BE1028028A1 - Method and device for the automated operation of a system for the storage of bulk goods - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method and a device for operating a system for the storage of bulk material with at least one dump-shaped storage area, in particular a system for material handling of bulk material or a material recovery system, it is provided in particular that a digital dump model is created for the at least one storage area and that on the Based on the created stockpile model, the development of physical and / or chemical states that can occur during the storage of the respective stored material is predicted, and that predicted physical or chemical states are used during storage operations in order to ensure that the stored material is stored as gently as possible guarantee.

Description

Description BE2020 / 5066 Method and device for the automated operation of a system for the storage of bulk goods The invention relates to a method for operating a system for the storage of bulk goods, e.g. a system for material handling of bulk goods or a material recovery system used in open-cast mining with a storage operation from in the material recovery system - Location of excavated overburden or bulk material, according to the preamble of claim 1.

The present invention also relates to a computer program, a machine-readable data carrier for storing the computer program and a device by means of which the method according to the invention can be carried out.

State of the art In the case of storage space at a material handling point for bulk goods, e.g. a material handling point of a ship port or a material mining site, the materials are temporarily stored in so-called dumps. These heaps consist of embankments of e.g. ore, lignite, raw material for cement production or of salts such as potash salt (potassium carbonate) or the like. In the case of storage space or storage of bulk goods, storage-related, physical influences on the respectively stored material are often insufficiently or even not at all taken into account.

A method for simulating a material reservoir, e.g. an oil or gas storage facility for oil or gas production, emerges from WO 2009/075945 A1. In doing so, a reservoir model is generated, the generated model being partitioned into different domains, each domain of which corresponds to an efficient partition for a specific part of the model. In the method, the simulation of the reservoir is divided into several processing elements and a plurality of processing elements are processed in parallel on the basis of the partitions. The three-dimensional reservoir model, for example, simulates the operation of an oil and / or gas reservoir with one or more vertical boreholes. The model is divided into several nodes by a grid, whereby the nodes of the model can have different sizes.

Disclosure of the invention

The invention is based on the idea of a storage facility for a PE2020 / 5068 storage facility for bulk material, eg a facility for material handling of bulk material (so-called "material handling point" for handling bulk material in a material extraction facility operated in an open pit mine) material stored there on the basis of calculation of a computer-aided storage space model or

Dump model as material as possible

to be gentle and automated as far as possible.

It should be emphasized that the invention can also be used in so-called “mixed bed” systems in which different materials and / or different

Material qualities of a material and / or materials with different material states are (temporarily) stored in a mixed bed in order to mix them with one another.

In such an application scenario, the digital heap model can, in addition to the material condition, also describe which material or which material quality is present at a certain point in the heap.

This makes it possible to predict the exact degree of mixing of the material to be removed after mixing.

The invention is based on the knowledge that when storing storage space at a material handling point for bulk goods, e.g. a storage place for handling materials located at a ship's harbor or a material mining site, surface hardening and / or caking is increased under certain physical influencing factors of the stored material can come.

Such influencing factors are, for example, the mechanical pressure on the material caused by the location, the material temperature caused by external and / or internal influences, the humidity or air humidity caused by external and / or internal influences.

Material moisture and / or the storage time.

Mentioned storage-related

Material changes can, for example, in materials or

Raw materials such as

Iron ore, lignite, raw material for cement production, e.g.

Limestone, limestone / marl / clay mixtures, gypsum or clay, as well as potassium carbonate, granular sulfur, fertilizers, or the like, occur.

In addition to the material moisture, other material-dependent physical or chemical factors relevant to hardening and / or caking of the material can be

cal influencing variables must be taken into account, e.g. the lime content in the case of limestone.

According to a first aspect of the method proposed according to the invention, a digital heap model is created for a respective storage area or a corresponding heap.

On the basis of this model, the probability of the occurrence of certain physical conditions that can arise during the storage of the respective stored material is calculated empirically, e.g. through preliminary tests or simulation calculations.

These states are then used as process variables in the automation of the storage operation in order to effectively avoid the named, undesired physical BE2020 / 5066 storage conditions by means of a suitable storage operation or appropriate countermeasures.

It should be noted here that a named storage area is referred to in the relevant literature as a stockpile arranged at a storage location, which represents a storage location for the bulk goods concerned For example, in the case of a material extraction plant concerned here, it is mainly generated or fed by belt conveyors.

