Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

[Problem] To provide, for example, an information processing system capable of making the amount of an additive to be added more suitable. [Solution] One aspect of the present invention provides an information processing system comprising a processor, wherein: in an acquisition step, in a facility in which at least treatment for reducing a specific component contained in gas is carried out, the processor acquires measured values of the amount of the component that is measured by a sensor after the treatment, the measured values including a first measured value in a first period and a second measured value in a second period that is longer than the first period; and, in a determination step, the processor determines, on the basis of the acquired first and second measured values, the amount of an additive to be added to the gas in the facility, the additive exhibiting the action of reducing the component and being added to the gas before the treatment.

Description

Information processing system, information processing method and program

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an exhaust gas treatment technology in which, when the measured value of the acid gas concentration in the exhaust gas at the outlet or inlet side of the filter-type dust collector exceeds a predetermined value and this exceeding state continues for a predetermined period of time, a sodium-based chemical is supplied to the inlet side of the filter-type dust collector in an amount set according to the measured value.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-070471

[0004] For example, the exhaust gases generated at waste treatment facilities contain harmful components such as acid gases, so additives are added to reduce these components, but the amount of components varies depending on the waste being burned. As a result, there may be cases where the amount of additive added is insufficient and the components cannot be reduced sufficiently, or there may be cases where the amount added is excessive, resulting in high costs.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an information processing system and the like that can determine the amount of additives to be added more appropriately.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system including a processor, wherein the processor, in an acquisition step, acquires measurements of the amount of a component measured by a sensor after processing in equipment that at least performs processing to reduce a specific component contained in a gas, the measurements including a first measurement value in a first period and a second measurement value in a second period longer than the first period; and, in a determination step, determines an amount of an additive to be added to the gas in the equipment based on the acquired first and second measurement values, the additive having the effect of reducing the component and being added to the gas before the processing.

[0007] According to this embodiment, the amount of additive added can be more appropriate.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a waste incineration facility 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a control server 20. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal 30. FIG. 4 is an activity diagram showing an example of an exhaust gas control process. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an addition amount table. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of an addition amount table. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an addition amount to be determined. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a coefficient table. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of a coefficient table. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of an addition amount table. FIG.

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Various features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0010] Incidentally, a program for realizing the software appearing in one embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, or may be provided so as to be downloadable from an external server, or may be provided so that the program is started on an external computer and its functions are realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0011] Furthermore, various information processing according to an embodiment may realize input and output corresponding to the input. Here, the form of information referenced in such information processing (hereinafter referred to as reference information) is not limited as long as an output is obtained as a result of the input. The reference information may be, for example, rule-based information such as a database, a lookup table, or a predetermined function (including a decision formula such as a regression formula constructed using a statistical method), a trained model that has previously trained the correlation between input and output, or a large-scale language model that can output a desired result by inputting a prompt.

[0012] In one embodiment, the term "unit" may include, for example, a combination of hardware resources implemented by a circuit in the broad sense and software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In one embodiment, various information is handled, and this information is represented, for example, by physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltage or current, high or low signal values ​​as a binary bit set consisting of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculations can be performed on the circuit in the broad sense.

[0013] Furthermore, a circuit in a broad sense is a circuit realized by at least an appropriate combination of a circuit, circuitry, a processor, a memory, etc. The processor may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated circuit. That is, it includes application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (e.g., simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), etc.

[0014] <Embodiment> 1. System configuration The system configuration according to the embodiment will be described below. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a waste incineration facility 1. Figure 1 shows an overview of a waste incineration equipment 2 and an exhaust gas treatment system 3 provided in the waste incineration facility 1. The overview of each will be explained as appropriate, with reference to other figures.

[0015] The waste incineration facility 1 is a facility for incinerating waste such as municipal waste and industrial waste to reduce its volume, render it harmless, recover energy, etc., and the waste incineration equipment 2 is a facility for performing these operations. The waste incineration equipment 2 includes pipes 41, 42, and 43, a gas exhaust path 5, an incinerator 11, a boiler 12, a gas cooling tower 13, a dust collector 14, a suction fan 15, a concentration measuring device 16, a chimney 17, and an addition device 18.

