A pilot type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of pneumatic conveying equipment, and discloses a pilot type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system, which comprises a process subsystem and an intelligent instrument control subsystem in communication connection with the process subsystem; the process subsystem is sequentially provided with a compressed air source unit, a pressure reduction and stabilization unit, an integrated filter resistor unit, a bin pump blanking and conveying unit, a pipeline conveying unit and an ash bin receiving unit along the material conveying flow direction; a pilot type automatic plug forming and air supplementing unit is arranged on the pipeline conveying unit; the intelligent instrument control subsystem comprises a sensing and detecting unit, an intelligent control unit and a man-machine interaction and remote monitoring unit. The pilot type automatic plug forming valve precisely and timely supplements air, thereby avoiding pipe blocking problems from the root. In combination with a low flow rate conveying mode, pipeline and pipe wear is effectively reduced, long distance conveying requirements can be met, and various equipment and unit failures caused by pipe blocking can be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pneumatic conveying equipment, specifically a pilot-type intelligent integrated pneumatic conveying system. Background Technology

[0002] Based on the concentration of materials being conveyed, pneumatic conveying can be divided into two categories: dilute phase conveying and dense phase conveying. Dense phase conveying, characterized by a high ash-to-gas ratio, low gas consumption, and high conveying efficiency, is the most widely used in industrial applications. However, dense phase pneumatic conveying has long faced technical bottlenecks: the interplay between pipe blockage prevention, long-distance conveying, and pipeline wear. To avoid pipe blockage, the air supply is typically increased, leading to a higher material flow rate and exacerbating wear on pipes, elbows, and other components. Conversely, reducing the air supply, while lowering the flow rate and mitigating wear, easily triggers pipe blockage. If blockage is not addressed promptly, it can cause a series of chain reactions, including material accumulation in the ash hopper, shutdown of dust collection equipment, and reduced load on production units, directly impacting the continuous and stable operation of the entire production system.

[0003] To address these issues, the industry has continuously optimized and iterated dense-phase pneumatic conveying technology, resulting in various technological forms such as conventional dense-phase conveying, booster-type conveying, and pilot-type conveying. Early conventional dense-phase pneumatic conveying systems mainly consisted of a compressed air source, a silo pump, conveying pipelines, an ash silo, and a basic control system. The conveying process was divided into four stages: feeding, pressurized fluidization, material conveying, and pipeline purging. These systems featured a multi-inlet structure on the silo pump, resulting in complex air distribution logic. Furthermore, a large amount of compressed air was required to purge the pipeline after each conveying operation, leading to high overall energy consumption. Simultaneously, relying entirely on air supply from the silo pump to drive material movement resulted in significantly reduced stability over long distances, with frequent pipe blockages and severe equipment wear remaining persistent problems.

[0004] Building upon conventional dense-phase conveying systems, the industry has developed a booster-type pneumatic conveying system. This solution involves installing boosters at intervals along the conveying pipeline, using external air supply to compensate for power losses during long-distance conveying, thus increasing the conveying distance to some extent. However, the boosters use a fixed mode for continuous air supply, failing to dynamically adjust the air supply strategy based on the material's operating status within the pipeline. Regardless of potential pipeline blockages, the continuous air supply results in significant energy waste. Furthermore, this type of equipment has simple control logic, lacking real-time sensing capabilities for pipeline pressure and material status, and exhibits poor adaptability to various operating conditions.

[0005] To fundamentally solve the problem of pipe blockage, pilot-operated pneumatic conveying systems have emerged. This system deploys pilot-operated automatic plugging valves on the conveying pipeline. Relying on a pressure detection structure within the valve body to sense changes in pipeline pressure, it automatically replenishes air when pressure is abnormal, dividing the dense material column into material plugs and air plugs, achieving precise unblocking and effectively preventing pipe blockage. It also reduces overall air consumption and equipment wear. Current pilot-operated pneumatic conveying systems are divided into process and instrumentation / control sections, meeting basic material conveying needs, but still have significant shortcomings. Existing systems generally use simple programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for basic sequential control, only capable of basic operations such as valve opening and closing, and equipment start-up and shutdown. They lack the ability to comprehensively collect and analyze key data such as pipeline pressure, material status, and air source parameters. They cannot adaptively adjust operating parameters according to actual working conditions such as changes in coal quality, ash content fluctuations, and air source pressure fluctuations. System operation is highly dependent on the operator's field experience.

