Device and method for determining a state of a system component of a bulk material conveying system

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (100) for determining a state of a system component (102) of a conveying system (104) for conveying bulk material, comprising: at least one measuring device (108) for measuring, in particular automatically, at least one contamination parameter that describes at least one cause of contamination present in the conveying system (102); and an evaluation device (110) which is configured to determine, in particular automatically, the state of the system component (102) on the basis of the at least one contamination parameter determined by the at least one measuring device (108). The invention also relates to a conveying system having such a device (100) and to a corresponding method for determining a state of a system component (102) of a conveying system (104) for conveying bulk material.

Description

Coperion GmbH Device and method for determining the state of a component of a bulk material conveying system Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device and a method for determining the state of a component of a conveyor system for conveying bulk materials. The invention also relates to a conveyor system for conveying bulk materials equipped with such a device.

[0002] Validating the cleaning of components in bulk material handling systems presents a significant challenge in practice, requiring considerable effort, accuracy, and reproducibility. Manual cleaning validation, where the cleaning result is inspected and validated by a person, is particularly disadvantageous. Comparing the test result with a reference value using the human eye is highly subjective and therefore cannot meet the requirements for accuracy or reproducibility. Furthermore, it is very time-consuming and poses a high risk of injury to the employees who have to perform the cleaning validation of the system components manually. This is especially problematic when processing hazardous substances, for example, in battery or pharmaceutical manufacturing, but also when high hygiene standards or purity levels are required in food processing (e.g.,...(To avoid certain allergens) safe and efficient cleaning validation plays a major role.

[0003] The invention is based on the objective of structurally and / or functionally improving a device mentioned above. Furthermore, the invention is based on the objective of structurally and / or functionally improving a method mentioned above. Finally, the invention is based on the objective of structurally and / or functionally improving a conveyor system mentioned above. Coperion GmbH

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device and a method which, in addition to accurate cleaning validation, also enables safe and efficient validation of the cleaning of plant components.

[0005] The problem is solved by a device having the features of claim 1. Furthermore, the problem is solved by a conveyor system having the features of claim 12. Finally, the problem is solved by a method having the features of claim 14. Advantageous embodiments and / or further developments are the subject of the dependent claims, the description, and / or the accompanying figures. In particular, the independent claims of one claim category may also be further developed and / or combined analogously to the dependent claims of another claim category. Likewise, the device and method features described below may be combined and / or further developed with one another.

[0006] Both the features specified in the claims and those specified in the following embodiments of the device according to the invention are suitable, individually or in combination, for further developing the subject matter of the invention. The respective combinations of features do not represent any limitations with regard to further developments of the subject matter of the invention, but are essentially merely exemplary.

[0007] According to one aspect, a device is provided for determining the condition of a component of a conveying system for transporting bulk materials. The device is specifically designed to determine the condition of the component. This condition can be a state of contamination or pollution. The condition can represent information, a value, and / or an amount. Therefore, the device can be designed for cleaning validation. The conveying system is designed for transporting bulk materials. These bulk materials can be granules, granular material, particles, powders, or flakes. The component can be a metering device or a gate. Coperion GmbH or a diverter valve. The valve can be, for example, a rotary valve, a blow-through valve, or a discharge valve. Alternatively, the system component can be or include a conveying device, a screw conveyor, a feeder, a feeding device, a rotary part, a slide gate, or a flap. The slide gate can be designed as a shut-off valve. In one variant, the system component can be designed for feeding or discharging bulk material into or out of a conveying line of the conveying system. In another variant, the system component can be or include a mixing device or a separating device. The separating device can be a device for classifying solids according to defined criteria, for example, a classifier.

