Invensys Operations Management has partnered with Codelco to improve the performance and longevity of Codelco's processing assets. This will increase the overall economic value of the company's business through the use of advanced process and regulatory control, real-time business performance measurement, simulators and operator training systems.

After a consultation in which Invensys Operations Management experts and Codelco senior management examined all aspects of Codelco's operations in the smelter process, Invensys Operations Management is implementing a range of multivariable advanced process control (APC) solutions targeted at generating optimal value from Codelco processes. The current implementation has so far improved product quality and consistency, reducing variability and shutdown frequency, thereby increasing Codelco's asset utilisation.

The programme began with operations at the Codelco Norte Division's concentrate smelter complex. There, APC has been implemented at the CT Converter to reduce slag temperature variability, reduce copper concentration variability in white metal and control other parameters more precisely. Invensys Operations Management will implement the solution at other Codelco facilities as part of Codelco's asset improvement programme, which was adopted by Codelco senior management to support the company's broader business objectives.