[0006] In addition, most of the components of pneumatic conveying systems currently on the market are designed and manufactured independently by different manufacturers. Subsystems such as compressed air source, filtration and dust removal, silo pump conveying, pilot air replenishment, and terminal receiving operate independently, lacking a unified data exchange channel and collaborative control mechanism between the various devices, forming serious information silos. This not only makes the system installation and commissioning process cumbersome and daily management difficult, but also makes it difficult to quickly locate the fault point and analyze the cause of the fault when equipment malfunctions.

[0007] Therefore, a solution is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system, which solves the problems mentioned in the background section.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system, comprising a process subsystem and an intelligent instrumentation and control subsystem communicatively connected to the process subsystem;

[0010] The process subsystem is arranged in sequence along the material conveying direction as a compressed air source unit, a pressure reducing and stabilizing unit, an integrated filter unit, a silo pump unloading and conveying unit, a pipeline conveying unit, and an ash silo receiving unit. The pipeline conveying unit is equipped with a pilot-operated automatic throttling and air replenishment unit.

[0011] The intelligent instrumentation and control subsystem includes a sensing and detection unit, an intelligent control unit, and a human-machine interaction and remote monitoring unit. The sensing and detection unit is electrically connected to each component of the process subsystem and the intelligent control unit. The intelligent control unit is communicatively connected to the human-machine interaction and remote monitoring unit and the controlled components of the process subsystem.

[0012] The silo pump unloading and conveying unit is equipped with only a single main air inlet, eliminating the auxiliary air intake structures of fluidizing gas, primary gas, and secondary gas. The pressure reducing and stabilizing unit is equipped with an electronically controlled pressure reducing valve. The electronically controlled pressure reducing valve is adjusted by the intelligent control unit in a closed loop according to the real-time conveying conditions, so that the silo pump maintains a constant conveying air pressure.

[0013] The conveying process of the silo pump material conveying unit is only divided into the feeding stage and the pressurized conveying stage, omitting the pipeline purging stage. The compressed air supply is terminated immediately after the material inside the silo pump is emptied.

[0014] The pilot-operated automatic thrombus formation and gas replenishment unit includes multiple pilot-operated automatic thrombus formation valves, which are arranged at intervals along the pipeline of the pipeline delivery unit. The opening pressure of each pilot-operated automatic thrombus formation valve is set differently according to its installation position, distance from the silo pump, and pipeline direction.

[0015] Preferably, the compressed air source unit includes a variable frequency screw air compressor, a refrigerated dryer, an oil-water separator, and an air tank; a pressure sensor is installed at the outlet of the air tank, and the pressure sensor is connected to a sensing and detection unit. When the air source pressure is detected to be lower than a preset threshold, the intelligent control unit automatically starts the backup air compressor to maintain a stable air source pressure.

[0016] Preferably, the integrated filter unit integrates the pipeline filtration structure and the dust blocking structure in the same housing, and is equipped with a 304 stainless steel filter element, an anti-reverse dust blocking fluororubber pad, and a 304 stainless steel anti-fall-off mesh bag; the anti-fall-off mesh bag is located on the downstream side of the fluororubber pad, and the inlet and outlet of the filter are reserved with pressure gauge interfaces, and the filter element blockage status is determined by the differential pressure data, and the differential pressure data is uploaded to the intelligent control unit in real time.

[0017] Preferably, the silo pump feeding and conveying unit is equipped with a pneumatic feed valve and a discharge valve, and the valve operation is uniformly controlled by the intelligent control unit; the silo pump feeding mode can be selected as material level signal control or time control, with material level signal control being preferred, and the feed valve is started and stopped according to the material level data fed back by the material level sensor in the silo pump.

[0018] Preferably, the pilot-operated automatic plugging valve integrates a pressure detection mechanism and an air volume regulation structure. When the valve is closed, a small amount of air is continuously supplied through the regulating screw to maintain the fluidization state of the material in the pipeline. When the pressure detection mechanism detects that the pipeline pressure has reached the corresponding preset opening pressure, the valve is fully opened to supply a full amount of air. The air knife cutting action is used to divide the material column into material plugs and air plugs. After the pipeline pressure drops back to the normal value, the valve automatically closes.

