A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system

Abstract

The present application discloses a molecular sieve electric heater heating control system, which relates to the field of automatic control technology. The system includes: a data acquisition module for acquiring temperature data of the molecular sieve heater in real time; a control system module for receiving the temperature data signal of the data acquisition module, converting the temperature data signal into the actual current temperature, and generating a switching control instruction according to the set temperature value and the current temperature; according to the set temperature value and the tolerance range of the temperature control, frequent switching of the heater is avoided. If the real-time temperature is not higher than the difference between the set temperature value and the tolerance, the control system will start the next group of heaters according to the round-robin logic and start the heater that is shut down first; if the real-time temperature is not lower than the sum of the set temperature value and the tolerance, the heater that is started first will be shut down according to the principle of first start, first stop; thereby reducing the frequent closure of the contactor contacts, protecting the safe operation of the contactor, and increasing the service life of the equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automatic control, in particular to a molecular sieve electric heater heating control system. Background Art

[0002] A molecular sieve heater is a device used in the molecular sieve regeneration process. Its main function is to reverse the molecular sieve's adsorption process by heating, thereby removing the adsorbed material and allowing the molecular sieve to be reused. A molecular sieve is essentially a filter that can adsorb specific gas or liquid molecules, but requires regeneration after reaching a certain adsorption capacity. The heater regenerates the molecular sieve by heating the carrier gas to a sufficiently high temperature. When the molecular sieve completes the regeneration process or reaches the preset heating time, heating needs to be stopped and the heater needs to be allowed to gradually cool to a safe temperature before proceeding.

[0003] The existing electric heater startup method is to start all fixed groups, and the deactivation and startup of the fixed groups are controlled according to the temperature. For example, when the temperature reaches the SP value, a certain group begins to be deactivated, and when the temperature drops to the SP value, another group is activated again. This causes the fixed groups activated at a certain temperature critical point to be frequently started and stopped, causing the contactor contacts to stick, which affects the mechanical and electrical life of the contactor. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a molecular sieve electric heater heating control system, which solves the problem of frequent start and stop of the same group in the prior art, thereby reducing the operating life of the equipment, and realizes the technical effect of starting and stopping first in round-robin logic, thereby increasing the operating life of the equipment.

[0005] The present application provides a molecular sieve electric heater heating control system, the system comprising: a data acquisition module for acquiring temperature data of the molecular sieve heater in real time; a temperature sensor for monitoring the temperature of the molecular sieve heater in real time, and converting the temperature signal into an electrical signal for transmission to the data acquisition module;

[0006] The control system module receives the temperature data signal from the data acquisition module and converts the temperature data signal into the actual current temperature. Based on the set temperature value and the current temperature, it generates switching control instructions. The control system uses a microprocessor with a built-in round-robin logic program and temperature control algorithm. According to the set temperature value and the set temperature control tolerance range, it avoids frequent switching of heaters. If the real-time temperature is not higher than the difference between the set temperature value and the tolerance, the control system will start the next group of heaters according to the round-robin logic, starting with the heater that was shut down first. If the real-time temperature is not lower than the sum of the set temperature value and the tolerance, the control system will shut down the heater that was started first according to the first-start-first-stop principle.

[0007] The heater group module receives the switching control instructions and controls the start or stop of the molecular sieve electric heater according to the switching control instructions; the electric heater group consists of multiple fixed heaters, and each group of heaters is equipped with an independent power switch and control system interface.

[0008] Furthermore, the round-robin logic program uses a bidirectional linked list to record the shutdown order of the heater groups. Each node represents a heater group. The node contains the heater group identifier, shutdown time, and pointers to the previous node and the next node. When the control system is started, the bidirectional linked list needs to be initialized, memory allocated for it, and head and tail pointers set. When a heater group is turned off, a new node needs to be created and added to the tail of the linked list; when a heater group needs to be started, the node is removed from the head of the linked list, and the heater group identifier of the node is returned.

[0009] Furthermore, after the bidirectional linked list is initialized, the heater groups are added to the linked list, and the status of the heater groups is initialized, and the on / off status of each heater is recorded. When a heater needs to be started: the heater groups that are currently off are searched, the heater group that is turned off first is started, and its status is recorded as "on";

[0010] When the heater needs to be turned off: find the heater groups that are currently on, turn off the heater group that is turned on first, and record its status as "off".

[0011] One or more technical solutions provided in this application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0012] By adopting round-robin logic to achieve the effect of first start, first stop, and using a two-way linked list to record the shutdown order of the heater group, the number of times a certain electric heater is started is reduced, thereby reducing the frequent closure of the contactor contacts, protecting the safe operation of the contactor, and increasing the operating life of the equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the heating control system architecture of a molecular sieve electric heater in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of scheduling rules for a molecular sieve electric heater heating control system in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present application will be described more comprehensively below with reference to the relevant drawings; the drawings show preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein; on the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to enable a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of the disclosed content of the present invention.

