Effective Optimization of the Control System for the Cement Raw Meal Mixing Process: Simulating the Effect of the Process Parameters on the Product Homogeneity

The main factors that influence the quality of the raw meal during its production in a ball mill and storage in stock and homogenisation silos of continuous flow are investigated. A detailed simulation is used, incorporating all the key characteristics of the processes. The quality modules of the raw meal are controlled via robust PID controllers, optimized with the same simulator. The effect of the qualitative consistency of the raw materials, of the active volume of the material contained in the silos, of the stock silo filling degree, of the sampling period and of the time needed for preparation and analysis is quantified. The developed simulator, not only can be applied to obtain the optimum PID parameters among the sets satisfying certain robustness criteria, but also to determine optimum conditions of the process parameters. Key-Words: Dynamics, Raw meal, Quality, Mill, Model, Variance, PID, Robustness, Homogeneity