Plant Automation Research Articles

Chevron's Salt Lake City refinery starts up ISOALKY unit

Massive amounts of data, accumulated in real time and over decades, are spread over a wide variety of the modern automation in chemical plants. However, several standard process monitoring algorithms, such as kernel-based algorithms, do not easily scale to such orders of magnitude. Particularly in their running time and memory complexity increasing dramatically with the increase in the size of the data set. This paper proposes a scalable approximate kernel based on the multilevel maximum variance unfolding (MLMVU) technique that uses low rank kernel-based MVU approximations for reducing and distributing the computational load among parallel multilevel machines to achieve time efficiency. Theoretically, it is guaranteed that the performance of the proposed MLMVU can approximate that of the centralized MVU. The mathematical framework is presented for the development of MLMVU and various aspects of their computational complexity and approximation ability are discussed. The greater time efficiency and scalability in the computation are achievable. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is confirmed through a simple nonlinear system and the industrial Tennessee Eastman process.

Artificial Intelligence in the Sorting of Municipal Waste as an Enabler of the Circular Economy

The recently finalized research project “ZRR for municipal waste” aimed at testing and evaluating the automation of municipal waste sorting plants by supplementing or replacing manual sorting, with sorting by a robot with artificial intelligence (ZRR). The objectives were to increase the current recycling rates and the purity of the recovered materials; to collect additional materials from the current rejected flows; and to improve the working conditions of the workers, who could then concentrate on, among other things, the maintenance of the robots. Based on the empirical results of the project, this paper presents the main results of the training and operation of the robotic sorting system based on artificial intelligence, which, to our knowledge, is the first attempt at an application for the separation of bulky municipal solid waste (MSW) and an installation in a full-scale waste treatment plant. The key questions for the research project included (a) the design of test protocols to assess the quality of the sorting process and (b) the evaluation of the performance quality in the first six months of the training of the underlying artificial intelligence and its database.

Selection and justification of priority tasks of biogas plant management taking into account technological risks

This article is devoted to the selection and justification of priority applied control tasks in the automation of a biogas plant (BP), taking into account the risks of loss of control. The types of technological risks in the management of fermentation processes in methane tanks are considered. A reasoned analysis of quantitative risk assessments using the pairwise comparisons method is carried out. The use of the method of consistency of expert opinions in the algorithm for solving the problem of selection and justification made it possible to conduct a strict analysis of the consistency of expert opinions and to identify whether the obtained estimates are random or not. Using the obtained information models for the regime parameters of anaerobic digestion processes, the relevance of developing a better control system for the optimal temperature regime of substrate heating, temperature stabilization in the methane tank, and the rational end time of the fermentation process is justified. The results obtained are in the best agreement with the improvement of the BP process management efficiency.

FUNCTION BLOCKS EXECUTION SCHEDULING METHOD IN EPA INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET

In the system based on EPA (Ethernet for plant automation) In-dustrial Ethernet, the invalid execution of function blocks (FBs)is an important problem that restricts the real-time performanceof system.

SMARTCSP: INDUSTRY 4.0 APPROACH FOR AN EFFECTIVE CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER (CSP) COST REDUCTION

Today, Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants and components incorporate a low degree of intelligence and autonomy that makes it expensive and makes quality control difficult. The degree of automation of CSP plants is low; the development of protocols, procedures and standards to ensure quality control during assembly, construction, commissioning and operation of the plant are still in their early stages. Meanwhile, Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm are the key technological breakthroughs for the manufacturing industry since the last century; and such can be SMARTCSP for the CSP since its commercial inception 50 years ago. SMARTCSP benefits from this experience in the application of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) or Lean Manufacturing in mature industrial fields such as automotive or manufacturing to create a new generation of SMARTCSP Components that include a full set of relevant functionalities right from the production line. SMARTCSP will provide higher levels of distributed intelligence, autonomy and decision making in CSP plants through distributed and miniaturized processors, sensors, and communications embedded in CSP components. Moreover, a new CSP plant concept is proposed that allows for an optimized operation and maintenance of the plant. All this entails the first step towards the crystallization of the Industry 4.0 paradigm in the field of CSP technologies.