According to a further aspect of the proposed method or the corresponding heap model, a heap affected here is broken down into a large number of smaller volume elements. These volume elements are preferably elements that are symmetrical in the three spatial directions, e.g. cube-shaped volume elements, which considerably simplify the calculation of the physical forces acting on an individual volume element or the calculation of the corresponding physical state of such a volume element. When calculating a current heap model, the influences of neighboring elements arranged above and to the side are taken into account for a given volume element. The number of nearest neighboring elements to be taken into account can optionally be increased in order to improve the accuracy of the model calculation. Test calculations have shown that taking into account horizontally only nearest neighbors and vertically, if possible, all volume elements arranged above the volume element under consideration provides sufficiently precise results.

According to a further aspect of the proposed method, when calculating the named volume elements, the locally or on average prevailing, preferably isostatic pressure and the average temperature in the respective volume element are taken into account in order to calculate how probable these variables are a hardening of the material of the volume element under consideration and / or a caking of the material as this element with the material of one of the neighboring elements. In doing so, empirically determined data for the hardening and / or caking behavior of various materials are preferably used as a basis. The data determined in advance include, for example, the hardening or caking probability (in%) depending on the pressure and the temperature at the interface between two volume elements, depending on the respective material.

According to a further aspect of the proposed method, when calculating the volume elements of the dump model named BE2020 / 5066, the storage time that has already passed for the respective material is also taken into account. As a result, time-dependent effects in the hardening and / or caking behavior of the respective material can be taken into account more precisely. According to a further aspect of the proposed method, the spatial data of a currently available material embankment required for calculating the dump model are merged or compared with topographical surface data recorded by sensors and, if necessary, the dump model is adapted to the current material embankment on the basis of the comparison . The sensory acquisition of such surface data can take place contactlessly by means of conventional camera systems or by laser technology, radar technology, optically, or also by means of autonomously acting flight or driving drones. The physical data that are also required for calculating the dump model, such as current temperatures on the surfaces or in the outer areas of a heap of material, can also preferably be detected by sensors without contact, for example by means of known infrared thermometers (so-called pyrometers) or by means of thermal imaging cameras known per se.

According to yet another aspect of the proposed method, the results of the calculation of a currently valid stockpile model, e.g. in the case of storage space management with a machine control for the operation of appropriate transport or conveyor technology (e.g. belt stacker) for bulk material, a programmable memory ( PLC) control in real time. As a result, a considerable automation of the operation of a storage area affected here can be achieved.

The device also proposed according to the invention is set up to operate a storage space control concerned here or a material extraction system equipped with storage space management, in particular a storage area or a corresponding stockpile provided there, largely automated and yet gentle on the material by means of the proposed method.

According to a first aspect, the proposed device has a sensor system for preferably contactless acquisition of topographical data of the respective heap, in particular of its current surface data, and / or for the acquisition of physical data of the respective heap, in particular its temperature data, on. In addition, the

Facility on a data processing unit by means of which, on the basis of the senso-BE2020 / 5066 rically recorded surface data and / or physical data, a current dump model is calculated. The results of the calculations on the basis of the dump model are supplied by the device to a control unit of the respective storage space system or material extraction system.

According to a further aspect of the proposed device, it is provided that the data processing unit is set up to calculate current physical and / or chemical state variables of the heap based on the digital heap model and the sensor-recorded data, current physical or chemical states of the ge in the heap - to calculate the stored material on the basis of the calculated state variables and to make a prediction of possible material changes in the stored material on the basis of the calculated physical or chemical states or to provide corresponding forecast data.

According to a further aspect of the proposed device, it is provided that the control unit is set up to use the prediction data supplied by the data processing unit to calculate (a) suitable (counter) measure (s) to prevent a change in material or material deterioration and the thus calculated To supply countermeasure data, for example, to a PLC control or machine control for storage, by means of which the countermeasures can be carried out in storage. According to yet another aspect of the proposed device, it is provided that the control unit is set up to carry out at least one suitable (counter) measure on the basis of predetermined, possible measures, with suitable counter measures being determined in advance on the basis of test attempts for certain physical or chemical states will. The invention can be used in particular in the area of material transshipment points provided, for example, at ship ports for handling bulk goods (e.g. ore, coal, lignite, fertilizers, or salts such as potassium carbonate) and in the area of a corresponding material extraction of such bulk goods, for example in the case of an im Open-cast mine or in a storage facility for bulk materials in cement production, with the advantages described herein, can be used. The method and the device can, however, also be used accordingly for storage areas provided for other purposes, e.g. storage areas for the storage of stone / natural stone goods.

