7 research outputs found
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Sensor fusion for intelligent process control.
An integrated system for the fusion of product and process sensors and controls for production of flat glass was envisioned, having as its objective the maximization of throughput and product quality subject to emission limits, furnace refractory wear, and other constraints. Although the project was prematurely terminated, stopping the work short of its goal, the tasks that were completed show the value of the approach and objectives. Though the demonstration was to have been done on a flat glass production line, the approach is applicable to control of production in the other sectors of the glass industry. Furthermore, the system architecture is also applicable in other industries utilizing processes in which product uniformity is determined by ability to control feed composition, mixing, heating and cooling, chemical reactions, and physical processes such as distillation, crystallization, drying, etc. The first phase of the project, with Visteon Automotive Systems as industrial partner, was focused on simulation and control of the glass annealing lehr. That work produced the analysis and computer code that provide the foundation for model-based control of annealing lehrs during steady state operation and through color and thickness changes. In the second phase of the work, with PPG Industries as the industrial partner, the emphasis was on control of temperature and combustion stoichiometry in the melting furnace, to provide a wider operating window, improve product yield, and increase energy efficiency. A program of experiments with the furnace, CFD modeling and simulation, flow measurements, and sensor fusion was undertaken to provide the experimental and theoretical basis for an integrated, model-based control system utilizing the new infrastructure installed at the demonstration site for the purpose. In spite of the fact that the project was terminated during the first year of the second phase of the work, the results of these first steps toward implementation of model-based control were sufficient to demonstrate the value of the approach to improving the productivity of glass manufacture
Active landscapes of Iberia
The recent geodynamic evolution of Iberia is recorded in its topography. Geomorphic markers and their dating; morphometric indices estimated through cutting-edge DEM analysis techniques; and the link of all this data with results of geophysical studies allow discussing why Iberia displays the highest average elevation in Europe and shows a particular topography with such diversity of landscapes. For example, the region of the Iberian (or Hesperian) Massif, the western sector of Iberia, shows an anomalous average elevation without a satisfactory explanation. On the other hand, different explanations about the recent evolution of the Alpine mountain ranges of the eastern sector of Iberia have come to light after macroscale landscape analyses. This is strengthening the debate on the driving force behind the actual topography of the Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains, Iberian Chain and Betics