[0008] The device comprises at least one detection unit. The detection unit is designed to determine, in particular automatically, at least one contamination parameter. The contamination parameter can also be a dirt parameter. The contamination parameter can represent information, a value, and / or an amount. The contamination parameter describes and / or defines at least one source of contamination or pollution present on the system component. The source of contamination can include particles, biomass, and / or moisture. Furthermore, the device comprises an evaluation unit. The evaluation unit is designed to determine, in particular automatically, the condition of the system component based on the at least one contamination parameter determined by the at least one detection unit. For this purpose, the device comprises...To transmit at least one contamination parameter to the evaluation unit, at least one detection unit can be connected to the evaluation unit, for example, via cable, wirelessly, or radio. The evaluation unit can be configured to receive data, information, or signals. In one variant, several detection units can be provided, each assigned to a plant component and configured to communicate with the evaluation unit, particularly the central one. Alternatively, multiple... Coperion GmbH Evaluation facilities will be provided, each assigned to an investigation facility.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, at least one detection device can be designed for use in a location-independent cleaning process, such as a COP process. A COP process can be understood as a so-called Clean-Out-of-Place process. In a COP process, the system component can first be opened, and then, if necessary, a working element to be cleaned can be removed. In the case of a rotary valve as a system component, the rotary valve can be opened, the rotor removed, and then the rotor housing and the rotor cleaned. The at least one detection device can be arranged on or be arranged on the system component. For this purpose, for example, an arm, such as a robot arm, telescopic arm, or swivel arm, or a guide, such as a linear guide, can be provided. The arm or guide can be attached to or mounted on the system component.At least one detection device can then be attached to the arm or guide. This allows for the simple determination of at least one contamination parameter, especially when the system component is open. In another variant, at least one detection device can be integrated into, or is already integrated into, the system component.

[0010] The evaluation unit can further be configured to compare at least one impurity parameter determined by at least one detection unit with a predefined limit value. Based on the result of this comparison, the evaluation unit can determine the condition of the plant component. The limit value can be a value specified by the operator and / or a value determined based on the bulk material or the conveying process. Additionally or alternatively, the evaluation unit can be configured to compare the actual condition of the plant component with a defined target condition. The at least one detection unit can be designed to record the actual condition of the plant component. The actual condition can, for example, be the surface condition of the plant component. Coperion GmbH may preferably define and / or specify the surface of at least one section of the system component, for example, the surface of the housing interior of the system component or the surface of the working element, e.g., the rotor, of the system component. In one variant, the surface condition can define or be a gloss level of the surface. The surface condition can specify whether the surface is glossy or matte. In particular, the adhesion of particles can cause the surface of the system component to become matte and no longer glossy as it was originally. The defined target condition can therefore, for example, be an original surface condition and / or gloss level. The original surface condition and / or gloss level can, in particular, be that before the system component was commissioned and / or completely cleaned. In one variant, the target condition can be defined beforehand.Alternatively, at least one investigative body may be submitted to record the target state.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the evaluation unit can be configured to define the state of the system component as clean and / or ready for operation if at least one contamination parameter is less than the predefined limit value. Additionally or alternatively, the evaluation unit can be configured to define the state of the system component as clean and / or ready for operation if the actual state essentially corresponds to the defined target state. Furthermore, the evaluation unit can be configured to validate a cleaning of the system component, for example, one that has been previously performed, based on the determined state of the system component. This allows the product-contacting surface of the system component to be validated after cleaning using the device, particularly automatically. The device can also indicate whether the system component is clean or not.

[0012] In another variant, the evaluation unit can be configured to predict a future state of the system component based on its current state. Preferably, the evaluation unit can be configured to check whether the predicted state is Coperion GmbH's device determines whether the future state of a plant component is critical for its future operation and issues a warning and / or recommendation based on this assessment. The device can also validate the product-contacting surface of the plant component before cleaning. Furthermore, the device can be configured to collect data for a database. This data can be used to predict the condition of the plant component. The device can be configured accordingly for this purpose. In one variant, the device can be designed as a self-learning system to determine the behavior of the plant component. Through the collected data and / or by expanding the database, the device can learn the behavior of the plant component under various conditions.The device can be designed to recommend cleaning the system component, for example in advance, for a specific time.

