Consulting Services

Industry Leading Expertise in Autoclave Design and Operation

Design Review

The earlier in the design process that we can give input, the better — as early as pre-feasibility.

NOVA Hydromet’s team can help prevent problems at your site before they occur. Our design review service will have our controls, process, and product experts reviewing your plans for new plant design, plant expansion, or process changes.

We’ll work with your design or operations team to inform choices about autoclave process decisions, equipment sizing, and leveraging data through equipment and instrumentation.

Proactive help with design from subject matter experts can prevent outsized problems during commissioning or operations.

Flow Control

Is your site having problems with autoclave flow, level, pressure, or temperature control?

These problems can go undetected for months and lead to the loss of millions in potential recovery. Incorrect valve sizing, lack of overpressure control, and frequent unscheduled shuts can all lead to throughput limitations.

The interconnected feedback loops between autoclave variables can make the autoclave seem like a black box. Our controls experts can help your team understand how these parameters affect one another, and provide insight into how to control better, without limiting throughput.

Root Cause Analysis

Failures and broken valve trim are often the result of a series of events rather than just one.

We have found that when autoclave components fail, it is best to take a disciplined scientific approach to finding the root cause of the failure so that it can be resolved, rather than trying to use intuition or ‘gut feel’.

Our subject matter experts have experience triaging hundreds of broken components using a multi-disciplinary approach, including fracture mechanics, multiphase flow theory, operating data analytics, and physical inspections.

In addition to root cause analysis for discrete failures, we can help your site track the lifecycle of problem components to help quantify component life trends and improvements.

System Modelling

A disciplined scientific approach to resolving systemic throughput issues.

Systemic issues in autoclave operation, such as restricted throughput or consistent poor equipment life, will benefit from physics-based modelling.

NOVA’s physics-based models take the guesswork out of predicting how your autoclave systems will function under a given set of parameters. Our team can assist by creating models that mirror the specific setup and physics of your autoclave systems.

The models act as digital twins which can then be used to train personnel on how your process functions, run what-if scenarios for predicting autoclave behavior, and troubleshoot control issues. All with the goal of optimizing production.