0000000000347205
AUTHOR
M. Galluzzo
Reliability Analysis of Systems Containing Complex Control Loops
Abstract Many Process Plants employ complex control and trip systems to improve process safety. Reliability prediction requires determination of the failure mechanisms followed by quantification of the failure rates. The fault tree technique is often used for reliability prediction. Fault tree construction is a skilled task and can be complex for systems containing multiple protective devices. The paper compares 3 approaches to the problem of fault tree construction. The problems of quantification and common mode failure is also considered.
Optimization of the coagulation–flocculation treatment: influence of rapid mix parameters
[EN] Turbid waters, containing suspended and colloidal particles, are normally treated by coagulation–flocculation followed by clarification; the process usually consists of the rapid dispersal of a coagulant into the raw water followed by an intense agitation commonly defined as rapid mixing. Rapid mixing is influenced by chemical and physical parameters and the final result of the whole treatment depends on this step. The study focused on the most important parameters of rapid mix design: velocity gradient and rapid mix time. Wastewaters from a tannery processing stored ovine hides were treated with aluminium(III) or iron(III) salts. Experimental results indicate that rapid mix time has a…
A Knowledge-Based System for the Automatic Generation of Plant Shutdown and Startup Schedules
Abstract When the shutdown of a plant, or part of it, has been decided as consequence of a major fault, the generation of a safe shutdown schedule may be, for large and complex plants, a very difficult and delicate task. The same problem may be found when the plant must be restarted after the fault has been repaired, for the generation of a start-up schedule. The use of a knowledge-based system appears to be a suitable answer to this problem, allowing a high level of safety and a very fast generation process. The paper examines the process knowledge that needs to be included in such a knowledge-based system and proposes some knowledge representation forms that appear suitable for the task t…
SELF-TUNING FUZZY CONTROL OF A ROTARY DRYER
Abstract Drying, especially rotary drying is without doubt one of the oldest and most common unit operations in industries. It is a very complex non-linear process including the movement of solids in addition to thermal drying. This means that both the modelling and control of a rotary dryer is difficult with conventional methods. The aim of this research was to improve dryer control by developing control systems based on self-tuning PID-type fuzzy logic controllers. The behaviour of the control systems has been tested with simulations based on the model of a pilot plant dryer located in the Control Engineering Laboratory at the University of Oulu. The control results have been compared ach…
Computer-aided synthesis of complex pump and valve operations
Abstract Process plant operators often have to synthesize sequences of valve and pump operations. On large plants there may be so many possible pipe routes and vessels that it is not practical to provide a priori computer support for every possible operation. The paper describes a program that could form the basis of an operator aid to synthesize appropriate operations from a knowledge of the plant layout and existing pumping operations. The paper concentrates on finding paths through the pipework and on generating a sequence of operations that establishes the path whilst simultaneously satisfying other safety and operating constraints. The paper includes two example problems which were use…
Stability analysis of type-2 fuzzy logic controllers
The application of the direct Lyapunov method to the stability analysis of systems controlled by type-2 fuzzy logic controllers (FLC) is presented. The method is an extension of a method proposed for type-1 fuzzy systems. It is usually applied to systems described by state equations and controlled by fuzzy controllers using state variables as inputs but has been extended to controllers that have the error and the integral of error of the controlled variable as inputs. The proposed method allows to modify the controller rule base so that the controlled system is stable in the operating range defined by the manipulative variable constraints. The method is applied to the stability analysis of …