[0016] The incinerator 11 is a facility for incinerating waste. Exhaust gas generated by the incineration of waste is sent to the boiler 12 through piping 41. The boiler 12 uses the heat of the exhaust gas to generate steam for power generation or to supply heat within the facility. The exhaust gas that has passed through the boiler 12 is sent to the gas cooling tower 13 through piping 42. The gas cooling tower 13 cools the exhaust gas that has been sent to it. The cooled exhaust gas is sent to the dust collector 14 through piping 43.

[0017] The dust collector 14 is a device that removes specific components contained in the exhaust gas together with soot and dust, and is, for example, a filter-type dust collector. The specific components are, for example, components that are harmful to the human body, such as one or more of hydrogen chloride (HCl), sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and dioxins. Hereinafter, the specific components will also be referred to as "harmful components." The exhaust gas that has passed through the dust collector 14 is sucked out by the suction fan 15, passes through the gas exhaust path 5, and is released into the atmosphere from the chimney 17.

[0018] The concentration measuring device 16 is a sensor provided in the gas exhaust path 5 that measures the concentrations of harmful components contained in the exhaust gas. For example, the concentration of hydrogen chloride can be measured by an ion electrode method or laser single absorption line absorption spectroscopy, and the concentration of sulfur oxides can be measured by non-dispersive infrared absorption or ultraviolet fluorescence. The concentration of nitrogen oxides can be measured by ultraviolet fluorescence or laser single absorption line absorption spectroscopy. Note that the method for measuring each component is not limited to these, and other well-known measurement methods may also be used.

[0019] The concentration measuring device 16 supplies concentration data indicating the measured concentration of harmful components to the exhaust gas treatment system 3. The exhaust gas treatment system 3 is an information processing system that executes information processing to control the harmful components contained in exhaust gas so that they are below a reference value. The reference value is set by the government or the like, and is, for example, the average concentration value over a specified period of time in the past. The specified period is, for example, one hour or 24 hours. Hereinafter, this period will be referred to as the "reference period."

[0020] The exhaust gas treatment system 3 determines the amount of additive to be added to the exhaust gas based on the concentration measured by the concentration measuring device 16. The additive is, for example, a chemical that reacts with harmful components contained in the exhaust gas to reduce the components. When the exhaust gas is an acidic gas containing harmful components such as hydrogen chloride or sulfur oxides, an alkaline agent that can neutralize the acidic gas is added as an additive.

[0021] The alkaline agent preferably contains at least one basic salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal, such as slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), sodium bicarbonate (sodium hydrogen carbonate), sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, calcium oxide, or a mixture thereof. When the harmful component is nitrogen oxide, ammonia or urea is added as an additive. When the harmful component is dioxin, activated carbon is added as an additive.

[0022] The exhaust gas treatment system 3 supplies the addition device 18 with instruction data indicating an instruction to add the additive in the determined addition amount. The addition device 18 includes a container for storing the additive and a mechanism for spraying the additive, and sucks out the additive in the amount indicated by the supplied instruction data and adds it to the exhaust gas. In the example of FIG. 1 , the addition device 18 adds the additive to the exhaust gas by spraying it into the internal space of the pipe 43. Note that the location where the additive is added is not limited to the pipe 43, and may be any location where the additive is highly effective in reducing harmful components (for example, in the case of ammonia, the reduction effect is greater at higher temperatures, so it may be added in the incinerator 11 or the pipe 41).

[0023] The exhaust gas treatment system 3 includes a control server 20 and a user terminal 30. The control server 20 is an information processing device that performs information processing to determine the amount of additive to be added and instruct the addition device 18 to add the additive in the determined amount. The user terminal 30 is a terminal, such as a laptop computer, used by an administrator who manages the operating status of the waste incineration facility 2. The user terminal 30 displays, for example, the measurement results from the concentration measuring device 16 and the history of addition instructions from the control server 20, allowing the administrator to understand the control status of harmful components contained in the exhaust gas.