[0013] The system component may be contaminated, for example, by particles, biomass, and / or moisture. In a preferred embodiment, at least one detection device may be configured for measuring and / or determining particles. The particles may be dust, bulk material residues, mineral deposits, or foreign material. For example, at least one detection device may be configured for measuring the quantity, size, and / or concentration of particles. The contamination parameter may be defined as the quantity, concentration, or amount of particles per unit area. A predefined limit value may be set for the particle size, concentration, and / or quantity per unit area. For example, the limit value may be 0.8 micrometers (particle size) or 1 particle with a size of at least 0.8 micrometers per mm². 2(Particle quantity per unit area). In one variant, at least one detection device can include or be connected to at least one optical detection device. The optical detection device can, for example, be a camera. The camera can be a high-resolution camera. Furthermore, a light source can be provided, for example, for performing a reflected light method. The evaluation device can be used for image comparison. Coperion GmbH will be set up, whereby the condition of the system component can then be determined based on image comparison.

[0014] Additionally or alternatively, at least one investigative device can be designed to measure, determine, and / or detect biomass. The biomass can be, for example, germs, spores, bacteria, allergens, glucose, and / or proteins. Therefore, at least one investigative device can be designed to measure microbiology. For example, at least one investigative device can be designed to measure biomass concentration or quantity. The contamination parameter can be defined here as the biomass concentration or quantity. The biomass concentration or quantity can be defined as a predefined limit value. In one variant, at least one investigative device can include at least one indicator device. The indicator device can, for example, contain an indicator such as an indicator liquid or an indicator substance.Indicator fluid can be designed to react chemically with biomass or microbiology. In this process, the indicator fluid can change color, thereby defining a contamination parameter. The indicator substance can be a cloth, such as a cloth test, or a swab, such as an ATP swab. ATP can be understood to be adenosine triphosphate, an energy carrier in cells. In one variant, at least one investigative device may be required to perform an ATP test to determine the amount of adenosine triphosphate in the cells. In this case, the contamination parameter and / or the threshold value can be defined as the amount of adenosine triphosphate. For example, the threshold value could be 0.5 femtomoles of ATP. One femtomole is one trillionth of a mole.Additionally or alternatively, at least one investigative facility may be designed to test and / or determine colony-forming units (CFU), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), allergens, glucose and / or proteins, particularly as contamination parameters.

[0015] In one variant, at least one investigative device can be designed for measuring and / or determining moisture. For this purpose, at least Coperion GmbH's investigative equipment must include, or be connected to, at least one moisture measuring device for measuring moisture. The moisture measuring device may be a humidity sensor. The moisture measuring device may be designed to determine moisture content and / or relative humidity. In this case, the contamination parameter and / or the limit value may be defined as the amount of moisture or as the moisture content.

[0016] Furthermore, the device can include a transport device. At least one investigative device can be attached to or mounted on the transport device. For this purpose, the at least one investigative device can be attached to a hinge, an arm (such as a robotic or telescopic arm), a cylinder, or a guide (such as a linear guide). The transport device can be specifically designed for transporting the investigative device. In one variant, the transport device can be designed as an autonomous or semi-autonomous, self-driving vehicle or self-flying aircraft. This could, for example, be a motorized vehicle or a flying drone.

[0017] According to another aspect, a conveying system for transporting bulk material is provided. The conveying system is designed for conveying bulk material. In one variant, the conveying system can be configured as a pneumatic conveying system. The bulk material can be granules, granular material, particles, powder, or flakes. The conveying system includes at least one device for determining the state of a system component. This device can be designed like the one described above and / or below.