; N 12, | | | BE2020 / 5066 The computer program according to the invention is set up to carry out every step of the method, in particular if it is used on a control device to control the storage of a storage area or storage area concerned here.

Bin expires.

In particular, it enables the implementation of the method according to the invention on an electronic control device, e.g. a PLC control device, without having to make structural changes to the control device.

The machine-readable data carrier on which the computer program according to the invention is stored is provided for this purpose.

By uploading the computer program according to the invention to a device or a corresponding electronic control device, the device according to the invention is obtained, which is set up to control a storage area control system or a corresponding warehouse or storage facility concerned here.

Intermediate storage for bulk goods or

To operate or control overburden of a material recovery plant by means of the method according to the invention.

Further advantages and embodiments of the invention emerge from the description and the accompanying drawings.

Identical or functionally equivalent elements or elements are shown in the drawings.

Provide features with matching reference numerals.

It goes without saying that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained below can be used not only in the respective specified combination, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 schematically shows a digital dump model to illustrate the method and the device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a first exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention for calculating a physical heap model on the basis of a schematic representation of a local arrangement of volume elements.

FIG. 3 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the method or the device according to the invention on the basis of a combined flow / block diagram.

Description of exemplary embodiments

_; ; ; ; | BE2020 / 5066 The heap model shown in Figure 1 relates to the interim storage of potassium carbonate (so-called “potash”) in a heap.

When storing potassium carbonate, certain physical influencing factors such as pressure, temperature, air humidity and / or storage time cause caking and / or hardening of the material.

This or a similar effect can also be observed with other materials.

Baked-on material has, for example, the following negative effects: - A reduction in the quality of the material and thus a loss of sales for the material owner; - increased wear and tear on reloading machines due to tooth wear; - A reduction in the efficiency of the storage space facility and thus a loss of sales due to slower removal from storage and additional work steps required to grind the baked-on material again.

According to the stockpile model shown in an isometric top view in FIG.

Volume body is divided.

The size of these areas determines the resolution of the digital model and can be varied as required.

Different physical or chemical state variables (parameters) can be assigned to each of the volume areas.

These variables can be: the instantaneous (mean) pressure prevailing in the volume range; - the time of storage of the material in question in the volume range for calculating the storage period since then; - the outside temperature in the vicinity of the dump at the time the material concerned is stored; - the air humidity prevailing in the vicinity of the dump at the time the material concerned is stored;

LL; nn | BE2020 / 5066 - the specified pressure in a volume range, multiplied by the storage period since the specified time of storage in order to obtain a time-dependent pressure index; - the nature of the material concerned; - Quality information about the material in question, e.g. the chemical composition and purity or the physical fineness of the material particles); - as well as other influencing factors or influencing variables for the storage of the relevant material, e.g. its caking probability, preferably depending on the stated condition variables.

In the dump model shown in FIG. 1, the following values of the aforementioned state variables and material properties are available in the volume areas 100 shown here: - Time of storage of the relevant material: 04.10.2019 / 12:35:24 - Storage period to date: 56:20 : 54 h - Current, average pressure: 10,000 N - Type of material: Potash - Material quality: xyz - Caking probability: 50% In the present example of potash, the values given result in a (not to be neglected ) Risk of caking, for the four volume areas 110 shaded in medium gray, a caking probability of <30% and for the four volume areas 115 shaded in dark gray, a caking probability of> 90% Embodiment by means of image-capturing sensors, e.g. laser, radar, Photogrammetric sensors, or the like, are created, which are preferably arranged on a (belt) stacker and / or on a reloading device of the respective storage facility.

When the material is stored, the parameters available at this point in time, in the present exemplary embodiment the stored material, the point in time of storage, the humidity prevailing during storage, etc., are assigned to the volume area filled at that point in time.

On the basis of these state variables or

Parameter pe 2920/5068, a material-specific algorithm calculates the probability of states of the material in the respective, presently cube-shaped volume areas in the present exemplary embodiment according to the following relationship:

n T material condition (t) => pe * DC x X; * (t - 2 i = 1 j = 0 in which the variable t is the point in time of the material state, the variable X; a material-related state variable X; the variable w; a weighting factor for the state variable Xi, the variable wi a weighting factor for the time dependence of the state variable X; and the quantity T; mean the number of time steps in the past or historical time steps that are considered for the state quantity Xi.