[0019] Preferably, the pipeline conveying unit is made of wear-resistant pipe material, and wear-resistant ceramic lining or special wear-resistant elbow is installed at the pipeline bend position; a pilot-operated automatic throttling valve is installed every 20m-50m on the horizontal straight pipe section, and a pilot-operated automatic throttling valve is installed separately at the positions before and after the pipeline bend.

[0020] Preferably, the ash silo receiving unit includes an ash silo body, a bag filter, a level gauge, a pressure sensor, an ash discharge valve, and a humidifying mixer; the bag filter is installed on the top of the ash silo to separate dust in the conveying airflow, and the level gauge and pressure sensor collect the ash silo level and internal pressure data in real time and upload them to the sensing and detection unit.

[0021] Preferably, the sensing and detection unit includes multiple sets of pressure sensors and transmitters, flow sensors, level sensors, temperature sensors, and valve position sensors; the pressure sensors and transmitters are installed at the air source outlet, pressure reducing valve outlet, inside the silo pump, at each pilot-operated automatic valve, and inside the ash silo; the flow sensors are installed in the main air source pipeline; the temperature sensors are installed in the compressed air pipeline; and the valve position sensors are installed at each pneumatic valve. All sensor data are transmitted to the intelligent control unit in real time via industrial Ethernet or fieldbus.

[0022] Preferably, the intelligent control unit adopts a two-layer architecture of PLC execution layer + host computer intelligent decision-making layer;

[0023] The PLC execution layer is used to perform basic control functions such as system start-up and shutdown, sequential action of silo pump valves, opening and closing of pilot-operated automatic throttling valves, fault interlock protection, and ash conveying interlock logic.

[0024] The upper-level intelligent decision-making layer incorporates an adaptive operating condition algorithm, a pipe blockage prediction model, an energy consumption optimization algorithm, and an equipment lifespan analysis model. The upper-level computer combines a material characteristic database with real-time data from sensor detection units to automatically adjust the conveying frequency, material discharge time, silo pump conveying pressure, and pilot-operated automatic slugging valve opening pressure. It analyzes pipeline pressure change trends and slugging valve operation frequency in real time, providing early warnings of pipe blockage risks and automatically adjusting air supply parameters. It calculates air consumption per unit of ash and dynamically schedules the number of air compressors in operation to optimize overall system energy consumption. Based on equipment operating time and data, it predicts the wear and tear of filters, seals, and pipelines, generating maintenance and spare parts replacement plans.

[0025] Preferably, the human-machine interaction and remote monitoring unit includes a local touchscreen operation panel, a remote monitoring host computer, an alarm module, and a historical database; the local touchscreen enables local display of system process flow, operating parameters, and equipment status, as well as switching between manual and automatic modes; the remote monitoring host computer supports remote parameter setting, equipment start / stop, data query, and report generation; the alarm module is divided into three levels of alarm mechanisms: early warning, alarm, and emergency alarm, with accompanying audible and visual prompts, SMS, and APP push alarm signals; the historical database stores all operating data and operation records, supporting multi-dimensional data retrieval and playback; all units of the process subsystem are interconnected with the intelligent instrumentation and control subsystem, realizing integrated collaborative control of the entire process of gas source, filtration, transportation, gas replenishment, and monitoring.

[0026] This invention provides a pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system. It has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] 1. This invention uses a pilot-operated automatic throttling valve to precisely replenish air as needed, thus preventing pipe blockage at its source. Combined with a low-flow-rate delivery method, it effectively reduces wear on pipes and fittings, meets the needs of long-distance delivery, and avoids various equipment and unit failures caused by pipe blockage.

[0028] 2. This system simplifies the air circuit structure of the silo pump and eliminates the pipeline purging process. Combined with the on-demand air supply characteristic of the plug valve, it significantly reduces unnecessary energy consumption. The overall number of pipelines, valves, and control nodes is reduced, the probability of failure is lowered, and the workload of daily operation and maintenance is significantly reduced.

[0029] 3. This invention relies on intelligent control algorithms to adaptively adjust operating parameters, and also has the ability to predict faults, intervene in advance, and predict equipment status, thus realizing the transformation from passive maintenance to preventive maintenance. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is the overall flowchart of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The following will refer to the appendix to the specification of this invention. Figure 1 The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described herein. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system provided in this embodiment is mainly applied to the dense phase conveying scenario of fly ash in thermal power plants. It can also be adapted to the closed pipeline conveying operation of powdery and granular materials in various industrial fields such as metallurgy, cement, and chemicals. The entire system is divided into two major components: a process subsystem and an intelligent instrumentation and control subsystem. The two subsystems rely on industrial Ethernet and fieldbus to complete the full-domain data interaction, command issuance, and status feedback. The various equipment units work together to realize the automated, intelligent, and integrated operation of the entire pneumatic conveying process.