[0016] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains; the terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present invention; the term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0017] In response to the problem in the prior art that fixed groups put into use at a certain temperature critical point are frequently started and stopped, affecting the mechanical and electrical life of the contactor, this application adopts round-robin logic to achieve the effect of first start, first stop, reduce the number of times a certain electric heater is started, protect the safe operation of the contactor, and increase the operating life of the equipment.

[0018] Example 1: Figure 1 As shown, the present application provides a molecular sieve electric heater heating control system, the system comprising: a data acquisition module for acquiring temperature data of the molecular sieve heater in real time; a temperature sensor for monitoring the temperature of the molecular sieve heater in real time, and converting the temperature signal into an electrical signal for transmission to the data acquisition module;

[0019] The control system module receives the temperature data signal from the data acquisition module and converts the temperature data signal into the actual current temperature. Based on the set temperature value and the current temperature, it generates switching control instructions. The control system uses a microprocessor with a built-in round-robin logic program and temperature control algorithm. According to the set temperature value (SP value) and the set temperature control tolerance range, it avoids frequent switching of heaters. If the real-time temperature is not higher than the difference between the set temperature value and the tolerance (SP value - tolerance), the control system will start the next group of heaters according to the round-robin logic, starting with the heater that was shut down first. If the real-time temperature is not lower than the sum of the set temperature value and the tolerance (SP value + tolerance), the control system will shut down the heater that was started first according to the first-start-first-stop principle.

[0020] The heater group module receives on / off control commands and controls the start / stop of the molecular sieve electric heaters accordingly. The electric heater group consists of multiple fixed heaters, each equipped with an independent power switch and control system interface. When the control system issues an on / off command, the heater group module executes the corresponding command on the corresponding heater group.

[0021] After the bidirectional linked list is initialized, the heater group is added to the linked list, and the status of the heater group is initialized, and the on and off status of each heater is recorded. When the heater needs to be started:

[0022] Find the heater groups that are currently off, start the heater group that was turned off first, and record its status as "on";

[0023] When you need to turn off the heater:

[0024] Find the heater groups that are currently turned on, turn off the heater group that was turned on first, and record its status as "off". Every time a heater is turned on or off, the status record of the heater group needs to be updated.

[0025] A bidirectional linked list is used in the round-robin logic program to record the shutdown order of the heater groups. Each node represents a heater group. The node contains the heater group identifier, shutdown time, and pointers to the previous node and the next node. When the control system starts, the bidirectional linked list needs to be initialized, memory allocated for it, and head and tail pointers set. When a heater group is turned off, we need to create a new node and add it to the tail of the linked list (indicating that this is the heater group that was most recently turned off); when a heater group needs to be started, we remove the node from the head of the linked list (that is, the heater group that was turned off first) and return the heater group identifier of the node.

[0026] For example, the SP value is 50°C with a tolerance of ±0.5°C. The current real-time temperature is 46°C, and all heaters are off. Because the real-time temperature is lower than (SP value - tolerance), that is, 46°C < (50°C - 0.5°C), the heaters need to be turned on. Using round-robin logic, the system searches for the first heater group that is currently off and turns that group on.

[0027] Assuming that heaters in groups 1 to 5 are activated, their status is recorded as "on".

[0028] As the heater runs, the real-time temperature gradually increases. When the real-time temperature reaches (SP value + tolerance), that is, the temperature is ≥ 50.5°C, the heater needs to be turned off.

[0029] According to the round-robin logic, find the first heater group that is currently turned on (group 1 in this example) and turn off the heaters in that group.

[0030] Record the status of Group 1 heaters as "off".

[0031] After the first group of heaters is stopped, the temperature will slowly drop below the SP value. At this time, the sixth group of heaters will be put into use according to the round-robin logic program. The number of groups currently in use is 2-6. When the temperature reaches the SP value, the second group that was started first among the 2-6 groups will be stopped.

[0032] The technical solutions in the above embodiments of the present application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0033] This application adopts round-robin logic to achieve the effect of first start, first stop, reducing the number of times a certain electric heater is started, thereby reducing the frequent closure of the contactor contacts, protecting the safe operation of the contactor, and increasing the operating life of the equipment.

[0034] Example 2: In Example 1, a round-robin logic is used to achieve the effect of first start, first stop. However, the operation is fixedly performed according to the logic of first start, first stop, without considering the overall operating status of the heater group.

[0035] Continue reading Figure 1 The system also includes: a basic data acquisition module for acquiring basic status data of each electric heater group, the basic status data including the heater's usage time, number of starts and operating status; the control system module also includes a diagnostic unit and an intelligent scheduling unit.