[0024] The control server 20 executes a display process for displaying an image on the user terminal 30. The control server 20 performs processes such as generating and transmitting an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) file as the display process, and causes the user terminal 30 to display a web page showing a system screen using a browser function. Note that an application program for using the exhaust gas treatment system 3 may be installed in the user terminal 30, and the control server 20 may perform processes such as generating and transmitting display data in the application as the display process. The control server 20 controls the display of the user terminal by performing these display processes.

[0025] 2. Hardware Configuration The hardware configuration according to the first embodiment will now be described. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the control server 20. The control server 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, and a bus 24. The bus 24 electrically connects the various units included in the control server 20.

[0026] (Control Unit 21) The control unit 21 has at least one processor. The at least one processor may be configured by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), one or more integrated circuits, one or more discrete circuits, or a combination thereof (not shown).

[0027] The control unit 21 is a computer that realizes various functions related to the exhaust gas treatment system 3 by reading out predetermined programs stored in the storage unit 22. In other words, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 22 is specifically realized by the control unit 21, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 21. Note that the control unit 21 is not limited to being a single unit, and may be implemented with multiple control units 21 for each function. A combination of these may also be used.

[0028] (Storage Unit 22) The storage unit 22 stores various pieces of information defined above. This can be implemented, for example, as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD) that stores various programs and the like related to the exhaust gas treatment system 3 executed by the control unit 21, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily required information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to program calculations. The storage unit 22 stores various programs, variables, etc. related to the exhaust gas treatment system 3 executed by the control unit 21.

[0029] (Communication Unit 23) The communication unit 23 is configured by a communication module. The communication module may be a wireless communication module conforming to standards such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, LTE, 5G, or 6G, or may be a wired communication module conforming to standards such as IEEE 802.3. The communication unit 23 is configured to be able to transmit various electrical signals from the control server 20 to external components. The communication unit 23 is also configured to be able to receive various electrical signals from external components to the control server 20. More preferably, the communication unit 23 has a network communication function, which allows various information to be communicated between the control server 20 and external devices via a communication line.

[0030] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, an input unit 34, an output unit 35, and a bus 36. The bus 36 electrically connects the various units included in the user terminal 30. The control unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the communication unit 33 are similar hardware to the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, and the communication unit 23 shown in FIG. 2, although the specifications, model, etc. may be different.

[0031] (Input Unit 34) The input unit 34 has input accepting means such as keys, buttons, a touch screen, a mouse, etc., and accepts input from the user. The input unit 34 may also have sound collecting means such as a microphone, and have the function of collecting voice from the user and accepting input of the collected voice.

[0032] (Output Unit 35) The output unit 35 has a display means such as a display and a sound emitting means such as a speaker, and outputs visual information, auditory information, etc. For example, the output unit 35 displays visual information generated in a manner that is visible to the user, such as a screen, an image, an icon, text, etc., on the display surface of the display. The output unit 35 also outputs audible sound such as voice or synthesized sound from the speaker.

[0033] 3. Information Processing Hereinafter, information processing according to the embodiment will be described. In the following description, the control server 20 and the user terminal 30 are described as the subjects of each information processing, but this information processing is executed by at least one processor included in the exhaust gas treatment system 3, i.e., a processor included in the control unit of each device. The exhaust gas treatment system 3 executes exhaust gas control processing to control the amount of harmful components contained in exhaust gas.

[0034] FIG. 4 is an activity diagram showing an example of the exhaust gas control process. The exhaust gas control process is constantly and repeatedly executed while the waste incineration facility 1 is in operation. The execution interval of the exhaust gas control process is, for example, 1 second or less, such as 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1.0 seconds. Note that the execution interval may be shorter or longer than this. Furthermore, the time unit for determining the execution interval may be, for example, 1 / 100th of a second (e.g., 0.01 second or 0.11 second intervals) or 1 / 1000th of a second (e.g., 0.001 second or 0.111 second intervals).

