Control system and control method for rotary car dumpers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11066258-B2
Application number	US-201816142993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2018
Priority date	Sep 26, 2017
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

This invention relates to a control system and method for rotary car dumpers comprising a positioning car, silos and feeders. Such control system comprises three integrated and communicating controls in closed grid, that is, the positioning car control, the silos level control and the feeder flow control. In this way, with the data of these controls, the rotary car dumpers control system is configured to maintain the level of silo at maximum, performing changes in the cycle time by controlling the positioning car to maintain the level of silos and thus achieve maximum productivity of the equipment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a rotary car dumper, comprising:
a) determining a silo level of at least one silo of at least one feeder by a silo level control to be at a first level or a second level; and
b) adjusting the silo level, when the silo level is determined to be at:
a first level, by increasing a cycle time of a discharge of material by a positioning car control;
a second level, by:
measuring a current, torque, position, speed, and acceleration of a positioning car by a positioning car control and verifying whether the cycle time can be decreased by increasing forces of the positioning car;
decreasing the cycle time based on the positioning car control determining that the cycle time can be reduced; and
decreasing an output flow of the material from the at least one feeder by a feeder flow control based on the positioning car control determining that the cycle time cannot be reduced;

wherein the second level is determined by measuring the silo level that is less than the first level and less than a minimal level, wherein the minimal level is less than the first level and greater than the second level; and

c) repeating a) and b) to maintain the silo level at the minimal level, calculated by flow set point.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising repeating the measuring and the decreasing until the silo level is maintained at the minimal level.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least the increasing the cycle time of the discharge of the material and the maintaining the silo level with the cycle time at the minimal level is performed based on measuring acceleration and deceleration parameters, and controlling variables of the positioning car including acceleration ramp, cruising speed, deceleration points, and deceleration ramp.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the acceleration ramp is determined by parameterizing initial acceleration ramp, minimum acceleration ramp, high torque time expected in acceleration, high current time expected in acceleration, high torque parameter in acceleration, and high current parameter in acceleration.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising increasing a value of acceleration ramp based on the high torque time obtained or the high current time obtained being greater than expected high torque time or expected high current, respectively.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the acceleration parameters being measured and adjusted determine the value of the acceleration ramp of a next cycle based on an addition, reduction or limitation of the value of the acceleration ramp of a current cycle.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising reducing a value of the deceleration ramp based on a positive torque time obtained being smaller than expected positive torque time and the obtained low torque time and obtained high current time being smaller than expected low torque and expected high current times, so as to increase efforts in the positioning car and decrease the deceleration time.

8. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising increasing a value of the deceleration ramp based on a positive torque time obtained being greater than the very high positive torque time and a deceleration point being equal to the upper deceleration point or an obtained low torque time and an obtained high current time being greater than the expected low torque time and the expected high current time, so as to reduce efforts in the positioning car and increase deceleration time.

9. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising limiting a value of the deceleration ramp, so that the resulting value of the deceleration ramp is greater than an upper deceleration ramp, the resulting value of the deceleration ramp being maintained at or above the value of the upper deceleration ramp, and, if the resulting value of the deceleration ramp is smaller than the value of a lower deceleration ramp, the resulting value of the deceleration ramp is maintained at or below the value of the lower deceleration ramp.

10. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising limiting a value of a deceleration point so that a resulting value of the deceleration point is greater than an upper deceleration point, the value of the deceleration point being maintained at or above the value of the upper deceleration point, and, if the resulting value of the deceleration point is smaller than the value of a lower deceleration point, the resulting value of the deceleration point being maintained at or below the value of the lower deceleration point.

11. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising reducing a value of acceleration ramp based on the high torque time obtained and the high current time obtained being smaller than expected torque time and expected high current, respectively.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising using additional information available at the rotary car dumper as protection before reducing the acceleration ramp, the additional information including: if a maximum current obtained at an acceleration is greater than a maximum expected current during a monitored cycle, the value of the acceleration ramp is not reduced; and if a tensioning of a steel cable turnbuckle is greater than an expected value during the acceleration of the monitored cycle, the value of the acceleration ramp is not reduced.

13. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising limiting a value of the acceleration ramp so that a resulting value of the acceleration ramp is greater than an upper value of the acceleration ramp, wherein the resulting value of the acceleration ramp is maintained at or above the upper value of the acceleration ramp.

14. The method according to claim 4 , limiting a value of the acceleration ramp so that a resulting value of the acceleration ramp is smaller than a lower value of the acceleration ramp, wherein the resulting value of the acceleration ramp is maintained at or below the lower value of the acceleration ramp.

15. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising adjusting the deceleration ramp and deceleration points according to parameterization of one or more variables including: initial deceleration ramp, maximum deceleration ramp, minimum deceleration ramp, initial deceleration points, minimum deceleration points, maximum deceleration points, expected low torque time in deceleration, high current time expected in deceleration, low torque parameter in deceleration, high current parameter in deceleration, expected positive torque time in deceleration, or very high torque time in deceleration.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising reducing values of deceleration points based on a low torque time obtained and a high current time obtained being greater than the expected low torque time and the expected high current.

17. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising increasing values of deceleration points based on the low torque time obtained and the high current time obtained being smaller than the expected low torque time and the expected high current and the positive torque time obtained being greater than the expected positive torque time, so as to increase efforts in the positioning car.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the increasing the values of deceleration points, further include increasing according to additional information available at the rotary car dumper, the additional information including: if the maximum current obtained at the deceleration is great

Assignees

• Vale Sa

Inventors

• Lopes Bruno Eduardo
• De Resende Neto Celson José
• Castro Silva Waldinir Lima

Classifications

• B65G67/48

  Vehicle tipplers · CPC title

• B65G53/66 Primary

  Use of indicator or control devices, e.g. for controlling gas pressure, for controlling proportions of material and gas, for indicating or preventing jamming of material {(controlling the flow of coal firing systems C21B5/003)} · CPC title

• B65G67/50 Primary

  Rotary vehicle tipplers, i.e. rotating through 360 degrees · CPC title

• B61K13/00 Primary

  Other auxiliaries or accessories for railways · CPC title

• G05B2219/13187

  Checking validity of data · CPC title