Determination of Optimal Technological Parameters of a Compaction Process: Case Study

Pelletizing as a complicated compaction process is under continuous improvement. One of the problems - determination of optimal technological parameters to attain a sufficiently high density of pellets - is solved in this paper. The statistical model of density depending on four technological factors is built based on data obtained through a central composite design. Canonical analysis is used to find the stationary point, and as the received point is a saddle point, the optimal setting is determined by means of ridge analysis. Special attention is paid to the uncertainty associated with the indirect measurement of the pellet density. Substantial differences in the density exist between pellets created under the same conditions, and especially the type-A uncertainty must be taken into consideration