[0036] The diagnostic unit regularly analyzes the received basic status data, evaluates the usage and performance of the heater groups, and calculates a "health index" for each heater group based on the operating time, number of starts, and current status of the heater group.

[0037] Specifically, the total operating time of each heater group is recorded (in hours), the total number of starts of each heater group is recorded, and the operating status of the heater group, such as normal operation, failure, maintenance, etc., is monitored and recorded. The health index is a value between 0 and 1, which is used to indicate the overall health status of the heater group. The closer the value is to 1, the "healthier" the heater group is; the closer the value is to 0, the more maintenance or replacement the heater group needs. According to the operating status design state factor, the normal operating state is set to 0, the maintenance state is set to 0.5, and the failure state is set to 1. The health index is calculated based on the actual operating time of the heater group, the maximum operating time designed for the heater group, the actual number of starts of the heater group, the maximum number of starts designed for the heater group, and the state factor. The shorter the operating time and the fewer the number of starts, the higher the health index of the heater.

[0038] The control system module also includes an intelligent scheduling unit. This unit receives health index information from the diagnostic unit and, using round-robin logic to control startup and shutdown, prioritizes heater groups with higher health indexes. If a heater group is nearing its expected lifespan or requires maintenance, the system automatically adjusts its switching strategy to reduce usage of that heater group.

[0039] The system also includes an exception handling and early warning module that receives health index information from the diagnostic unit; sets different health index thresholds to trigger different actions, and issues a maintenance reminder when the health index falls below 0.8;

[0040] When the health index is lower than 0.6, the switching strategy is automatically adjusted to reduce the use of the heater group;

[0041] When the health index is lower than 0.4, the heater group is automatically removed from the chain list and an emergency maintenance notification is issued.

[0042] The technical solutions in the above embodiments of the present application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0043] This application adds a diagnostic unit and an intelligent scheduling unit to the control system module. By obtaining basic status data, each group of molecular sieve electric heaters is analyzed and a health index is given. Different thresholds are set to perform different actions. When using round-robin logic for adjustment, the health index of the molecular sieve electric heater is comprehensively considered, further achieving the effect of increasing the operating life of the equipment.

[0044] Example 3: In the above example, each group of molecular sieve electric heaters is analyzed and given a health index to further increase the operating life of the equipment. However, electric heaters with an intermediate health index cannot be prevented, resulting in a sharp drop in the health index.

[0045] The electric heaters are sorted by health index and operated according to the corresponding action instructions. The electric heaters with health indexes in the middle range (0.6, 0.8) are obtained. Scheduling rules are set and used to intelligently schedule the electric heaters in the middle range, making dynamic adjustments to ensure a reasonable workload and prevent a rapid drop in health index.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, the scheduling rules include:

[0047] Determine the upper limit of continuous working time and rest time of the electric heater in the middle area, maintain continuous operation within the upper limit of continuous working time, and automatically skip the electric heater when shutting down to avoid frequent start and stop and cause losses.

[0048] Automatically distribute and redistribute workloads, monitoring the health and operating status of electric heaters in real time. When a heater in a central zone reaches its operating time limit, it is automatically removed from the current working list and placed into a rest period. Based on the health and workload of the remaining heaters, the workload originally allocated to the resting heater is redistributed to other available heaters with higher health indicators.

[0049] Adjust the operating power of the electric heater in the middle area. A real-time workload forecasting mechanism is introduced to predict workload conditions over a period of time. Based on the forecast results and the current state of the electric heater, combined with the upper limit of continuous operating time and rest time, the operating power of the electric heater in the middle area is adjusted to ensure that the operating power of the electric heater in the middle area reaches a stable and appropriate level during the continuous operating time. To prevent the electric heater from operating under high load, the power of the electric heater in the middle area is set between 70% and 80% of the original power and adjusted according to the continuous operating time. This reduces equipment wear, extends service life, and reduces maintenance costs and downtime.

[0050] Set the upper limit of continuous working time and rest time, and adjust the working power of the electric heater in the middle area according to the upper limit of continuous working time to avoid the electric heater from running under high load and reduce equipment loss, so that the electric heater in the middle area can maintain the appropriate working power at a stable working time. By limiting the working time and working power, the electric heater in the middle area is protected to operate stably, ensure a reasonable workload, extend its service life, and slow down the downward trend of the health index.

[0051] The technical solutions in the above embodiments of the present application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0052] This application adjusts the working power of the electric heater in the middle area according to the upper limit of continuous working time, so that the electric heater in the middle area can maintain a suitable working power at a suitable working time, ensure a reasonable workload, extend the service life, and achieve the effect of slowing down the downward trend of the health index.

