Integration of fuzzy logic based control procedures in brewing

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to integrate fuzzy logic into the fermentation process in a brewery. The brewery involved is a local commercial brewery, Beamish and Crawford Brewery plc in Cork, Ireland. Our approach consists of developing a control system for a fermentation process using fuzzy logic in two stages. In the first stage the software package fuzzyTech from Inform provided the fuzzy logic controller, and in the second stage InTouch from Wonderware provided the user front-end. The results of this new controller and the fault detection system show a clear alternative over the conventional controller (PID). Optimisation of the fermentation vessel is run simultaneously with this project. The main idea is based on examining the various input parameters that influence the fermentation process. These parameters include temperature, pressure, fermentation duration and yeast count. Next the quality or output parameters are identified. These include alcohol content, present gravity, pH, colours and bitters. A model based on fuzzy logic is developed to establish the inter-relationships between these factors and how they affect the output quality factors. The ultimate objective is to integrate this fuzzy logic model into the fermentation process control system.