Grinding/Classifying
Typical Grain Transfer
According to the article titled “Fine Grinding and Air Classification of Field Pea,” field pea has approximately 23% protein, 48% starch, 8% sugars, 4% lipids, 7% crude fiber, and 3% ash. This was published in the Cereal Chemistry journal in 2005. How do we implement this grinding and classifying process and automate it for maximum efficiency? Sterling Systems & Controls, Inc. has designed and delivered a complete process control and automation system for grinding and classifying field peas into usable flour, starch, and protein.
Included in the process control and automation system for this pea grinding and classifying project are the following:
- Two (2) PLC/Starter Panels.
- Two (2) HMI Panels.
- Two (2) Mill Monitor Panels.
In this Pea Grinding and Classifying project, there are two duplicate systems.
PLC/Starter Panel for Grinding / Classifying
Sterling Systems & Controls understands the process, not just simply control technology. We worked with the supplier of the mechanical equipment, Prater Industries, to make sure the mechanical equipment would do the job required by the customer and we designed and manufactured the PLC/Starter Panel as required by the motors and electrical items that needed to be controlled. In this case, 575VAC motor control was necessary and the electrical control design met this need.
There are two grinding and classifying processes controlled by the Sterling Systems & Controls automation equipment. We housed the PLC and the electrical controls for each system within their respective enclosure. The PLC and motor starters are networked with the HMI Panel via Ethernet.
HMI Panel for Grinding / Classifying
We know electrical controls and automation technology and can customize a system using standard control and automation components. This is what we did for this project. When required, the HMI panel is the operator interface for the grinding and classifying system. We used an Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus system running a custom-designed FactoryTalk View ME application (main screen with the classifying process running as shown above). The PanelView and PLC (in the PLC/Starter Panel) are connected via Ethernet and provide all control and equipment status information necessary to run the grinding process. In addition to setting up security for each allowed operator (required to run the system) or administrator (required to set parameters and for running equipment manually), from the PanelView HMI you can:
- Review the main grinding and classifying process screen.
- Access and operate (MOA) each piece of equipment.
- Start and Stop the grinding and classifying process.
- Review and process current and historical alarms.
- Review equipment status: view the operating mode and the actual I/O points.
- Review and set system parameters.
- Review and set equipment and motor parameters.
- Review and modify formula (setpoints).
Classifying Mill Motor Panels
In this application, the health of the air classifier mill is determined by monitoring the inboard and outboard bearings. Sensors check for bearing temperature, velocity, and acceleration. The sensor signals are processed by a corresponding transmitter in the Bearing Condition Monitor control panel that converts, conditions, and outputs three (3) analog signals per bearing wired to the PLC in the PLC/Starter panel. The transducers are intrinsically safe and safety barriers are included inside the Mill Monitoring Panel.