[0018] The conveying system can comprise at least one system component. Furthermore, the conveying system can comprise at least one conveying line for transporting the bulk material. The at least one system component can be integrated into the conveying line. In one variant, the at least one detection device can be arranged on the system component. Alternatively, the at least one detection device can be integrated into the system component. Coperion GmbH

[0019] The at least one system component can be or include a metering device, a valve, or a diverter. Alternatively, the system component can be or include a conveying device, a screw conveyor, a feed element, a feeding device, a rotary part, a slide gate, or a flap. The slide gate can be designed as a shut-off valve. In one embodiment, the system component can be designed for feeding or discharging bulk material into or out of the conveying line of the conveying system. In another embodiment, the system component can be or include a mixing device or a separating device. The separating device can be a device for classifying solids according to defined criteria, for example, a classifier. In a preferred embodiment, the system component can be or include a rotary valve, a blow-through valve, or a discharge valve.The rotary valve can have a housing with an interior space and a pull-out side cover detachably attached to the housing. Furthermore, the rotary valve can have a rotor. The rotor can be rotatably mounted in the housing in an operating position about a longitudinal axis and held by the pull-out side cover. In one embodiment, the rotary valve has a pull-out device for moving the rotor between an operating position and a pull-out position. The pull-out device can have a guide unit for guided movement of the rotor along a pull-out direction parallel to the longitudinal axis. Furthermore, the pull-out device can include a pull-out drive, particularly a motor, fixed to the housing and coupled to the pull-out side cover, for mechanically driven movement of the pull-out side cover with the rotor.The rotary valve can therefore be driven and guided between the operating position and the extension position by means of the extension device. This allows for semi- or fully automated relocation of the rotary valve to the extension position for a cleaning process and / or for cleaning validation.

[0020] According to another aspect, a method for determining the condition of a component of a conveyor system for conveying bulk materials is provided. This method can be a validation procedure for validating the cleaning of the component, for example, a cleaning validation procedure. Coperion GmbH The process can be carried out using the device described above and / or below. The device, the conveying system, and / or the system component can be designed as described above and / or below. The system component can, for example, be a rotary valve, such as a rotary valve, or a diverter valve. The bulk material can be granules, granular material, particles, powder, or flakes. For example, the bulk material can be a plastic material, a foodstuff such as milk powder or milk substitute, animal feed, a pharmaceutical substance or drug, a medicinal product, or a battery material such as a coating mixture or an anode or cathode material.

[0021] The procedure comprises the following steps: determining at least one contamination parameter that describes at least one source of contamination present on the system component, and determining the condition of the system component based on the at least one determined contamination parameter. The determination of the at least one contamination parameter and / or the determination of the system component's condition can be automated. The procedure can therefore be fully or at least partially automated. The at least one contamination parameter can be or define a size, quantity, quantity per area, quantity per volume, concentration, or indicator. The source of contamination can, for example, include particles, biomass, and / or moisture.

[0022] In this process, at least one determined contamination parameter can be compared with a predefined limit value. Based on the result of this comparison, the condition of the system component can then be determined. Additionally or alternatively, the actual condition of the system component can be compared with a defined target condition. Based on the result of this comparison, the condition of the system component can then be determined. The actual condition of the system component may have been determined beforehand. Coperion GmbH

[0023] The condition of the system component can be defined as clean and / or operational if at least one contamination parameter is below the predefined limit. Additionally or alternatively, the condition of the system component can be defined as clean and / or operational if the actual condition essentially corresponds to the defined target condition. Based on the determined condition of the system component, a cleaning of the system component, particularly one performed previously, can be validated.

[0024] In one variant, a future state of the system component can be predicted based on its current state. Furthermore, it can be checked whether the predicted future state of the system component is critical for its future operation. Based on this, a warning and / or a recommendation can then be issued. Additionally, based on the determined contamination parameters and / or specific states of the system component, the behavior of the system component, for example under different operating conditions and / or operating times, can be learned and / or determined.