[0033] The entire process subsystem is arranged with relevant equipment in sequence according to the material and compressed air conveying direction. Starting from the air supply end, there are compressed air source unit, pressure reducing and stabilizing unit, integrated filter unit, and silo pump unloading and conveying unit arranged in sequence. The material enters the pipeline conveying unit through the silo pump and is finally conveyed to the ash silo receiving unit. Pilot-type automatic throttling and air replenishment units are installed along the entire pipeline of the pipeline conveying unit. The material transfer is completed by relying on closed pipelines throughout the process, eliminating the problem of dust overflow from the source. The intelligent instrumentation and control subsystem covers all equipment locations in the entire system, including sensor and detection units deployed throughout the area, intelligent control units responsible for logical operations and equipment management, and human-machine interaction and remote monitoring units for operation, viewing, alarm, and data traceability for maintenance personnel. The sensor and detection units collect various operating parameters and equipment status signals in real time and transmit them continuously to the intelligent control unit. The intelligent control unit performs logical judgment, adaptive parameter adjustment, equipment action control, and fault analysis. At the same time, it pushes all operating data, equipment status, and alarm information to the human-machine interaction and remote monitoring unit, realizing functions such as local operation, remote supervision, and anomaly alerts. This allows the entire system to operate continuously without human supervision and stably complete material conveying operations.

[0034] The system utilizes multiple variable frequency screw air compressors as the main compressed air supply unit. Each compressor is equipped with a refrigerated dryer and an oil-water separator. All purified compressed air is collected in a large-capacity air tank for stable storage, ensuring the compressed air used for delivery is clean, dry, and has minimal pressure fluctuations, meeting the standards for dense-phase pneumatic conveying. A pressure detection device is installed at the outlet of the air tank, connected to a sensing unit. During normal system operation, the intelligent control unit dynamically adjusts the operating frequency of one or more air compressors based on the real-time pressure of the pipeline network, achieving adaptive load allocation. When the pipeline air supply pressure remains below the preset safety lower limit, the system automatically activates a backup air compressor to supplement the air supply. When the pipeline pressure exceeds the preset upper limit, the system gradually reduces the operating load of the air compressors or shuts down redundant units, always maintaining the air supply pressure within a reasonable range to prevent unstable air supply pressure from affecting delivery stability.

[0035] An electrically controlled pressure reducing valve is connected in series on the main air inlet pipe leading from the gas storage tank to the silo pump. This system significantly simplifies the complex gas path structure of traditional silo pumps, completely eliminating the multiple auxiliary air inlet pipes for fluidizing gas, primary gas, and secondary gas that were originally configured for the silo pump. The silo pump retains only one main air inlet, resulting in a simpler overall gas path layout. A pressure transmitter is installed at the outlet of the electrically controlled pressure reducing valve. The pressure transmitter collects the gas pressure after pressure reduction in real time and transmits it back to the intelligent control unit, forming a complete pressure closed-loop control circuit. During continuous system operation, the intelligent control unit dynamically adjusts the opening degree of the electrically controlled pressure reducing valve based on real-time conveying conditions, on-site material characteristics, pipeline pressure distribution, and other data, precisely controlling the output gas pressure to maintain a constant conveying pressure inside the silo pump, providing a stable and reliable power source for the conveying of dense phase materials.

[0036] An integrated filter is installed on the pipeline between the electronically controlled pressure reducing valve and the silo pump. This device adopts an integral sealed housing design, integrating the pipeline filtration structure and the anti-backflow dust blocking structure into the same housing, eliminating the need for separate installation. The front section of the filter is equipped with a 304 stainless steel filter element, which effectively intercepts solid impurities mixed in the compressed air, preventing impurities from entering the downstream pipeline and silo pump, causing equipment jamming and wear. The rear section of the filter is equipped with an anti-backflow dust blocking fluororubber pad, which effectively prevents powder materials inside the silo pump from flowing back into the front air source pipeline, preventing dust contamination of the air source system. Considering the risk of the rubber pad falling off due to long-term reciprocating motion, a 304 stainless steel anti-fall-off mesh is specially installed downstream of the fluororubber pad to limit and protect the rubber pad, completely avoiding the problem of the rubber pad falling off and blocking the air passage. Pressure gauge mounting interfaces are reserved at both the inlet and outlet of the filter. By monitoring the real-time pressure difference between the two ends, the degree of filter blockage can be determined. The pressure difference data will be uploaded to the intelligent control unit in real time. The system can provide filter replacement reminders in advance based on the pressure difference change trend to ensure unobstructed air passage.