Electronic sensors and biosensor used for automation in the food industry

The current health pandemic and crisis has added a mountain of challenges across the food and beverage industry, as consumer buying patterns are changing and both production of goods and other business operations have been disrupted. Human touch should be minimized to reduce such kind of infections. So automation of food industry should be increased. The food industry has traditionally lagged behind other industries in adopting new technology, and plant automation is no exception. However, rapid advances in computer technology and heightened expectations of consumers and regulatory agencies for improved food quality and safety have forced the food industry to consider automation of most manufacturing processes. Though the food industry presents many unique challenges to complete automation, the industry has been successful in putting many automatic processes into place. Sensors and controllers are electronic devices and are the main backbone for the automation of food industry. In this paper some important electronic sensors and biosensors used for food automation are described.

ТЕПЛИЦЫ С ТЕХНОЛОГИЕЙ УЗКОСТЕЛЛАЖНОЙ ГИДРОПОНИКИ НА ОСНОВЕ ЦИФРОВЫХ СИСТЕМ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ

Currently, many foreign greenhouse manufacturers use elements of digital technologies and hydroponics systems. Almost all manufacturers of systems and equipment in this class are foreign companies. Work on creating modern domestic digital controlled systems for growing agricultural crops is relevant and in demand in Russia. The Moscow Polytechnic University conducts studies and development research aimed at creating software and intelligent technologies for controlling and regulating the microclimate in greenhouses and hydroponic installations. Based on mathematical models of the microclimate systems for complete automation of plants growing process and automatic maintenance of optimal microclimate parameters, remotely using a phone or tablet PC, have been designed and implemented. The article presents a mathematical model of the greenhouse microclimate. One of the most promising directions is considered; it is a technology of multi-level shelving and narrow-shelving hydroponics. A functional diagram of the greenhouse microclimate control is given. This method allows to increase the used volume of greenhouses up to 25-30 pcs. plants per 1 sq. m of greenhouse area, the number of crop rotations up to 4-5 per year. Reducing water and nutrient solution consumption per unit of production by 2.0-2.5 times compared to drip irrigation greenhouses is provided. The amount of soil in comparison with low-volume substrate technology with drip irrigation is reduction by 4-6 times. The amount of nitrates in products is reduced by 8-10 times compared to the standard. The method of growing agricultural crops does not require much physical effort, unlike traditional crop production. Greenhouses with narrow-rack hydroponics technology based on digital control systems provide an increase in the efficiency of crop production; they are an environmentally friendly technology for growing seedlings, vegetables, berries, flowers and green crops. The technology can be used both in high-tech large-scale industries, agricultural holdings, city farms, and in family businesses on personal plots.

Development of Cabin and Plant Automation Prototype for Industrial Application

Development of Cabin and Plant Automation Prototype for Industrial Application

FPGA application for wireless monitoring in power plant

The process of automation and monitoring in industrial control system involves the use of many types of sensors. A programmable logic controller plays an important role in the automation of the different processes in the power plant system. The major control units are boiler for temperature and pressure, turbine for speed of motor, generator for voltage, conveyer belt for fuel. The power plant units are controlled using microcontrollers and PLCs, but FPGA can be the feasible solution. The paper focused on the design and simulation of hardware chip to monitor boiler, turbine, generator and conveyer belt. The hardware chip of the plant is designed in Xilinx Vivado Simulator 17.4 software using VHDL programming. The methodology includes VHDL code design, simulation, verification and testing on Virtex-5 FPGA hardware. The system has four independent buzzers used to indicate the status of the boiler, generator, turbine motor and conveyer belt in on/off conditions respectively. The GSM is used to display corresponding message on the mobile to know the status of the device in on/off condition. The system is very much helpful for the industries working on plant automation with FPGA hardware integration.

Elaboration of a method of electromechanical drive systems status estimation (at an example of a roll-table roller) by application statistical analysis of electric motor current signal

