Automatic control and maintaining of cooling process of bakery products
ITMO University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
e-mail: artem.pastukhov¹⁹⁸⁴@gmail.com
Abstract:
During the development of automation control of the bakery products cooling process using a ‘cooler’ it is necessary to build an integrated control system, which allows to optimize the process parameters in case of a variety of work situations that may occur in the bakery enterprise. The main task for control of such multifactorial object is to reach a certain temperature in the center of the product by maintaining the temperature of the cooling air near the surface of the loaf set in the limits t ± Δt, its velocity v ± Δv and humidity φ ± Δφ, and maintain the speed of the conveyor within Vc ± ΔVc using the frequency converters. Simultaneous exposure to multiple channels of control allows selecting the optimal combination of the cooling process control commands, yielding the product with necessary temperature and mass. Automatic control and regulation of the cooling process is based on the fact that the current value of the adjustable parameters in mismatch block is compared with predetermined values of the corresponding parameters, and the mismatch signals are formed, which are amplified to a value sufficient to trigger actuators that provide executive regulators. Novelty of the paper consists in the development of the process control system based on the mathematical model which allows calculating the temperature at the center of freshly baked products by the surface temperature of the product at any time of location in the cooling zone. Experiments were carried out on the bread made in the laboratory and cooled after baking, by natural and forced convection. Baking was conducted in a special parallelepiped tins with lids. Thus, the output product had a parallelepiped shape. Process of cooling by natural convection was implemented in a cooling chamber, which allowed to measure temperature and relative humidity. Temperatures changing in the center of the loaf and weight loss were recorded during the experiments. Cooling time was determined by the time required to achieve the temperature in the center of the loaf 30°C. On the basis of the experimental data a mathematical model and the computer system, allowing calculating the parameters of cooling and in time to make a regulatory influence on one of the control channels and thus optimize the process parameters were built.
Key words:
automation, heat transfer, mass transfer, spiral conveyor.