[0035] First, the concentration measuring instrument 16 measures the concentration of harmful components contained in the exhaust gas (activity A11). The concentration measuring instrument 16 measures the concentration of hydrogen chloride (HCl), for example. The concentration measuring instrument 16 outputs a measurement signal indicating the measured concentration to the control server 20. The control server 20 acquires the output measurement signal (activity A12).

[0036] The control server 20 acquires a first measurement value based on the acquired measurement signal (activity A13). The first measurement value is a measurement value during a first period of a predetermined length. In the example of FIG. 4, the control server 20 acquires, for example, an instantaneous value as the first measurement value. An instantaneous value is a measurement value at a single point in time, and in this case, the first period is the smallest unit of time representing a single point in time. Note that the control server 20 may, for example, regard the average of measurement values ​​during a period of the same length as the execution interval of the exhaust gas control process as the instantaneous value and acquire this as the first measurement value.

[0037] Next, the control server 20 acquires a second measurement value based on the acquired measurement signal (activity A14). The second measurement value is a measurement value during a second period that is longer than the first period. In the example of FIG. 4 , the control server 20 acquires the second measurement value during the above-mentioned reference period (the measurement period for the component amount specified as the component emission standard) as the second period. The reference period is, for example, 24 hours. The control server 20 acquires, for example, the average value of the first measurement value during the past reference period as the second measurement value. Note that A13 and A14 may be performed in reverse order or in parallel.

[0038] Next, the control server 20 determines the amount of additive to be added to the exhaust gas based on the acquired first and second measurement values ​​(activity A15). Then, the control server 20 instructs the addition device 18 to add the additive in the determined amount, and the addition device 18 adds the additive to the exhaust gas in the instructed amount (activity A16). In A15, the control server 20 determines the amount to be added using an addition amount table that associates the measurement values, i.e., the concentrations of harmful components, with the addition amounts.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an addition amount table. The addition amount table TB1 shown in FIG. 5 associates "concentration inst" (unit: ppm (parts per million)), which indicates the instantaneous value of the concentration of the harmful component, which is the first measurement value, with "addition amount inst" (unit: opening %), which indicates the addition amount. The opening % indicates the degree to which the mechanism by which the addition device 18 sprays the additive is open, and the closer the value is to 100%, the greater the addition amount. Note that the way of expressing the addition amount is not limited to opening %, and the weight or volume of the additive may also be used.

[0040] 5, "concentration inst" of "0 or more and less than 10," "10 or more and less than 20," "20 or more and less than 30," "30 or more and less than 40," "40 or more and less than 60," and "60 or more" are associated with "addition amount inst" of "10," "20," "30," "50," "70," and "100." The control server 20 calculates the "addition amount inst" associated with the acquired first measurement value as the addition amount corresponding to the first measurement value.

[0041] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the addition amount table. The addition amount table TB2 shown in Fig. 6 associates "concentration ave" (unit: ppm), which indicates the average concentration of the harmful component during the reference period, which is the second measurement value, with "addition amount ave" (unit: opening degree %), which indicates the addition amount. In the example of Fig. 6, "concentration ave" of "less than 30", "30 to less than 35", "35 to less than 40", and "40 or more" are associated with "addition amount ave" of "0", "15", "50", and "100".

[0042] The control server 20 calculates the "addition amount ave" associated with the acquired second measurement value as the addition amount corresponding to the second measurement value. The value "40" shown in Fig. 6 is, for example, the value established as the emission standard for harmful components (a value exceeding 40 ppm does not meet the emission standard). In other words, if a value exceeding the emission standard is measured as the second measurement value, the emission standard will not be met, so the control server 20 controls the addition amount to be maximized so as to reduce the harmful components as quickly as possible.

[0043] The control server 20 determines the larger of the addition amount inst corresponding to the first measurement value calculated as described above and the addition amount ave corresponding to the second measurement value as the addition amount. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the addition amount to be determined. FIG. 7 shows "concentration inst," "concentration ave," "addition amount inst (opening %)," "addition amount ave (opening %)," and the determined "addition amount (opening %)" from time t1 to t9. Note that the times do not necessarily have to be consecutive times.