Example for the condition calculation:

In the example, the material or

Storage goods are based on potassium carbonate (potash), which is assumed to bake 90% after x hours of storage under pressure y.

The aforementioned algorithm is formed or adapted on the basis of corresponding preliminary tests and / or the physical or chemical relationships obtained in the process.

The algorithm thus enables an evaluation of probabilities or

Prediction of the storage-related conditions affected here, e.g. the mentioned caking conditions that the material assumes in the mentioned volume ranges.

The system control can now use the calculated probabilities or

Predictions are set up or programmed in such a way that the probability that a certain, undesired (storage-related) material condition will occur is reduced.

Possible measures in the operation of a storage facility affected here to reduce the probability of occurrence of certain material conditions can be:

- Timely removal of the material, i.e. a corresponding reduction in the storage time;

- Less stockpiling of material and thus a lower height of a stockpile PE2020 / 5068 at critical points, as a result of which the pressure on or in a described volume element is reduced; - Storage of new material only in correspondingly uncritical places, also to reduce the pressure mentioned.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a local arrangement of the volume elements described, specifically for the purpose of simplification of only five volume elements 200-220 which are adjacent to one another.

On the basis of this representation, a first exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention for calculating a physical heap model concerned here is described with the aid of a named algorithm ‘.

The pressure gradient Ap1z shown only for the two volume elements 200, 205 in the vertical direction of the arrangement shown is essentially determined by the gravitational pressure exertion of the upper volume element 200 on the volume element 205 below. The pressure gradient between the two lower volume elements 205, 210 then results accordingly, although the entire pressure load of the two volume elements 200, 205 on the volume element 210 below must be taken into account.

The temperature gradient AT 2 in the vertical direction of the arrangement shown, also only shown for the two volume elements 200, 205, is essentially determined by external influences such as solar radiation and the soil temperature as well as the temperature difference resulting therefrom over the pile height (in the y-direction 230) AT 225. The temperature gradient between the two lower volume elements 205, 210 then results accordingly.

The mean pressures and mean temperatures prevailing in the three volume elements 200-210 can be derived from the pressure and temperature gradients mentioned.

This data can be used to determine the physical or chemical changes in the material specific to the material in question.

In the present exemplary embodiment, this determination takes place on the basis of data obtained in test experiments for the respective material, which are available, for example, in the form of (electronic) tables or databases.

The pressure gradient Ap;, 3 shown only for the two volume elements 205, 215 in the horizonta: 7920/5066 direction of the arrangement shown is essentially determined by horizontal pressure load components between horizontally adjacent volume elements, which are possible with a pouring of granular material lateral movement of individual material particles can be caused.

The temperature gradient AT13 in the horizontal direction of the arrangement shown, likewise only shown for the two volume elements 205, 215, is essentially determined by the temperature profile along the heap, namely in the present example along the x-direction 235 shown a second embodiment of the method or the device according to the invention is shown using a combined block / flow diagram.

A data processing unit 300 calculates in the block or

In step 305, a described, digital heap model on the basis of current physical and / or chemical data recorded by sensors 310.

In the present exemplary embodiment, these data include both geometric data or corresponding surface data of a relevant heap, temperature data recorded by sensors in the vicinity of the heap and / or within the heap, as well as material-specific data relating to the material currently stored in the heap .

A current or currently valid heap model is calculated 305 on the basis of this data. The data processing unit 300 calculates 315 current physical and / or chemical state variables of the heap using the digital heap model 305 and the sensor-recorded data 310.

On the basis of these calculated state variables, current physical or chemical states of the material stored in the heap are calculated 320 and, based on the physical or chemical states calculated in this way, a prediction of possible material changes of the stored material is made 325 or corresponding forecast data is provided 330. For the prediction, the probability of the occurrence of physical states, which can occur during the storage of the respective stored material, can be calculated 325, 330.

Material recovery plant supplied.

In the present exemplary embodiment, one or more suitable countermeasures to prevent a material change are calculated 340 using the present prediction data 330, and the resulting data is present to a PLC controller

". . . . .BE2020 / 5066 350, by means of which the calculated 340 countermeasures are carried out during the dump operation of the storage facility concerned. It should be noted that the calculation of the suitable countermeasure (s) in the present exemplary embodiment is carried out using a specified catalog or a corresponding selection 345 of possible countermeasures, with suitable countermeasures in advance for certain physical or chemical states can be determined on the basis of test measurements or trials.

