A remote engineering solution for automating a roller hearth kiln

Authors

  • Juarez Bento Silva Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina - Brasil
  • Benedito Renê Fischer São Paulo State University – UNESP, São Paulo, Brazil
  • Gustavo R. Alves Polytechnic Institute of Porto - School of Engineering (IPP/ISEP), Porto, Portugal
  • João Bosco da Mota Alves Santa Catarina Federal University – UFSC, Florianópolis, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v4i3.585

Keywords:

Tempretaure control system, ceramics industry, roller hearth kiln

Abstract


Remote engineering (also known as online engineering) may be defined as a combination of control engineering and telematics. In this area, specific activities require computacional skills in order to develop projects where electrical devives are monitored and / or controlled, in an intercative way, through a distributed network (e.g. Intranet or Internet). In our specific case, we will be dealing with an industrial plant. Within the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of activities related to remote engineering, which may be connected to the phenomenon of the large extension experienced by the Internet (e.g. bandwith, number of users, development tools, etc.). This increase opens new and future possibilities to the implementation of advance teleworking (or e-working) positions. In this paper we present the architecture for a remote application, accessible through the Internet, able to monitor and control a roller hearth kiln, used in a ceramics industry for firing materials. The proposed architecture is based on a micro web server, whose main function is to monitor and control the firing process, by reading the data from a series of temperature sensors and by controlling a series of electronic valves and servo motors. This solution is also intended to be a low-cost alternative to other potential solutions. The temperature readings are obtained through K-type thermopairs and the gas flow is controlled through electrovalves. As the firing process should not be stopped before its complete end, the system is equipped with a safety device for that specific purpose. For better understanding the system to be automated and its operation we decided to develop a scale model (100:1) and experiment on it the devised solution, based on a Micro Web Server.

Author Biographies

Juarez Bento Silva, Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina - Brasil

of Computer Science of the Southern University of Santa Catarina - UNISUL. He is also the responsible for the Remote Experimentation Lab ­ RexLab Southern University of Santa Catarina

Benedito Renê Fischer, São Paulo State University – UNESP, São Paulo, Brazil

Benedito Renê Fischer is a Professor at the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science of the São Paulo State University ­ UNESP

Gustavo R. Alves, Polytechnic Institute of Porto - School of Engineering (IPP/ISEP), Porto, Portugal

Gustavo R. Alves is a Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto - School of Engineering (IPP/ISEP). He is also the responsible for the LABORIS/ISEP research lab, Rua Dr. Bernardino de Almeida 431, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal

João Bosco da Mota Alves, Santa Catarina Federal University – UFSC, Florianópolis, Brazil

João Bosco da Mota Alves is a Professor at the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science of the Santa Catarina Federal University ­ UFSC. He is also the responsible for the Remote Experimentation Lab ­ RexLab of Federal University of Santa Catarina. Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.

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Published

2008-07-15

How to Cite

Silva, J. B., Fischer, B. R., Alves, G. R., & da Mota Alves, J. B. (2008). A remote engineering solution for automating a roller hearth kiln. International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering (iJOE), 4(3), pp. 46–51. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v4i3.585

Issue

Section

Short Papers