[0044] At time t1, the addition amount inst is "5" and the addition amount ave is "20". In this case, the addition amount inst is "10" and the addition amount ave is "0", so the larger value, "10", is determined as the addition amount. Similarly, at times t2 and t3, the addition amount inst is larger, so the value of the addition amount inst is determined as the addition amount. At time t4, the addition amount inst and the addition amount ave are both "50", so the value of "50" is determined as the addition amount.

[0045] At time t5, the concentration inst increases sharply to "90," and the maximum addition amount inst, "100," is determined as the addition amount. At times t6 and t7, the concentration inst continues to decrease to "58" and "30," but the concentration ave reaches "43" and "41," exceeding the aforementioned emission standards, so the addition amount ave becomes "100," and the addition amount is determined to be "100." At times t8 and t9, both the concentration inst and the concentration ave decrease because the addition amount remained at "100" at the previous time.

[0046] As described above, the control server 20 functions as an example of an acquisition unit that acquires measurement values ​​in the waste incineration facility 2. The waste incineration facility 2 is an example of a facility that at least performs a process to reduce specific components contained in gas (hereinafter referred to as a "reduction process"). The exhaust gas generated by burning waste is an example of a "gas," and harmful components contained in the exhaust gas, such as hydrogen chloride and sulfur oxides, are an example of a "specific component." The removal process (process to remove harmful components contained in the exhaust gas) performed by the dust collector 14 is an example of a "reduction process."

[0047] The control server 20 acquires measurements of the amount of a specific component measured by a sensor after the reduction process. The concentration measuring device 16 is an example of a sensor. The measurements include a first measurement value in a first period and a second measurement value in a second period longer than the first period. The control server 20 functions as an example of a determination unit that determines the amount of an additive to be added to the gas in the above-mentioned equipment. The additive has the effect of reducing the specific component and is added to the gas before the reduction process. For example, if the gas is an acidic gas, slaked lime or sodium bicarbonate are examples of additives.

[0048] The control server 20 (an example of a determination unit) determines the amount of additive based on the acquired first and second measurement values. If only the reduction of a specific component is desired, the amount of additive should always be maximized. However, additives are costly, and the product produced by the reaction between the specific component and the additive must be disposed of, for example, by burying it in a landfill, which also incurs costs. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the amount of additive. In the above example, by determining the amount of additive based on two measurement values, the first and second measurement values, which are measured over different periods, the amount of additive can be determined taking into account both short-term and long-term increases and decreases in the specific component. This makes it possible to determine a more appropriate amount of additive compared to when only one of the two measurement values ​​is considered.

[0049] More specifically, for example, if the amount of additive is determined based solely on the first measurement value, the amount of additive cannot be increased even though the emission standard is exceeded because the first measurement value is small, and a situation in which the state in which the emission standard is exceeded may occur for a long time. Also, if the amount of additive is determined based solely on the second measurement value, when a large amount of harmful components is contained but the emission standard is not yet exceeded, the amount of additive cannot be increased, and a state in which the emission standard is significantly exceeded may occur. Compared to these cases, if the amount of additive is determined based on both the first and second measurement values, the state in which the emission standard is exceeded is less likely to be prolonged or a state in which the emission standard is significantly exceeded may occur, and the amount of additive to be added may be more appropriate.

[0050] In addition, in the example of FIG. 4 , the first measurement value is an instantaneous value. In this case, the first period is, for example, the smallest unit period representing a single point in time or a period of the same length as the interval between executions of the exhaust gas control process. In the waste incineration facility 2, depending on the waste, a large amount of hazardous components, for example, exceeding 10 times the emission standard, may be instantaneously generated. In this case, by increasing the addition amount according to the first measurement value, the addition amount can be increased in response to such an instantaneous increase in hazardous components. By providing such peaky response performance, the impact of abnormal generation of specific components is suppressed.