[0037] The silo pump is a commonly used industrial vertical dense phase conveying silo pump. The top of the pump connects directly to the dust collector hopper, relying on the material's own weight for unloading. The pump is equipped with pneumatic inlet and outlet valves, both of which are controlled by a smart control unit. The pump has a built-in level sensor, and the system defaults to using the level signal as the basis for feed control. When the material falls and fills the silo pump to the set high level, the system automatically closes the inlet valve, maximizing the use of the pump's volume to increase the single-batch conveying capacity. If the level sensor malfunctions or shows an abnormal signal, the system automatically switches to time control mode, completing the feeding action according to the pre-set feeding time, ensuring uninterrupted feeding. This system abandons the traditional four-stage dense phase conveying operation mode, simplifying it to two core operating stages: feeding and pressurized conveying, completely eliminating the pipeline purging process required in traditional systems. In actual operation, the feeding stage begins first. The feed valve opens, and the powder material in the ash hopper falls into the silo pump by its own weight. After reaching the material level threshold or the preset feeding time, the feed valve automatically closes. Then, the pressurized conveying stage begins. The main air inlet valve opens, and constant-pressure compressed air enters the silo pump, pushing the material in the silo pump to form a dense, full-pipe column that moves forward into the conveying pipeline. Once the material inside the silo pump is completely emptied, the main air inlet valve closes immediately, and the single conveying process ends. The small amount of material remaining in the pipeline can be conveyed forward normally with the next round of conveying operations without the need for additional compressed air to purge.

[0038] Along the material flow direction of the pipeline conveying unit, multiple pilot-operated automatic throttling valves are installed at intervals along the pipeline. Each pilot-operated automatic throttling valve is connected to the main compressed air pipeline through an independent air tracing pipeline to ensure a sufficient and stable supply of supplementary air. Based on the overall pipeline layout, installation location, distance from the silo pump, and pipeline configuration, differentiated parameter settings are applied to the opening pressure of each pilot-operated automatic throttling valve. Different pressure trigger thresholds are set for horizontal straight pipe sections, vertical ascending pipe sections, and pipeline bends. In particular, the parameters of the throttling valves before and after bends are optimized and adjusted to enhance the unblocking ability at easily clogged points. The pilot-operated automatic plugging valve integrates a high-precision pressure detection mechanism and an air volume regulating wire. When the valve is normally closed, the regulating wire provides continuous micro-air supply, ensuring the material in the pipeline remains in a good fluidized state and preventing material accumulation. When the pressure detection mechanism detects that the local pressure in the pipeline has risen to the preset opening pressure, the plugging valve fully opens, and a large flow of compressed air is rapidly injected into the pipeline to form an air knife, cutting the continuous, dense material column into spaced-out plugs and air plugs, quickly clearing high-resistance pipe sections. After the pipeline pressure returns to the normal range, the plugging valve automatically closes. With the relay-style air supply and clearing action of multiple plugging valves along the pipeline, the material moves smoothly forward, avoiding the risk of pipe blockage throughout the entire process.

[0039] The main pipeline of the pipeline transportation unit is made entirely of highly wear-resistant pipes. For the elbows, where wear is most severe, a wear-resistant ceramic lining structure is used for reinforcement, significantly extending the service life of the pipe fittings. Regarding the pipeline layout and valve installation spacing, pilot-operated automatic valves are evenly distributed at standard intervals of 20 to 50 meters on horizontal straight pipe sections. Each elbow is equipped with a separate valve on both the upstream and downstream sides, enhancing the anti-clogging and unblocking effect in the elbow area. The entire transportation pipeline system eliminates the need for intermediate transfer equipment, enabling long-distance continuous and stable transportation.

