Deep Reinforcement Learning and Auto-Differential Evolution Co-Guided Coal Washing

Background. Coal washing is a complicated process and difficult to control, which has many controlling parameters with strong coupling relationship. It is still a challenge to realize the self-perception, self-adjustment, and self-evaluation of coal washing machine, improve the quality of coal washing, ensure production safety, and reduce labor cost. Methods. Through the intelligent transformation of jig, this paper proposes an intelligent washing method with cooperated deep reinforcement learning and evolutionary computation. First, it designs a fault warning method based on statistical analysis, helping to recover the normal running state of jig with manual maintenance. Then, it constructs a regulation strategy generation method with deep reinforcement learning supported by the fusion of artificial experience and historical data. Last, for the lack of monitoring data caused by poor communication quality and environment, the regulation strategy prediction method with evolutionary computation and surrogate model is proposed. Results. In practice, this method shows accurate fault warning accuracy and rapid cleaned coal ash adjustment response ability. Conclusions. This shows that the method proposed in this paper is of great significance for intelligent washing and can better cope with the special situation when the washing equipment sensing data are missing.