Search results for "Process control"

A supervisory control system for optimising nitrogen removal and aeration energy consumption in wastewater treatment plants

2002

A fuzzy logic supervisory control system for optimising nitrogen removal and aeration energy consumption has been developed. This control system allows optimising and controlling the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the aerobic reactors, the blowers discharge pressure and the effluent ammonia and nitrate concentrations. DO is controlled by adjusting control valve opening and blower discharge pressure is controlled by modifying rotational speed of the blowers. Optimum nitrification/denitrification is achieved by modifying the DO set point in the last aerobic reactor and the internal recirculation. This system has been tested by simulation in a Bardenpho process using the Activated Slud…

Relating ions concentration variations to conductivity variations in a sequencing batch reactor operated for enhanced biological phosphorus removal

2006

In this paper a deterministic relationship between ionic conductivity and phosphorus concentration variations in an enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process is established. Conductivity shows a strong correlation with phosphorus in both anaerobic and aerobic stages, increasing or decreasing when phosphorus is released or taken up, respectively. Since the end of these processes can be detected by examining the conductivity profile in a cycle, useful information on the EBPR performance and stability is available. This information can be used for adjusting the length of the anaerobic and aerobic stages. Therefore, online process control based on inexpensive and easy to maintain se…

A method for detecting malfunctions in PV solar panels based on electricity production monitoring

2017

In this paper a new method is developed for automatically detecting outliers or faults in the solar energy production of identical sets (sister arrays) of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. The method involves a two-stage unsupervised approach. In the first stage, "in control" energy production data are created by using outlier detection methods and functional principal component analysis in order to remove global and local outliers from the data set. In the second stage, control charts for the "in control" data are constructed using both a parametric method and three non-parametric methods. The control charts can be used to detect outliers or faults in the production data in real-time or at t…

Innovative Methodology to Improve the Quality of Electronic Engineering Formation Through Teaching Industrial Computer Engineering

2004

An innovative educational methodology adapted to the requirements of a new era with new societal and industrial challenges for electronic engineers is proposed in this paper. This active methodology, known as the Educational Innovation Project (EIP), is being studied in the Electronic Engineering (EE) degree of the Higher Technical School of Design Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. The main objective of the EIP methodology is to improve the process of teaching and learning in order to increase student success. To accomplish this objective, the EIP method addresses various issues. From an organizational viewpoint, different structural aspects of the EE d…

Process control in the development of game-based learning environments

2009

This paper examines the development process of digital game-based learning environments (GBLE), focusing on the process control. The aim is to explore the alternatives to process control in GBLE development and provide guidelines for planning and carrying out process control in GBLE projects. This study is a part of the research project Human-Centered Design of Game-Based Learning Environments. The overall aim of the project is to construct a multidisciplinary and user-driven process for the development of digital GBLEs. The study was conducted according to the principles of development research and action research. The action research cycles consisted of four game development projects. The…

Datorzinātne un informācijas tehnoloģijas

2011

Chip calorimetry for the monitoring of whole cell biotransformation

2005

Abstract Efficient control of whole cell biotransformation requires quantitative real-time information about the thermodynamics and kinetics of growth and product formation. Heat production contains such information, but its technical application is restricted due to the high price of calorimetric devices, the difficulty of integrating them into existing bioprocesses and the slow response times of established microcalorimeters. A new generation of chip or nanocalorimeters may overcome these weaknesses. We thus tested a highly sensitive chip calorimeter for its applicability in biotechnological monitoring. It was used to monitor aerobic growth of suspended and immobilized Escherichia coli DH…

Study and optimization of freeze-drying cycles of a model probiotic strain

2018

This work is based on the experimental study of the freeze-drying process to understand the impact of numerous factors on the survival rates of a model probiotic strain of Lactobacillus casei type. With the aim to find out if cell density in the matrix and survival rates are linked, we have studied the location of the cells after freeze drying inside a porous  matrix composed of a lactose basis with a polymer, the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in various amounts. The best survival rate were obtained at slow freezing rate for a formulation containing 5% (m/V) of lactose and 5% (m/V) of PVP. Keywords: Freeze-Drying; Freezing; Probiotics; L. Casei ATCC 393 

Floating Zone Growth of Silicon

2015

Abstract The floating zone (FZ) technique changed from a crucible-free purification method into a growth technique mainly for high purity silicon crystals. The melt zone is inductively heated by the high frequency magnetic field of a sophisticated one-turn induction coil being the heart of the FZ growth. The needle-eye technique allows for crystals with large diameters beyond the capillary limitations of a cylindrical zone, but both electric breakthrough at the coil slit and bursting of the crystal by thermomechanical stress presently limit the diameter to 200 mm. A novel gFZ concept is depicted that works with granular silicon feedstock instead of expensive feed rods. The automation of the…

Determination of Particle Size Distributions in Multiphase Systems Containing Nonspherical Fluid Particles

2015

The presented results are obtained by means of an automated image analysis software capable of measuring particle diameters in photographs taken in situ by a 2D photo-optical measurement device. Initially, the applicability of this measurement method must be proven for fluid particle systems on the basis of spherical-shaped particles. As a first approach in targeting the issue of irregularly shaped fluid particles, a pure gas-liquid system is analyzed to investigate the influence of the variation of operating parameters. In the second step, the spherical shape is changed by reducing the surface-active auxiliaries. The usage of shape factors helps to interpret the appearance of the 2D projec…