Intelligent processing equipment

Koiranen, T. Hurme, M. 1997. Case-Based Reasoning Application in Process Equipment Selection and Design. Sixth Scandinavian Conference on Artificial Intelligence, G. Grahne (Ed.), Amsterdam IOS Press. Pp. 273-274. 

Process models are unfortunately often oversold and improperly used. Simulations, by definition, are not the actual process. To model the process, assumptions must be made about the process that may later prove to be incorrect. Further, there may be variables in the material or processing equipment that are not included in the model. This is especially true of complex processes. It is important not to confuse virtual reality with reality. The claim is often made that the model can optimize a cure cycle. The complex sets of differential equations in these models cannot be inverted to optimize the multiple properties they predict. It is the intelligent use of models by an experimenter or an optimizing routine that finds a best case among the ones tried. As a consequence, the literature is full of references to the development of process models, but examples of their industrial use in complex batch processes are not common. 

The selection of information provided in this book has been made with a view toward giving the reader an efficient, intelligent overall insight without having to wade through voluminous texts or handbooks in specific areas. It is not the purpose of the book to provide an exhaustive treatise on any subject, as it is assumed that the reader will consult more comprehensive and detailed texts, journals, and even the producers of materials and processing equipment for such specific and in-depth information. However, this book should make the journey to acquire such information easier and more efficient. 

Thermal Insulation, properly applied, assures effective operation of process equipment and conserves valuable heat. There is always a wide variety of insulating materials for a given situation and careful consideration must be given to each type so that an intelligent decision may be made. Thermal insulation should be the simplest, most generally accepted, cost-effective method of saving energy immediately available to a plant owner. 

From the foregoing discussion, it is clear that a thorough understanding of the process equipment, equipment operators, process conditions, and tooling condition is required so that control charts can be interpreted intelligently and a meaningful conclusion can be drawn. 

If improvements should be achieved by an automation of the inspection process this requires a control of the process parameters of the whole equipment by an integrated "intelligent" system and not by displays still being controlled by the human inspector. This integrated control-system ensures that the inspection conditions are at the highest reproduction level. 

BE- Intelligent equipment process monitoring for consistent finished product quality fIMPROQ) D. Farrington Bribsh Steel PLC... 

A systematic analysis of a process signal over (1) different segments of its time record and (2) various ranges of frequency (or scale) can provide a local (in time) and multiscale hierarchical description of the signal. Such description is needed if an intelligent computer-aided tool is to be con--structed in order to (1) localize in time the step and spike from the equipment faults (Fig. 1), or the onset of change in sensor noise characteristics, and (2) extract the slow drift and the periodic load disturbance. 

The main objective for an intelligent system in electrolyser operations is to gather and process valuable information for a greater control and efficiency. To achieve the aforementioned objective, two key functions have to be performed properly. Firstly, accurate and precise real-time data need to be obtained and secondly, the system should be able to process and interpret these data based on fundamental and acquired industrial electrochemical knowledge. In the case of R2 s EMOS , this second key element refers directly to its capability to use embedded human expertise to find optimal operating solutions and to detect and correctly identify equipment degradation or other anomalies. 

Owing to the extreme diversity of the textile processes and products, it is impossible to develop a realistic concept for an efficient wastewater treatment without detailed analysis of the particular situation of a textile plant. The more intelligently the applied technical concept has been designed, the lower will be the expected costs for installation and working of the equipment. 

Control System Included in this classification are Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA), Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Statistical Process Control systems (SPC), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), intelligent electronic devices, and computer systems that control manufacturing equipment or receive data directly from manufacturing equipment PLCs. 

Operating Labor The cost of operating labor is the second largest item of expense in the manufacturing cost. Labor requirements for a process can be estimated from an intelligent study of the equipment flow sheet, paying careful attention to the various primary process steps such as fractionation, filtration, etc. The hourly wage rate should be that currently paid in the company. Once the number of persons required per shift has been estimated for a particular production rate, the annual labor cost and the labor cost per unit of production can be estimated. 

Problem Definition Intelligent selection of a separator requires a careful and complete statement of the nature of the separation problem. Focusing narrowly on the specific problem, however, is not sufficient, especially if the separation is to be one of the steps in a new process. Instead, the problem must be defined as broadly as possible, beginning with the chemical reactor or other source of material to be separated and ending with the separated materials in their desired final form. In this way the influence of preceding and subsequent process steps on the separation step will be illuminated. Sometimes, of course, the new separator is proposed to replace an existing unit the new separator must then fit into the current process and accept feed materials of more or less fixed characteristics. At other times the separator is only one item in a train of new equipment, all parts of which must work in harmony if the separator is to be effective. 

No industry-wide standards such as those of TEMA for heat exchangers or those of the API for rotating equipment cover process heaters. The purchaser must prepare an inquiry specification as carefully and as completely as possible without being overly restrictive to provide a guide so that ihe bidders can develop their quotations intelligently. 

There are several different categories of equipment solutions for FSW and FSP. Each of these categories of equipment has different technical capabihties in the areas of force capability, stiffness, intelligence, and flexibility. Equipment solutions for FSW and FSP are relatively similar, because both processes involve the plunge and traversing of anFSW tool through material. 

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