[0025] In summary, and in other words, the invention provides, among other things, an automated, for example, sensor-electronic, cleaning validation. This involves automatically measuring or determining the condition of a surface of a system component and classifying the determined condition as "clean" or "not clean." Furthermore, by measuring the soiled surface at specific operating times, e.g., before cleaning, the measurement results can be collected in a database. Using this database, the device can predict the condition of the system component at various operating times and / or recommend a cleaning time. Thus, a device can be provided with which the system component, e.g., Rotary valve, after the removal of the working element, e.g., the rotary valve, and possibly after cleaning, can be automatically validated. This is achieved by measuring particles and / or microbiology using appropriate sensors or... Coperion GmbH Measuring instruments can be used to detect the condition of the surface of the system component and / or its working element. The measurement results can be compared with limit values ​​by an evaluation unit, such as a reference point. If the measurement results are below the limit value, the measured surface can be validated as "clean"; otherwise, the condition can be determined as "not clean." Based on this information, further process steps can be logically initiated. The measuring instrument or sensor that detects the surface condition can be moved to the measuring point by a robot arm or similar support structure. This allows measurements to be taken at various locations. The reference point or... The evaluation unit can be located in close proximity to the measuring instrument or positioned at a distance. The measurement signal can be transmitted via cable, telemetry, radio, or mobile data. Furthermore, a self-driving or self-flying robot can be used, equipped with a combination of cameras, sensors, and / or actuators, enabling it to move autonomously within the space. The device, or its sensors and / or evaluation unit, can be mounted on the robot. This allows the robot to be used on multiple system components. Alternatively, the robot or a robot arm can be permanently mounted near the system component and thus be used on a specific system component. Automated validation can begin by opening the system component, e.g., the rotary valve. In one variant, the working element, e.g., the rotary valve, can then be pulled out.The inspection itself can be performed using optics, sensors, and / or indicator technology (such as ATP swabs), which are attached, for example, to the robot arm. These instruments can record measurement data on, for example, product build-up, microbial contamination, particles, and / or microbiology. The processing and / or evaluation of the data can then take place directly on the robot using data acquisition and / or evaluation devices, or in a central process control room of the operator. Coperion GmbH

[0026] The invention enables automated and more precise cleaning validation of components in a bulk material handling system. Furthermore, it provides a safe and efficient validation of the cleaning process for these components.

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the figures, which show schematically and by way of example: Fig. 1 shows a device for determining the state of a component of a conveyor system for conveying bulk material; and Fig. 2 shows a flowchart for a method for determining the state of a component of a conveying system for conveying bulk material.

[0028] Fig. 1 schematically shows a device 100 for determining the state of a system component 102 of a conveying system 104 for conveying bulk material. The conveying system 104 is designed for conveying bulk material and includes at least one conveying line 106 in which the system component 102 is effectively integrated. In the present embodiment, the system component 102 is designed as a rotary valve. The rotary valve comprises a housing with an interior space and a rotor mounted in the interior space, which is held by a pull-out side cover. In an operating position, the rotor is rotatably arranged in the housing about a longitudinal axis. Furthermore, a pull-out device is provided for moving the rotor between the operating position and a pull-out position. The rotary valve can be opened by means of the pull-out side cover, whereby the rotor can then be pulled out of the housing with the pull-out device.

[0029] The device 100 comprises at least one detection unit 108, which is designed for the automated determination of at least one contamination parameter. The contamination parameter describes at least one source of contamination present on the system component 102, for example, bulk material particles present that adhere to the surface of the rotary valve or to the inner surface of the housing and thus the Coperion GmbH The device 100 further comprises an evaluation unit 110, which is configured to automatically determine the condition of the plant component 102 based on at least one contamination parameter determined by the detection unit 108.

[0030] The measuring device is specifically designed for use in a location-independent cleaning process, such as a COP process. For a so-called clean-out-of-place process, the system component 102 is first opened, the rotor is removed, and then the housing and rotor are cleaned. During or after cleaning, the device 100 and its measuring device 108 can be used to perform cleaning validation. For this purpose, the measuring device 108 can be arranged on the system component 102. Alternatively, the measuring device 108 can be integrated into the system component 102. In the present embodiment, the measuring device 108 is designed to measure the contamination or the particles adhering to the system component 102.The detection device 108 can further be configured to record the actual state of the system component 102, in particular the surface state of the system component 102. As shown in Fig. 1, the detection device 108 is connected to an optical detection device 112. The optical detection device 112 is designed as a high-resolution camera and can be aligned with the system component 102. Using the image data acquired by the optical detection device 112, a comparison of the actual state and the target state can be made and / or the size and quantity per unit area of ​​the particles still adhering to the system component 102 can be determined. The image data and / or the quantity per unit area of ​​particles of a specific size can then be provided to the evaluation device 110 as contamination parameters.