[0040] The pipeline connects to the ash silo receiving unit at the end. A bag filter is installed on the top of the ash silo to effectively separate residual dust carried in the conveying airflow. The purified gas is directly discharged, meeting environmental protection requirements. Inside the ash silo, level gauges and pressure sensors are installed to monitor the material storage height and internal air pressure in real time. A pneumatic ash discharge valve and a humidifying mixer are installed sequentially at the bottom of the ash silo. The ash discharge valve is opened and closed in a controlled manner according to production needs to complete the ash discharge operation. The humidifying mixer humidifies the dry ash, effectively preventing dust generation during the ash discharge process. All data collected from the monitoring equipment at the ash silo, as well as the valve operating status signals, are connected to the sensor detection unit for full-process monitoring.

[0041] As the data acquisition terminal of the entire system, the sensing and detection unit comprehensively deploys various sensors and detection devices at key equipment and pipeline sections throughout the system. All detection devices are connected to a unified fieldbus, transmitting the acquired analog and digital signals to the intelligent control unit in real time. Pressure sensors and pressure transmitters are respectively located at the outlet of the air storage tank, the outlet of the electrically controlled pressure reducing valve, the inner cavity of the silo pump, each installation point of the pilot-operated automatic valve, and inside the ash silo, comprehensively monitoring air pressure changes at each node of the system. Flow sensors are installed on the main compressed air intake pipeline to accurately count the real-time and cumulative air consumption of the entire system. Level sensors are deployed inside the silo pump and ash silo to monitor material inventory in real time. Temperature sensors are deployed on the main compressed air pipeline to monitor changes in compressed air temperature. Valve position sensors are equipped on all pneumatic valves, including the silo pump inlet valve, outlet valve, main inlet valve, and ash silo unloading valve, providing immediate feedback on the actual opening and closing status of the valves, offering complete and real-time data support for system logic control, fault diagnosis, and parameter optimization.

[0042] The intelligent control unit adopts a two-layer architecture: a PLC execution layer and a host computer intelligent decision-making layer. These two layers communicate and collaborate to manage the entire system. The PLC execution layer, as the direct execution core of the field equipment, is responsible for carrying the system's basic control logic. It primarily handles the overall start-up and shutdown control of the entire equipment, the sequential valve operation control during the silo pump feeding and pressurization conveying stages, and the basic opening and closing logic control of the pilot-operated automatic valve. It also incorporates comprehensive fault interlock protection logic and multi-unit ash conveying interlock logic. When a single piece of equipment malfunctions, or when the overall gas load of the pipeline network is too high, the system automatically executes protective actions such as queuing conveying and equipment interlocking to prevent the fault from escalating and ensure system safety. The PLC continuously receives various data uploaded by the sensor detection unit and strictly drives the stable operation of various field equipment according to the preset basic logic. The upper-level intelligent decision-making layer is equipped with a material characteristic database, an adaptive operating condition algorithm, a pipe blockage prediction model, an energy consumption optimization model, and an equipment life analysis model. During operation, it continuously summarizes all operating data of the entire system and, combined with the characteristic parameters of different types of powder materials in the database, automatically adjusts core operating parameters such as conveying frequency, feeding time, silo pump conveying pressure, and the opening pressure of each shunt valve. It can easily cope with various complex operating conditions such as changes in coal quality, fluctuations in ash content, and fluctuations in gas source pressure. At the same time, it continuously analyzes the pressure change trend of each section of the pipeline and the frequency of shunt valve operation. Once it detects the early signs of pipe blockage, it immediately issues an early warning signal and automatically adjusts the gas supply parameters of the corresponding pipeline section to intervene and resolve the blockage before it actually occurs. The system also automatically calculates the gas consumption per unit of material and dynamically schedules the number and load of air compressors based on the overall gas demand, minimizing the overall energy consumption of the system while ensuring stable conveying. In addition, the host computer, relying on long-term accumulated equipment runtime and operating condition data, analyzes the wear and aging trends of vulnerable components such as filters, seals, and pipes, automatically generating equipment maintenance reminders and spare parts replacement plans, thus promoting equipment operation and maintenance from traditional reactive repair to preventative maintenance. When the system experiences problems such as abnormal material feeding, abnormal material level, or low main pipe pressure, the intelligent control unit can automatically identify the fault type and execute the corresponding repair logic, while accurately locating the fault point, marking the fault cause and handling suggestions, and shortening the fault handling time.