Loss enhancement because of extraordinary stoppage of technological equipment due to breakage of separate equipment units is an actual task. Existing methodologies of equipment status estimation, based on planning systems, instrumental checks, and personal experience do not ensure always revealing of the incipient of breakdown status in separate elements of the equipment, which often results in breakdown situations and extraordinary repairs. Studies of analysis statistical methods application were accomplished for early revealing indications of electromechanical equipment failure at an example of predicting breakdown status of rollers of rolling mill roll-table. As a parameter under the study, the current signal was chosen, measured at the electric motor of a roller, since it reacts practically without inertia on external oscillations in mechanical part of the facility. The variations of the current curve form reflect any variations of the equipment operation character. From this point of view, the electrical motor itself can be considered as a technical mean of diagnostics of mechanical oscillations in the load with a short response time. Statistical analysis of electric motors current data within one month of roll-table rollers operation, within which 14 jams took place, was carried out. Based on the results of the analysis it was determined, that the process of the jams intensification for various rollers has a similar character. A possibility wa shown to predict the developing and identification of a roller defect by a type of a jam several hours before commencement of the breakdown status, based on one parameter – the load current. Based on sampling of the rollers statistical data in various operation modes and mark of breakdown stops, it is possible to learn the nonlinear machine model for classification of a roller breakdown degree by extracted from the distribution form of statistical current characteristics. The elaborated models in the form of software products and machine codes can be implemented in algorithms of existing at a plant automation systems and technological process and equipment status control systems.

Professor Beloglazov as the founder of the Process and plant automation department with mining university

Professor Beloglazov as the founder of the Process and plant automation department with mining university

Electricity efficiency of auxiliary power systems in coal thermal power plant

Renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind and solar energy are taking an increasing share in the electricity mix. However, electricity production from thermal power plants is independent of the weather conditions and is still important as a back-up power source to renewable energy sources. Given the fact that the electricity market is open, it is clear that each MWh is important. Therefore, auxiliary power systems as a part of thermal power plants should be also energy efficient. The main aim of the presented research was to investigate the efficient operation of different consumers in the auxiliary power system in the old-dated thermal power plant ‘’Tuzla’’ depending on different power at generator output. The performed analysis identified consumers suitable for electricity efficiency improvement giving results of power savings obtained on modestly available measurements and old-date technical documentation. Following obtained results, some recommendations for improving electricity efficiency were proposed with a rough calculation of possible savings. Measurements of auxiliary power system consumption depending on power at generator output in new thermal power plant ‘’Stanari’’ was presented. Future trends and directions in thermal power plant automation were also discussed.

Data analytics in control and operation of municipal wastewater treatment plants: qualitative analysis of needs and barriers.

This study aims to identify barriers and needs for the application of data analytics in municipal wastewater treatment. The study was conducted through a series of interviews with stakeholders involved in instrumentation, control, and automation of wastewater treatment plants. Opportunities and limitations observed by different stakeholders were assessed with a thematic analysis. Thematic analysis enabled a broader consideration of social and organizational aspects related to process control, operation, and maintenance. Identified key barriers for applying data analytics included laborious instrumentation maintenance, unstable control loops, and deficient customization of digital tools for users at wastewater treatment plants. Development needs include easier data processing tools, quality assurance of instrumentation, and controller tuning. Results indicate that the perceived potential of data analytics is highly dependent on the performance of underlying physical and digital systems, as well as the control strategies and operating environment of the plant. Despite the barriers, users and developers see many potential applications for data analytics and expect them to have a central role in the control and operation of wastewater treatment plants in the future.

СИНТЕЗ СИСТЕМ АВТОМАТИЧЕСКОГО РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЯ ДЛЯ УСТАНОВКИ ИЗВЛЕЧЕНИЯ ВОДОРОДА ИЗ ВОДОРОДСОДЕРЖАЩИХ ГАЗОВ

The material and thermal balances of the apparatuses of the membrane facility for the extraction of hydrogen from hydrogen-containing gases are given. Information schemes for these devices have been developed. Solutions for plant automation are proposed

СИНТЕЗ САР МЕМБРАННОЙ УСТАНОВКИ ИЗВЛЕЧЕНИЯ ВОДОРОДА ИЗ ВСГ НА ОСНОВЕ АНАЛИЗА МАТЕРИАЛЬНОГО И ТЕПЛОВОГО БАЛАНСОВ АППАРАТОВ

The material and thermal balances of the apparatuses of the membrane facility for the extraction of hydrogen from hydrogen-containing gases are given. Information schemes for these devices have been developed. Solutions for plant automation are proposed

Research on Intelligent Manufacturing of Coal Machine Equipment Based on Computer Informatization Coal Machine Equipment

