The widespread application of electronic sensors and control systems makes industrial productions more efficient. In particular, several intelligent control systems, which mimic human analysis capabilities, are being used in the food-manufacturing industry. In this paper, a control system of a generic mixing process is presented. The proposed control system, which may be used in several food-manufacturing applications e.g. bread making as well as dairy production processes, has been exploited to monitor the level of both viscoelasticity and homogeneity of the mixing compound. The aim of the proposed control system is to optimise the mixing process by reducing the variability of the production quality level. The control system is based on measurements of the electrical power feeding the mixer motor. Thus, an additional benefit is that no sensor intrusion in the mixing machine is required. The proposed technique is exemplified by a real application in the dairy industry. The results have been compared with the operator's opinions indicating agreement with the proposed monitoring system. Copyright (C) 2003 IFAC.
On-line statistical monitoring for mixing processes: An application in the dairy industry
PACELLA, Massimo;ANGLANI, Alfredo
2003-01-01
Abstract
The widespread application of electronic sensors and control systems makes industrial productions more efficient. In particular, several intelligent control systems, which mimic human analysis capabilities, are being used in the food-manufacturing industry. In this paper, a control system of a generic mixing process is presented. The proposed control system, which may be used in several food-manufacturing applications e.g. bread making as well as dairy production processes, has been exploited to monitor the level of both viscoelasticity and homogeneity of the mixing compound. The aim of the proposed control system is to optimise the mixing process by reducing the variability of the production quality level. The control system is based on measurements of the electrical power feeding the mixer motor. Thus, an additional benefit is that no sensor intrusion in the mixing machine is required. The proposed technique is exemplified by a real application in the dairy industry. The results have been compared with the operator's opinions indicating agreement with the proposed monitoring system. Copyright (C) 2003 IFAC.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