[0051] Furthermore, the second measurement value is a value measured during a second period that is equal to or shorter than the measurement period (the reference period described above) for the amount of a component specified as the emission standard for that particular component. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the value measured during the second period is the reference period. If the second period is longer than the reference period, even if the amount of addition is increased after the second measurement value increases, some time has already passed since the emission standard was exceeded, making it more likely that the response will be too late and the emission standard will be exceeded. In contrast, by setting the second period to be equal to or shorter than the reference period, the amount of addition can be increased immediately after the emission standard is exceeded, making it easier to comply with the emission standard.

[0052] Furthermore, the control server 20 (an example of a determination unit) determines the larger of the first addition amount corresponding to the first measurement value and the second addition amount corresponding to the second measurement value as the addition amount of the additive. The addition amount calculated using the addition amount table TB1 shown in FIG. 5 is an example of the first addition amount, and the addition amount calculated using the addition amount table TB2 shown in FIG. 6 is an example of the second addition amount. According to this aspect, it is possible to comply with the standard for the emission amount of a specific component by determining the second addition amount based on the second measurement value, while it is possible to respond to a sudden increase in the component by determining the first addition amount based on the first measurement value.

[0053] The control server 20 (an example of a determination unit) determines the amount of additive to be added by setting the amount of additive associated with the acquired range of the second measurement value as the second amount of additive based on reference information in which each of a plurality of ranges of the second measurement value is associated with the amount of additive. The addition amount table TB2 shown in Fig. 6 is an example of reference information. In the addition amount table TB2, ranges such as "less than 30" and "30 or more and less than 35" are associated with the amount of additive.

[0054] For example, if the amount of addition were determined solely by turning the control on or off, such that no addition would be made if the second measurement value was below the threshold, and addition would be made if the second measurement value was above the threshold, the maximum amount would be added when the second measurement value reached the threshold without any braking at all on the increase in harmful components. Therefore, the second measurement value would repeatedly oscillate, greatly exceeding the threshold (entering a so-called overshoot state), then returning below the threshold, and then exceeding the threshold again. In contrast, by staggering the second addition amount as described above, overshooting can be suppressed.

[0055] In the waste incineration facility 1, the manager operates the user terminal 30 to manually increase the amount of additives added to prevent the state in which the emission standards are exceeded from continuing for a long time or the state in which the emission standards are significantly exceeded. However, this requires the manager to constantly monitor the concentrations of harmful components, which increases the burden of monitoring work. As described above, by having the flue gas treatment system 3 appropriately control the amount of additives added, this burden on the manager can be reduced compared to when the amount of additives added is not controlled by the flue gas treatment system 3.

[0056] <Modification: Change Trend> The control server 20 (an example of a determination unit) may determine the addition amount based on the change trend of at least one of the first measurement value and the second measurement value. For example, the control server 20 determines the addition amount using a coefficient table that associates the change trend of the concentration inst with a coefficient by which the addition amount is multiplied.

[0057] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a coefficient table. In the coefficient table TB3 shown in Fig. 8, coefficients "0.5", "0.7", "0.9", "1.0", "1.1", "1.3", and "1.5" are associated with the change trends of the density int, such as "less than -50%", "-50% or more and less than -30%", "-30% or more and less than -10%", "-10% or more and less than 10%", "10% or more and less than 30%", "30% or more and less than 50%", and "50% or more".

[0058] The control server 20 calculates the change trend as, for example, the rate at which the concentration inst has changed from the previous measurement value. Note that the change trend is not limited to the rate of change from the previous value, but may be the rate of change from the value a predetermined number of times before, or the rate of change from the average value for a predetermined number of times in the past. In short, any calculation method may be used as long as the value is a value that indicates the change trend.

[0059] The control server 20 calculates the addition amount inst by multiplying the addition amount inst, which is associated with the concentration inst in the addition amount table TB1 shown in Fig. 5, by a coefficient associated with the calculated change tendency in the coefficient table TB3. For example, if the current concentration inst is "35" and the rate of change from the previous concentration is "-40%, " the control server 20 multiplies "30", which is associated with "35" in the addition amount table TB1, by "0.7", which is associated with "-50% or more and less than -30%" in the coefficient table TB3, to calculate "21" as the addition amount inst.

