Process automation solutions for grain elevators are designed to perform a series of functions:
Ensure ongoing supervisory control over industrial operations;
Collect and store information about the state of industrial processes;
Monitor the performance of the equipment while loading, cleaning, drying, storing, and discharging the grain
Automation solutions for elevators, grain-collecting stations and feed factories involve the following mechanisms and systems:
Belt conveyors and transfer lines that transport raw materials;
Automatic grain dryers;
Systems that measure temperature and control levelling when the grain is stored and processed;
Automatic grain inventory system
PROCESSES AUTOMATION PURPOSES
Automation solutions for grain elevators:
Prevent different crops from blending;
Ensure proper accounting of grain dispatched to river boats;
Cut down expenses and energy consumption;
Avoid emergencies;
Provide fast and quality control over technological operations thanks to structural and territorial distribution of computing and control resources;
Create better working conditions for the operating personnel due to centralized control;
Provide operators with complete, reliable, and up-to-date information;
Improve labor discipline of the personnel due to recording all the actions of the operators;
Provide managers and specialists with necessary instruments and information for taking decisions;
Increase the reliability of control systems thanks to using advanced tools of distributed control, digital communication lines, and self-diagnostics function.
The key criterion of system reliability is the stability of performance characteristics of the industrial process.
PROCESSES AUTOMATION STRUCTURE
Industrial automation solution designed by ELAKS is an open-end system. It contains instruments that make it possible to improve, develop, and augment the scope of functions, and expand i/o signals at least by 10%.
The system includes:
Programmable logic controller (PLC);
Motor control centre (MCC);
Remote Input/Output (RIO);
Local control panels (CP);
Infrastructure that connects mechanisms of the lower and upper levels
Automated working station of the operator
Visualization system contains operator’s automated working station, SCADA system. ETHERNET industrial network ensures communication between automated working station and controllers, as well as between distributed devices.
Processes automation runs under several modes:
Remote control (automatic) that optimizes control over technological parameters according to predetermined parameters;
Under this operational mode, operator starts and stops industrial operations automatically and controls the system performance via automated workstation.
Local control (manual) which is used during start-up and maintenance works.
Under this mode, operators control industrial processes from local control panels.
Operating modes can be switched on the door of the Motor Control Centre for all the mechanisms that are under control of the center.
For the sake of safety, the elevator is equipped with pre-start and emergency alarm systems that give out visible and audible signals.
Only authorized personnel with different permissions (‘admin’, ‘engineer’, ‘operator’) can have access to control panels which is also secured with a password.
ELEVATOR AUTOMATION SYSTEM:
Ensures the stability of the selected operating mode by controlling technological parameters, providing visualization, and sending commands to actuators. This happens both during start-up works and automatic operating mode.
Organizes automatic control over grain transportation within the facility.
Prevents different crops from blending;
Keeps parameters within the predetermined values;
Controls the state of the grain elevator equipment and prevents emergencies with the help of visible and audible alarm systems;
Creates reports for the operating personnel;
Visualizes the state of the industrial equipment in the form of mnemonic diagrams and trends;
Provides operating personnel with relevant information in the form of reports and diagrams for different time periods;
Shares data with the top control level.