[0043] The human-machine interface and remote monitoring unit integrates multiple functions such as local operation, remote control, hierarchical alarms, and data storage and traceability. A touch-screen control panel is installed at the local equipment location, intuitively displaying the entire system's process flow diagram, the operating status of all equipment, and various real-time monitoring parameters. On-site maintenance personnel can switch between manual and automatic operation modes, operate individual devices locally, and set local parameters via the touchscreen. The supporting remote monitoring host computer utilizes industrial Ethernet for long-distance communication, allowing managers to remotely view the overall system operating status, modify operating parameters, remotely start and stop the entire conveyor system, and retrieve historical operating data. The system can automatically generate various operating reports based on the operating records to meet production management needs. The system features a three-level alarm mechanism: early warning, alarm, and emergency alarm. When different levels of abnormal conditions occur, the local equipment simultaneously triggers audible and visual alarms, and alarm information is pushed to maintenance personnel via SMS and mobile applications, ensuring that abnormal situations are detected immediately. All operational data, manual operation records, and alarm information generated by the entire system will be completely stored in the historical database. Staff can query, retrieve, and replay data according to multiple dimensions such as time, equipment type, and monitoring parameters, achieving full-process data traceability.

[0044] After the entire system is officially started and running, the intelligent control unit issues a start command, the silo pump feed valve opens, and the material in the ash hopper enters the silo pump by its own weight. When the material level reaches the set standard, the feed valve automatically closes. Subsequently, the main air inlet valve opens, and constant-pressure compressed air enters the silo pump, pushing the material to form a full-pipe column that enters the conveying pipeline. Throughout the entire process of material conveying forward in the pipeline, all pilot-operated automatic bolt valves along the line monitor the pipeline pressure in real time, automatically replenishing air and cutting the material column as needed according to the working conditions to ensure stable material conveying until the material finally enters the ash silo, where it undergoes gas-solid separation through the top bag filter, completing a single conveying process. During the continuous operation of the entire system, the sensing and detection unit continuously collects various field data, the intelligent control unit performs parameter optimization, status monitoring, and risk prediction in real time, and the human-machine interaction unit simultaneously displays operating information and executes alarm actions. No continuous on-site human intervention is required throughout the entire process, truly achieving integrated, intelligent, unattended, and stable operation.

[0045] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system, characterized in that, It includes a process subsystem and a smart instrumentation and control subsystem that is communicatively connected to the process subsystem; The process subsystem is arranged in sequence along the material conveying direction as a compressed air source unit, a pressure reducing and stabilizing unit, an integrated filter unit, a silo pump unloading and conveying unit, a pipeline conveying unit, and an ash silo receiving unit. The pipeline conveying unit is equipped with a pilot-operated automatic throttling and air replenishment unit. The intelligent instrumentation and control subsystem includes a sensing and detection unit, an intelligent control unit, and a human-machine interaction and remote monitoring unit. The sensing and detection unit is electrically connected to each component of the process subsystem and the intelligent control unit. The intelligent control unit is communicatively connected to the human-machine interaction and remote monitoring unit and the controlled components of the process subsystem. The silo pump unloading and conveying unit is equipped with only a single main air inlet, eliminating the auxiliary air intake structures of fluidizing gas, primary gas, and secondary gas. The pressure reducing and stabilizing unit is equipped with an electronically controlled pressure reducing valve. The electronically controlled pressure reducing valve is adjusted by the intelligent control unit in a closed loop according to the real-time conveying conditions, so that the silo pump maintains a constant conveying air pressure. The conveying process of the silo pump material conveying unit is only divided into the feeding stage and the pressurized conveying stage, omitting the pipeline purging stage. The compressed air supply is terminated immediately after the material inside the silo pump is emptied. The pilot-operated automatic thrombus formation and gas replenishment unit includes multiple pilot-operated automatic thrombus formation valves, which are arranged at intervals along the pipeline of the pipeline delivery unit. The opening pressure of each pilot-operated automatic thrombus formation valve is set differently according to its installation position, distance from the silo pump, and pipeline direction.

2. The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The compressed air source unit includes a variable frequency screw air compressor, a refrigerated dryer, an oil-water separator, and an air tank. A pressure sensor is installed at the outlet of the air tank. The pressure sensor is connected to a sensing and detection unit. When the air source pressure is detected to be lower than a preset threshold, the intelligent control unit automatically starts the backup air compressor to maintain a stable air source pressure.