[0060] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing another example of a coefficient table. In the coefficient table TB4 shown in Fig. 9, coefficients "0.7", "0.8", "0.9", "1.0", "1.1", "1.2", and "1.3" are associated with the following trends in concentration ave change: "less than -30%", "-30% or more and less than -15%", "-15% or more and less than -5%, "-5% ​​or more and less than 5%, "5% or more and less than 15%, "15% or more and less than 30%, and "30% or more".

[0061] The control server 20 calculates the change trend as, for example, the percentage change in the concentration ave from the previous measurement value. As with the concentration inst, the change trend may be calculated by any calculation method as long as the value is a numerical value that indicates the change trend. The control server 20 calculates the addition amount ave by multiplying the addition amount ave associated with the concentration ave in the addition amount table TB2 shown in FIG. 6 by a coefficient associated with the calculated change trend in the coefficient table TB4. For example, if the current concentration ave is "38" and the percentage change from the previous concentration is "20%, " the control server 20 multiplies "50," which is associated with "38" in the addition amount table TB2, by "1.2," which is associated with "15% or more and less than 30%" in the coefficient table TB4, to calculate "60" as the addition amount ave.

[0062] The control server 20 determines the larger of the addition amount inst and the addition amount ave calculated as described above as the addition amount. According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent a shortage of additives when the concentration of a specific component tends to increase, and to prevent an excess of additives when the concentration of a specific component tends to decrease.

[0063] <Modification: First Period and Second Period> In the above example, the first period, which is the measurement period of the first measurement value, was the smallest unit period representing a single point in time, but it may be a longer period (for example, several seconds). Furthermore, in the above example, the second period, which is the measurement period of the second measurement value, was the reference period used to measure the emission standards, but it is not limited to this and may be a longer or shorter period. In either case, by determining the amount of additive using the first measurement value and the second measurement value, which have different measurement periods, it is possible to more appropriately determine the amount of additive to be added, thereby preventing a state in which the emission standards are exceeded for a long period or a state in which the emission standards are significantly exceeded.

[0064] <Modification: Change Trend> The control server 20 (an example of an acquisition unit) may acquire a first measurement value with the first period being a period that corresponds to the intensity of fluctuations in the first measurement value. If the first measurement value is an instantaneous value, the first period cannot be made any shorter. However, if a period of a certain length (for example, several seconds to 10-odd seconds or several tens of seconds) is used as the first period, the control server 20 acquires a first measurement value with the first period being made shorter.

[0065] The intensity of fluctuation of the first measurement value is represented by, for example, a value such as the standard deviation, coefficient of variation, or fluctuation range of the first measurement value over a predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as a "fluctuation value"). The control server 20 determines the first period using a coefficient table that associates the fluctuation value with a coefficient by which the first period is multiplied.

[0066] 10 is a diagram showing another example of a coefficient table. In the coefficient table TB5 shown in FIG. 10, coefficients "1.0," "0.9," "0.7," and "0.5" are associated with the fluctuation values ​​"less than Th1," "greater than or equal to Th1 and less than Th2," "greater than or equal to Th2 and less than Th3," and "greater than or equal to Th3." The control server 20 calculates, for example, the standard deviation of the first measurement value over a predetermined period as the first period, as the fluctuation value. The predetermined period may be, for example, the past few seconds or the past few minutes.

[0067] The control server 20 multiplies the first period by the coefficient associated with the calculated fluctuation value in the coefficient table TB5 to calculate a new first period. For example, if the first period is "10 seconds" and the fluctuation value is "greater than or equal to Th2 and less than Th3," the control server 20 multiplies 10 seconds by "0.7," which is associated with "greater than or equal to Th2 and less than Th3" in the coefficient table TB5, to obtain a first measurement value of "7 seconds," which is the new first period.