[0031] The evaluation unit 1 10 is designed to compare at least one contamination parameter determined by the investigation unit 108 with a predefined limit value and, based on the result of the Coperion GmbH The evaluation unit 110 can be configured to determine the condition of system component 102 by comparing the actual condition with a defined target condition, for example, using the acquired image data, and to determine the condition of system component 102 based on the result of the comparison. It is essential that the evaluation unit 110 is configured to define the condition of system component 102 as clean and / or ready for operation if at least one contamination parameter is less than the predefined limit value or if the actual condition essentially corresponds to the defined target condition.

[0032] In one variant, the evaluation unit 1 12 can be configured to predict a future state of the system component 102 based on its current state and then to check whether this predicted future state is critical for the future operation of the system component 102. Based on this, the evaluation unit 1 12 can then issue a warning and / or a recommendation. Furthermore, the device 100 can be configured as a self-learning system for determining the behavior of the system component 102. For this purpose, the device 100 can repeatedly collect data under different operating conditions, store it in a database, and evaluate it accordingly.

[0033] Fig. 2 schematically shows a flow diagram for a variant of a method for determining the state of a plant component 102 of a bulk material conveying system 104, wherein the steps S3 to S7 shown in Fig. 2 relate to the actual cleaning validation procedure 200.

[0034] In step S1, the system component 102, designed here as a rotary valve, is first opened. Then, in step S2, the system component 102 is cleaned to remove the contamination. In one variant, it can be recorded and / or verified whether the Coperion GmbH Plant component 102 is open and / or whether the cleaning process is still running or has finished.

[0035] The cleaning validation 200 now starts with a step S3, in which the initial state to be validated, for example the product-contacting surfaces, is defined and / or the detection device 1 12 is aligned with the surfaces to be validated.

[0036] Then, in step S4, at least one contamination parameter is automatically determined using the detection device 108 and its acquisition device 112, which describes at least one source of contamination present on the system component 102. The size and quantity per unit area of ​​the particles adhering to the surfaces of the system component 102, and possibly other properties, are recorded as contamination parameters.

[0037] The measurement result, or at least one determined contamination parameter, is then compared with a predefined limit value in step S5. In step S6, based on the result of the comparison, a decision is made as to whether the at least one determined contamination parameter is less than the limit value ("yes") or not ("no").

[0038] Should at least one of the determined contamination parameters not be lower and therefore higher than the limit value, the process returns to step S2 (represented in Fig. 2 by the branch "no") and a cleaning of system component 102 is started again. Following this, the cleaning validation 200 is repeated from the beginning and starts again with step S3.

[0039] If, in step S6, at least one of the determined contamination parameters is less than the limit value, the process proceeds to step S7 (represented in Fig. 2 by the branch labeled "yes"). In step S7, the evaluation unit 1 10 automatically determines the condition of the system component 102 based on the at least one determined contamination parameter. Since the at least one determined contamination parameter is less than the limit value, the system component 102, or its surfaces, are classified as clean and / or as Coperion GmbH has defined and validated it as operational. Then, in one step, S8 can be used to... Plant component 102 will be closed again.

[0040] Furthermore, particular reference is made to Fig. 1 and the accompanying description.

[0041] The term "may" refers in particular to optional features of the invention. Accordingly, there are also further developments and / or embodiments of the invention that additionally or alternatively include the respective feature(s).