3. The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The integrated filter unit integrates the pipeline filtration structure and the dust blocking structure in the same housing. Inside, there is a 304 stainless steel filter element, an anti-reverse dust blocking fluororubber pad, and a 304 stainless steel anti-fall-off mesh bag. The anti-fall-off mesh bag is located on the downstream side of the fluororubber pad. The inlet and outlet of the filter are reserved with pressure gauge interfaces. The filter element blockage status is determined by the differential pressure data, and the differential pressure data is uploaded to the intelligent control unit in real time.

4. The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The silo pump feeding and conveying unit is equipped with a pneumatic feed valve and a discharge valve. The valve operation is uniformly controlled by the intelligent control unit. The silo pump feeding mode can be selected as either material level signal control or time control, with material level signal control being preferred. The feed valve is started and stopped based on the material level data fed back by the material level sensor inside the silo pump.

5. The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pilot-operated automatic plugging valve integrates a pressure detection mechanism and an air volume regulation structure. When the valve is closed, a small amount of air is continuously supplied through the regulating screw to maintain the fluidization state of the material in the pipeline. When the pressure detection mechanism detects that the pipeline pressure has reached the corresponding preset opening pressure, the valve is fully opened to supply a full amount of air. The air knife cutting action is used to divide the material column into material plugs and air plugs. After the pipeline pressure drops back to the normal value, the valve automatically closes.

6. The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pipeline conveying unit is made of wear-resistant pipe material, and wear-resistant ceramic lining or special wear-resistant elbows are installed at the elbows of the pipeline; a pilot-operated automatic throttling valve is installed every 20m-50m on the horizontal straight pipe section, and a pilot-operated automatic throttling valve is installed separately at the positions before and after the elbows of the pipeline.

7. The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ash silo receiving unit includes an ash silo body, a bag filter, a level gauge, a pressure sensor, an ash discharge valve, and a humidifying mixer. The bag filter is installed on the top of the ash silo and is used to separate dust from the conveying airflow. The level gauge and pressure sensor collect the ash silo level and internal pressure data in real time and upload them to the sensing and detection unit.

8. The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensing and detection unit includes multiple sets of pressure sensors and transmitters, flow sensors, material level sensors, temperature sensors, and valve position sensors. The pressure sensors and transmitters are installed at the air source outlet, pressure reducing valve outlet, inside the silo pump, at each pilot-operated automatic valve, and inside the ash silo. The flow sensors are installed in the main air source pipeline. The temperature sensors are installed in the compressed air pipeline. The valve position sensors are installed at each pneumatic valve. All sensor data is transmitted to the intelligent control unit in real time via industrial Ethernet or fieldbus.

9. The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intelligent control unit adopts a two-layer architecture of PLC execution layer + host computer intelligent decision-making layer; The PLC execution layer is used to perform basic control functions such as system start-up and shutdown, sequential action of silo pump valves, opening and closing of pilot-operated automatic throttling valves, fault interlock protection, and ash conveying interlock logic. The upper-level intelligent decision-making layer incorporates an adaptive operating condition algorithm, a pipe blockage prediction model, an energy consumption optimization algorithm, and an equipment lifespan analysis model. The upper-level computer combines a material characteristic database with real-time data from sensor detection units to automatically adjust the conveying frequency, material discharge time, silo pump conveying pressure, and pilot-operated automatic slugging valve opening pressure. It analyzes pipeline pressure change trends and slugging valve operation frequency in real time, providing early warnings of pipe blockage risks and automatically adjusting air supply parameters. It calculates air consumption per unit of ash and dynamically schedules the number of air compressors in operation to optimize overall system energy consumption. Based on equipment operating time and data, it predicts the wear and tear of filters, seals, and pipelines, generating maintenance and spare parts replacement plans.

10. The pilot-type intelligent pneumatic conveying integrated system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The human-machine interaction and remote monitoring unit includes a local touchscreen operation panel, a remote monitoring host computer, an alarm module, and a historical database. The local touchscreen displays the system process flow, operating parameters, and equipment status locally, and allows switching between manual and automatic modes. The remote monitoring host computer supports remote parameter setting, equipment start / stop, data query, and report generation. The alarm module has a three-level alarm mechanism: early warning, alarm, and emergency alarm, and is equipped with audible and visual prompts, SMS, and APP push alarm signals. The historical database stores all operating data and operation records, and supports multi-dimensional data retrieval and playback. All units of the process subsystem are interconnected with the intelligent instrumentation and control subsystem, enabling integrated and coordinated control of the entire process of gas source, filtration, transportation, gas replenishment, and monitoring.

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