[0053] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Various modifications and variations are readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system, characterized in that: The system includes: a data acquisition module for acquiring temperature data of the molecular sieve heater in real time; a temperature sensor for monitoring the temperature of the molecular sieve heater in real time, and converting the temperature signal into an electrical signal for transmission to the data acquisition module; The control system module receives the temperature data signal from the data acquisition module and converts the temperature data signal into the actual current temperature. Based on the set temperature value and the current temperature, it generates switching control instructions. The control system uses a microprocessor with a built-in round-robin logic program and temperature control algorithm. According to the set temperature value and the set temperature control tolerance range, it avoids frequent switching of heaters. If the real-time temperature is not higher than the difference between the set temperature value and the tolerance, the control system will start the next group of heaters according to the round-robin logic, starting with the heater that was shut down first. If the real-time temperature is not lower than the sum of the set temperature value and the tolerance, the control system will shut down the heater that was started first according to the first-start-first-stop principle. The heater group module receives the switching control instructions and controls the start or stop of the molecular sieve electric heater according to the switching control instructions; the electric heater group consists of multiple fixed heaters, each of which is equipped with an independent power switch and control system interface; Among them, a bidirectional linked list is used in the round-robin logic program to record the shutdown order of the heater groups. Each node represents a heater group. The node contains the identifier of the heater group, the shutdown time, and pointers to the previous node and the next node. When the control system is started, the bidirectional linked list needs to be initialized, memory is allocated for it, and the head and tail pointers are set. When a heater group is turned off, a new node needs to be created and added to the tail of the linked list; when a heater group needs to be started, the node is removed from the head of the linked list, and the heater group identifier of the node is returned.

2. A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the bidirectional linked list is initialized, the heater groups are added to the linked list, the status of the heater groups is initialized, and the on / off status of each heater is recorded. When a heater needs to be started: the heater groups that are currently off are searched, the heater group that was turned off first is started, and its status is recorded as "on"; When the heater needs to be turned off: find the heater groups that are currently on, turn off the heater group that is turned on first, and record its status as "off".

3. A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system also includes: a basic data acquisition module for acquiring basic status data of each electric heater group, the basic status data including the heater's usage time, number of starts and operating status; the control system module also includes a diagnostic unit and an intelligent scheduling unit.

4. A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The diagnostic unit regularly analyzes the received basic status data, evaluates the usage and performance of the heater groups, and calculates the "health index" of each heater group based on the heater group's operating time, number of starts and current status; the intelligent scheduling unit receives the health index information from the diagnostic unit and, while using round-robin logic to control start and stop, gives priority to the heater group with the highest "health index".

5. A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The diagnostic unit records the total operating time of each heater group, the total number of starts of each heater group, and monitors and records the operating status of the heater group, including normal operation, fault, and maintenance. The health index is a value between 0 and 1, which is used to indicate the overall health status of the heater group. The larger the value, the "healthier" the heater group; the smaller the value, the more maintenance or replacement the heater group needs. The state factor is designed according to the operating state, with the normal operating state set to 0, the maintenance state set to 0.5, and the fault state set to 1. The health index is calculated based on the actual operating time of the heater group, the maximum operating time designed for the heater group, the actual number of starts of the heater group, the maximum number of starts designed for the heater group, and the state factor.

6. A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The system also includes an exception handling and early warning module that receives health index information from the diagnostic unit; sets different health index thresholds to trigger different actions. When the health index is lower than 0.8, a maintenance reminder is issued; when the health index is lower than 0.6, the switching strategy is automatically adjusted to reduce the use of the heater group; when the health index is lower than 0.4, the heater group is automatically removed from the linked list and an emergency maintenance notice is issued.

7. A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: Sort the electric heaters according to their health index and operate according to the corresponding action instructions to obtain the electric heaters whose health index is in the middle area, where the middle area is [0.6, 0.8]. Set scheduling rules and use them to intelligently schedule the electric heaters in the middle area and perform dynamic adjustments.

8. A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that: The scheduling rules include: determining the upper limit of continuous working time and rest time of the electric heater in the middle area, maintaining continuous operation within the upper limit of continuous working time, and automatically skipping the electric heater when shutting down to avoid frequent starting and stopping and causing losses; Realize automatic distribution and redistribution of workload, monitor the health index and working status of electric heaters in real time, and automatically remove the electric heater from the current work list when the working time limit is reached in a certain intermediate area, and arrange it to enter the rest time.

9. A molecular sieve electric heater heating control system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The scheduling rules also include: adjusting the working power of the electric heater in the middle area, introducing a real-time work demand prediction mechanism, predicting the workload in the future, and adjusting the working power of the electric heater in the middle area based on the prediction results and the current state of the electric heater, combined with the upper limit of continuous working time and rest time, to ensure that the working power of the electric heater in the middle area reaches a stable and appropriate power within the continuous working time.

Images