[0042] From the combinations of features disclosed herein, isolated features can also be selected as needed and, after dissolving any structural and / or functional relationship that may exist between the features, used in combination with other features to define the subject matter of the claim. The order and / or number of steps of the method can be varied. Coperion GmbH Reference sign 100 Device 102 Plant component / Rotary valve 104 Conveyor system 106 Conveyor line 108 Investigation Unit 1 10 Evaluation unit 1 12 optical detection device / camera 200 cleaning validation 51 Opening the system component 52 Cleaning the system component 53 Defining the initial state to be validated / Aligning the acquisition device 54 Determining impurity parameters 55 Comparison with limit value 56 Decision on whether less than the limit 57 Determining the condition of the plant component 58 Closing the plant component

Claims

Coperion GmbH Patent claims 1. Device (100) for determining the state of a system component (102) of a conveying system (104) for conveying bulk material, comprising: - at least one detection device (108) designed to determine, in particular automatically, at least one contamination parameter that describes at least one source of contamination present on the plant component (102); and - an evaluation unit (1 10) which is designed to determine the condition of the plant component (102) based on at least one contamination parameter determined by at least one detection unit (108), in particular automatically.

2. Device (100) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one detection device (108) is designed for use in a location-independent cleaning process, such as a COP process.

3. Device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one detection device (108) can be arranged or is arranged on the plant component (102), and / or that the at least one detection device (108) can be integrated or is integrated into the plant component (102).

4. Device (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the evaluation device (1 10) is configured to compare the at least one contamination parameter determined by the at least one detection device (108) with a predefined limit value and to determine the condition of the plant component (102) based on the result of the comparison.

5. Device (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the evaluation unit (1 10) is configured to compare an actual state of the plant component (102) with a defined target state of the plant component (102) and, based on the Coperion GmbH The result of the comparison is to determine the condition of the plant component (102).

6. Device (100) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the evaluation device (1 10) is configured to define the state of the system component (102) as clean and / or ready for operation if the at least one contamination parameter is smaller than the predefined limit value or the actual state essentially corresponds to the defined target state.

7. Device (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the evaluation device (1 10) is configured to check whether a predicted future state of the plant component (102) is a critical state for the future operation of the plant component (102), and to issue a warning and / or a recommendation based on this.

8. Device (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (100) is designed as a self-learning system for determining a behavior of the plant component (102).

9. Device (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one detection device (108) is designed for measuring particles, for measuring and / or detecting biomass and / or for measuring moisture.

10. Device (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one detection device (108) is designed to detect an actual state of the plant component (102), in particular a surface state of the plant component (102). 1 1. Device (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one detection device (108) Coperion GmbH includes or is connected to at least one optical detection device (1 12) and / or at least one moisture measuring device.

12. Conveyor system (104) for conveying bulk material, comprising at least one device (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims for determining a state of a system component (102) of the conveyor system (104).

13. Conveyor system (104) according to claim 12, characterized in that the conveyor system (104) has at least one system component (102), in particular designed as a sluice gate, such as a rotary valve, as a metering device, as a screw conveyor or as a diverter.

14. Method for determining the state of a component (102) of a conveying system (104) for conveying bulk material, wherein the method comprises the steps: - Determining (S4), in particular automated determination, of at least one contamination parameter that describes at least one source of contamination present on the plant component (102); and - Determining (S7), in particular automated determination, of the condition of the plant component (102) based on the at least one determined contamination parameter.

15. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that the at least one determined contamination parameter is compared with a predefined limit value (S5) and the condition of the plant component (102) is determined based on the result of the comparison (S7).

16. Method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that an actual state of the plant component (102) is compared with a defined target state of the plant component (102) and the state of the plant component (102) is determined based on the result of the comparison. Coperion GmbH 1 7. Method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the state of the plant component (102) is defined as pure or clean and / or ready for operation (S7) if the at least one contamination parameter is smaller than the predefined limit value or the actual state essentially corresponds to the defined target state.

18. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims 14 to 17, characterized in that the system component (102) is a lock, such as a rotary valve, a metering device, a screw conveyor or a diverter valve.

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