Association rules as an example of data mining in the analysis of copper flash smelting process – the metallurgist’s point of view

The paper presents an attempt of the exploration of data sets collected in the copper flash smelting process. The goal of the research was to find the association rules occurring between selected output parameters of the process – copper concentration in the slag and lead concentration in blister copper – and input process parameters. The discovered relationships extend the knowledge on the process and can help to improve the models describing the flash smelting process and the process control system algorithms.