CAP1 - Planning and control of asphalt production - Thermal balance data (.xlsx)

CAP1- Planning and Optimization of Asphalt Production The cognitive planning solution for asphalt production consists of a planning decision tool that, from the sensors data installed in the plant and contributing to the planning reference implementation layer of the CAP, allows to decide the right moment to start the production and the necessary adjustments to get the asphalt mix to leave the production plant to the asphalt application area in the optimal conditions (temperature mainly). It takes into account the industrial data streams coming from both the local control system located at the asphalt use case and the data coming from the new different sensors that have been connected to the local datalogger also available at the asphalt production plant and as part of this project development. The implementation of the cognitive system of production planning and optimization gathers all the data coming from the cognitive sensors developed in the project (as the content of bitumen or filler present in the asphalt mix) and any other sensors already installed alongside, with data coming from the laboratory if needed. It is needed to perform two types of calculations: A mass balance both at the dryer and mixing process on a daily basis and for each type of asphalt mix design (a recipe containing the proportions of each ingredient, the aggregates, bitumen and recycled asphalt). A thermal balance also both at the dryer (heating up the cold aggregates) and mixing of the hot aggregates, the bitumen and the cold RAP (recycled asphalt). Both processes have a temperature set point. For the drying, there is a temperature safety limit to not damage the baghouse filter. For the mixing, the temperature is set by the asphalt mix design so the final mix is transported and laid out at the job site at a minimum temperature. The advanced calculation of the mass balance throughout all the production chain is performed including the continuous part of it (aggregates drying process) and the batch one (mix tower). This mass balance is made up of the different calculations that can be performed using all the available data and taking into consideration both, stationary and dynamic (transitory) mass balances like mass balance of aggregates in the dryer, mass balance in the baghouse filter, mass balance in the bucket elevator to the mixing tower, mass balance in the upper sieves and in the hot aggregates hoppers and eventually the mass balance in the mixer taking into account the d