Coal preparation can remove most of the impurities in raw coal, reduce ash, and improve coal quality. Reducing the ineffective transportation of vermiculite, reducing the environmental pollution caused by burning coal, and providing the basic guarantee for the further clean and efficient use of coal are the foundation of clean coal technology. The domestic status of the automation technology of the coal preparation plant is introduced, and the issues needing attention in the automation technology of the coal preparation plant in China are introduced. Briefly describe the main contents of the current coal preparation plant automation technology and the issues needing attention in the control loop, and the possible consequences of an unreasonable design of the coal preparation plant automation system. By analyzing the development trend of the automation technology of the coal preparation plant, the broader development prospects of optimal control and video surveillance substation technology are expected. The scientific development of the coal preparation plant is to make full use of advanced coal preparation technologies, processes and equipment, improve the raw coal selection rate, continuously improve and improve the process, develop and introduce new efficient and high-yield washing equipment, and improve automation, professionalism, and informationization. And intelligence

Design of Atmelplc and Its Application as Automation of Coal Handling Plant

Design of Atmelplc and Its Application as Automation of Coal Handling Plant

Design and Implementation of Automatic Gas Valve Control Mechanism for Biogas Plant

Biogas plants are slowly becoming popular as these are non- polluting, renewable energy source, reduces landfill and inexpensive. However, users from rural populations are still facing problems due to the absence of automation in biogas plants. Hence, the demand for automation and control is increasing so as to enhance the plant performance. This paper proposes a hardware implementation of automatic gas valve control mechanism for biogas plant. The automatic gas valve control system consists of LC5926H ON - OFF controller by which an automatic opening and closing of the gas valve has been carried out via solenoid valve. Based on the pressure inside the dome, the controller allows solenoid valve to perform the switching operation if the pressure inside the dome exceeds or fall below the preset value. This advanced mechanism provides more efficient and reliable solution to the existing biowaste systems by reducing human intervention and by avoiding the gas leakage.

Algorithm and program for calculating the facility’s power supply system based on photovoltaic modules

The popularity of renewable sources in design of the facility’s energy supply system is mainly due to their environmental safety. They are the sources of the so-called “clean energy”, the production of which is not accompanied by harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Renewable energy plants are complex systems with a large number of interconnected elements. Their design requires the solution of a number of problems, which include the selection of the functional, technical and technological structure of the system. The power plants components parameters depend on many factors, including the system’s installation location characteristics, the consumers operating mode features, the system components compatibility with each other. Design automation of power plants based on renewable sources will help reduce the workload on the designer during the system development, thereby will promote wider use of such sources in facility’s energy supply systems. In this work, the authors developed an algorithm and a program based on it for designing a facility’s power supply system with photovoltaic modules as an energy source. The program allows user to select the necessary system components based on databases; evaluate the system effectiveness depending on the facility location; calculate the selected power supply system cost. When simulating the system operation a check for the input data correctness is made to exclude possible errors.

UTILIZING MODERN / UPDATED ENERGY SAVING TECHNIQUES TO EXPLOIT BY PRODUCTS FOR BETTER ECONOMY OF SUGAR INDUSTRY

The term Sugar cane byproduct comprises primarily on bagasse, Molasses & Press mud. However, their contribution would be more or less 30, 5 & 3 % on cane respectively. While, cumulative reflection remains 37– 38%. Principally, byproducts contribute to curtail cost of production to measurable & even survival extent. Amongst all, bagasse due to their 30% larger share has greater opportunity is utilized as prime byproduct to reduce cost with energy efficiency. By & large, bagasse itself utilize to generate power production on cheapest cost as compared to other sources of fuel. Currently, country – wide sugar industry, utilized bagasse to generate power @ 10 - 12 KG/KWH for self-generation. However, Cogeneration can reduce its consumption to 5 KG/KWH which is tremendous opportunity for sugar industry to make it proficient (Its Cogen mode steam consumption of extraction – condensing turbines having parameters 110 bar/ 540 Celsius with power output of 31.2 MW consumed steam at 5 Kg/KWH) With latest techniques steam consumption can be reduced from conventional 50 to 36 – 42% on cane. In order to focus potential opportunities to save bagasse or energy, five distinct areas i.e. a) Mill house Electrification, b) Installation of FFE with integrated vapor distribution, c) capacity utilization, d) Milling equipment & finally e) Plant automation significantly contributes towards optimization with justified pay back.