It should also be noted that the above-described method and the above-described facility can be used, for example, in a material interim storage facility provided at a material extraction plant (ore mining, coal mining, potash mining, etc.) or a material handling point provided at a ship's harbor for the handling of corresponding bulk goods.

Claims (19)

Claims 1. A method for operating a system for storing bulk material with at least one dump-shaped storage area, in particular a system for handling bulk material or a material recovery system, characterized in that a digital dump model is created for the at least one storage area (305) and that on On the basis of the created stockpile model, the development of physical and / or chemical states that can occur during the storage of the respective stored material is predicted (320, 325), and that predicted physical or chemical states are used during storage operation (340 ) in order to ensure that the stored material is stored as gently as possible. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that on the basis of the stockpile model, the probability of the occurrence of physical states which can occur during the storage of the respectively stored material is calculated (325). 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the material-friendly storage of the stored material is ensured by predetermined measures or countermeasures (340) in the storage operation. 4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when creating (305) the digital stockpile model, a stockpile-shaped storage area is broken down into a plurality of smaller volume elements (100-115, 200-220) and that the physical forces and / or chemical influences acting on a single volume element can be calculated. 5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the volume elements (100-115, 200-220) are formed by elements which are symmetrical in the three spatial directions. 6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that for a given volume element (100-115, 200-220) the physical forces and / or chemical influences from above (200, 205) and from the side - th (215, 220) neighboring elements are taken into account. 7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the 52020/5066 number of nearest neighbor elements to be taken into account includes horizontally only nearest neighbors (215, 220) and vertically, if possible, all volume elements (200, 205) arranged above the volume element under consideration. 8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that when calculating the volume elements (100-115, 200-220) of the heap model, the pressure locally prevailing in a volume element (210) and / or that in this volume element (210) existing temperature and / or the air humidity or material moisture prevailing in this volume element (210) can be taken into account in order to calculate from these variables how likely a hardening of the material of the respective volume element (210) and / or caking of the material is likely - is the material of this volume element with the material of one of the neighboring elements (205, 220). 9. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that when calculating the volume elements (100-115, 200-220) of the dump model in a volume element (210), for hardening and / or caking of the material relevant, material-dependent physical or chemical influencing variables are taken into account. 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that empirically determined data for the hardening and / or caking behavior of various materials are used as a basis. 11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the data ascertained in advance for a given material determine the hardening or caking probability as a function of that at the interface between two volume elements (100-115, 200-220 ) present pressure and temperature. 12. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that when calculating the volume elements (100-115, 200-220) of the heap model, the storage time of the respective material that has already expired is also taken into account. 13. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 12, characterized in that the spatial data required for the calculation (305) of the heap model of a currently existing heap-shaped material embankment is sent to the material embankment. The topographical data recorded by sensors are compared and, if necessary, the dump model is adapted to the current material embankment using the BE2020 / 5066 comparison. 14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the results of the calculation of the digital stockpile model or the corresponding (counter) measures of a machine control system for operating a transport and / or or conveyor technology for bulk goods can be fed in in real time. 15. Computer program which is set up to carry out each step of a method according to one of claims 1 to 14. 16. Device which is set up to control a system for the storage of bulk goods with at least one stockpile-shaped storage area, in particular a system for material handling of bulk goods or a material recovery system, using the method according to one of claims 1 to 14. 17. Device according to claim 16, characterized by a sensor system (310) for the acquisition of topographical data of the heap, in particular of its current surface data, and / or for the acquisition of physical data of the respective heap, in particular of its temperature data. 18. Device according to claim 17, characterized by a data processing unit, by means of which a current dump model (305) is calculated on the basis of the surface data and / or physical data recorded by sensors (310), the results of the calculations being based on of the stockpile model can be fed to a control unit (335) of the respective storage space system or material recovery system. 19. Device according to claim 18, characterized in that the data processing unit is set up to calculate (320) current physical and / or chemical state variables of a dump-shaped material embankment using the digital dump model (305) and the data recorded by sensors (310) to calculate current physical or chemical states of the material stored in the heap on the basis of the state variables calculated in this way and to make a prediction of possible material changes of the stored material based on the calculated physical or chemical states (325) or corresponding prediction data provide.