Improving the Accuracy of Weighing Bulk Materials in a Dispenser On-Stream Flow Meter with Two Strain Gauges
NRU MPEI, Denis Shilin, Dmitry Shestov, NRU MPEI, E. A. Ganin, NRU MPEI · Vestnik MEI · 2019
A weighing algorithm for an on-stream dispenser flow meter based on two strain gauges is developed and investigated. The main objectives are to achieve more accurate dosing of bulk materials and to prevent the influence of uneven material distribution along the weighing axis. Better dosing accuracy is achieved by installing strain gages on the material feeding side and using an intelligent conveyor belt speed control system, which is the main element in the developed weighing algorithm. The conveyor belt speed is adjusted by means of a fuzzy controller, because the controlled plant is a complex system, and the controllers synthesized according to the classical automatic control theory fail to meet the response speed requirements. The results from testing the selected kinematic design clearly show adequate performance of the fuzzy controller. Namely, when the feed of bulk material decreases, so does the conveyor belt speed, and vice versa. As a result, it becomes possible to decrease the relative measurement error to less than 0.5%. The developed device can be used in the food and agricultural-industrial complexes, in the civil construction, and chemical industries, and in other branches of the national economy, namely, in the processes involving metering and measuring the flow of bulk material in continuous technological processes. When used in combination with a feeder, on-stream flow meters can be used for high-precision weighted metering of various bulk materials. The product is supplied by a sluice or screw feeder, which can additionally be equipped with a smaller diameter screw for operation in rough/precise modes.