (PM), Bob Zadel (Sr. Technical Advisor)
Duration Phase 1: 7 weeks · Phase 2: 12 weeks (17–19 total)
Status Phase 1 Active
Charter Snapshot
A 17–19 week POV deploying four integrated AI components around the desliming circuit. Phase 1 proves the core thesis with a hard go/no-go gate at Week 7. Phase 2 builds the full system.
Four-Component AI Stack
Component
ID
Role
Desliming Optimization Model
TLD-23
Core — dispersant dosing guidance per section
Flotation Recovery Feedback Loop
TLD-08
Outcome validation — measures downstream impact
Live CRP / Operator Decision Support
TLD-32
Delivery surface — how met techs use all of this
Beaker Test Vision
TLD-54
Measurement enabler — replaces subjective visual assessment
Scope Boundaries
In scope: Desliming circuit (all 4 milling sections), flotation as outcome measurement, beaker vision pilot, live operator advisory dashboard
Explicitly out: Grinding optimization (Keith excluded), mine-to-concentrator ore tracking (deferred to TLD-P17), water chemistry as control variable, automated DCS write-back
Progress
Phase 1: Proof of Value (Weeks 0–7)
Phase
Weeks
Status
Key Activities
Data Readiness Confirmation
0
PAA data availability, D-slime grab sample export, Pi tag list, coordinator confirmed
Data Ingestion & Baseline
1–2
Ingest Pi/DCS/met balance, establish weight recovery baseline per section, variability analysis
Desliming Model & Flotation Correlation
3–5
Feature engineering, hybrid model (rules + ML), backtest on historical data, flotation correlation
Mid-Point Review
6
Preliminary results with Ryan, Keith, operations stakeholders
Hard Gate — Phase 1 Deliverables
7
Go/no-go decision on Phase 2
Phase 2: Full System Build (Weeks 8–19)
Phase
Weeks
Status
Key Activities
Team Ramp & Beaker Vision
8–10
Full team ramp, camera deployment at PSI stations, live CRP prototype
System Integration & Operator Training
11–15
Live advisory dashboard, flotation feedback loop, met tech workflow integration
Measured Improvement & Handoff
16–19
Recovery improvement measurement, operational handoff, sustainability plan
Key Metrics
Metric
Baseline
Target
Current
Weight recovery
36–42% (variable)
Reduce variability, shift upward
—
Section-to-section variability
High (unquantified)
Quantified, then reduced
—
Operator-to-operator variability
High (subjective beaker tests)
Standardized via beaker vision
—
Flotation stability
Periodic flooding events
Predictable, preventable
—
Dispersant dosing consistency
Manual, experience-dependent
Model-guided, per-section
—
Value anchor: Each 1% weight recovery improvement = ~100,000 additional tons = tens of millions $/yr. $50M/yr reagent spend as optimization surface.
Decisions Log
#
Decision
Owner
Deadline
Status
1
PAA dispersant data: DCS/Pi logged vs. paper-only?
Keith Holmgren
Week 0
2
Day-to-day coordinator appointment
Ryan Korpela
Week 0
3
IT/OT data access pre-approval
CLF IT
Week 0
4
Phase 2 go/no-go
Ryan Korpela / Chad Asgaard
Week 7
5
Beaker vision PSI station selection (1–2 stations)
Keith Holmgren
Week 8
CLF Accountability
What Cleveland-Cliffs owns. These items gate project progress — delays here delay delivery.
CLF Deliverables
#
Deliverable
Owner
Phase
Status
CLF1
Data access provisioning — Pi historian, DCS, met balance exports
CLF IT/OT
Pre-kickoff + Phase 1
CLF2
SME time commitment — Keith Holmgren + backup SMEs
Keith Holmgren
Phase 1 + 2
CLF3
Met tech participation — 2–3 reps for workflow mapping + validation
Concentrator Ops
Phase 2
CLF4
Pilot PSI station access — beaker vision camera installation
Keith Holmgren
Phase 2 (Week 8)
CLF5
Day-to-day champion assignment
Ryan Korpela
Pre-kickoff
CLF6
Decision gate participation — Week 7 + Week 19
Ryan + Chad
Phase 1 + 2
Pre-Kickoff Data (Week 0)
#
Item
Owner
Status
A1
D-slime grab sample spreadsheet
Concentrator Ops
A2
Metallurgical balance records (12+ months)
Concentrator Ops
B1
PAA dispersant logging confirmation (DCS/Pi vs. paper)
Keith Holmgren
C6
Pi historian tag list for desliming + flotation circuits
CLF IT/OT
D1
Day-to-day coordinator confirmed
Ryan Korpela
Week 1 Data Ingestion
Source
Data
Owner
Status
Pi historian
Dispersant rates, tailing sump levels, DTU pump speeds, thickener profiles, flotation params (12+ months)
CLF IT/OT
DCS (Foxboro)
Control setpoints, process measurements, met tech dispersant inputs
CLF IT/OT
Silica analyzer
Flotation circuit readings (7-min intervals)
Concentrator Ops
Reagent records
Dispersant + amine consumption by type, dosing rates, cost data
Concentrator Ops
Named CLF Roles
Role
Person
Accountability
Site sponsor
Ryan Korpela
Go/no-go decisions, executive escalation
Corporate sponsor
Chad Asgaard
Phase gate decisions, resource authorization
Sr. Dir. Mining Technology
Keith Holmgren
Process framework, SME knowledge, scope decisions
Concentrator Ops
Sean Halston
Day-to-day operations context, met tech coordination
Day-to-day coordinator
TBD
Data logistics, scheduling, first point of contact
Two pre-kickoff items outstanding
Day-to-day coordinator not yet assigned. PAA dispersant logging not yet confirmed as DCS/Pi-logged vs. paper-only — this determines the entire modeling approach.
Blockers
#
Blocker
Since
Owner
Impact
No active blockers
Activity Feed
Date
Update
Apr 7
IE x Tilden scoping call: scope locked to desliming + flotation recovery. Grinding excluded by Keith. Charter v2 submitted.
Mar 24
Chad Asgaard directed concentrator focus at corporate readout. "Make money, not life easier."
Mar 14
Tilden readout — Ryan: "really impressed." All 4 projects validated. Concentrator = #1 priority.
Governance
Touchpoint
Timing
Audience
Weekly status
Every Friday
Project team (Vooban + IE + CLF coordinator)
Week 2 checkpoint
End of Week 2
Data reality check — Keith + Vooban
Week 6 mid-point review
Mid-Phase 1
Ryan, Keith, operations stakeholders
Week 7 hard gate
End of Phase 1
Go/no-go: Ryan + Chad
Week 14 system review
Mid-Phase 2
Full leadership review
Week 19 final demo
End of POV
Site + corporate leadership