[0068] Note that the control server 20 (an example of an acquisition unit) may acquire second measurement values, with the second period being a period corresponding to the severity of fluctuations in the second measurement values, as in the case of the first measurement values. The more severe the fluctuations in the measurement values, the higher the possibility that the measurement values ​​will fluctuate suddenly thereafter. Therefore, by shortening the first period or the second period according to the fluctuation value as described above to increase the response speed of the addition amount, it is possible to make it less likely that control of the addition amount will be delayed in response to sudden fluctuations in the measurement values, compared to when the first period or the second period is constant.

[0069] Note that the more severe the fluctuations in the measurement values, the greater the possibility of a sudden increase in the concentration of the harmful component. Therefore, in situations where the fluctuation values ​​are large and the fluctuations are severe, a larger amount may be added to prepare for the unlikely event of a sudden increase in concentration. In this case, the control server 20 (an example of a determination unit) may determine the amount to be added based on the severity of the fluctuations in the first measurement value or the second measurement value. Specifically, the control server 20 determines a larger value as the amount to be added, the greater the fluctuations in the first measurement value or the second measurement value. This makes it easier to comply with the emission standards even if the concentration suddenly increases in situations where the concentration of a specific component fluctuates significantly, compared to when the fluctuation values ​​are not taken into consideration.

[0070] <Modification: Additive> The addition device 18 basically adds one type of additive to the exhaust gas, but may add two or more types of additives in parallel to the exhaust gas. For example, the addition device 18 adds hydrated lime or the like to reduce hydrogen chloride or sulfur oxides, and also adds ammonia or the like to reduce nitrogen oxides, etc.

[0071] The dosing device 18 may also add two or more types of additives for reducing hydrogen chloride or sulfur oxides, etc. In this case, the additives include a first additive and a second additive that acts to reduce a specific component more quickly than the first additive. For example, the first additive is hydrated lime, and the second additive is sodium bicarbonate. When the first additive and the second additive are added at the same location, their reactions with the specific component affect each other. Therefore, adding the first additive and the second additive at a fixed weight ratio generally has higher action efficiency and can reduce the specific component more efficiently than adding them at a different weight ratio.

[0072] However, for example, in a situation where the first measurement value increases rapidly, it may be better to add a larger amount of the second additive than the first additive in order to reduce the specific component as quickly as possible, regardless of the efficiency of action. Therefore, the control server 20 (an example of a determination unit) may increase the amount of the second additive by a larger amount when the first measurement value increases than when the second measurement value increases. Tables used in this case will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 .

[0073] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing another example of an additive amount table. In the additive amount table TB6 shown in Fig. 11, similar to the additive amount table TB1 shown in Fig. 5, the concentration inst (ppm) is associated with the additive amount inst (opening %), but the additive amount inst includes a first additive amount inst for the first additive and a second additive amount inst for the second additive. Also, in the additive amount table TB7 shown in Fig. 11, similar to the additive amount table TB2 shown in Fig. 6, the concentration ave is associated with the additive amount ave, but the additive amount ave includes a first additive amount ave for the first additive and a second additive amount ave for the second additive.

[0074] Both the first and second addition amounts inst and inst increase as the concentration inst increases, and increase as the concentration ave increases. Here, in the case of the concentration ave, if the value of the concentration ave is the same, the first and second addition amounts ave are always the same. For example, if the concentration ave is "30 or more and less than 35" or "35% or more and less than 40%," the first and second addition amounts ave are both "15" and "50," respectively.

[0075] In contrast, in the case of the concentration inst, even if the concentration inst is the same, there are some parts where the second addition amount inst is larger than the first addition amount inst. For example, when the concentration inst is "10 or more and less than 20," "20 or more and less than 30," "30 or more and less than 40," and "40 or more and less than 60," the first addition amount inst is "20," "30," "50," and "70," respectively, while the second addition amount inst is "25," "40," "55," and "80," respectively. By using these addition amount tables, the addition amount of the second additive is increased more than the addition amount of the first additive when the first measurement value increases compared to when the second measurement value increases.

[0076] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing another example of a coefficient table. In the coefficient table TB8 shown in Fig. 12, like the coefficient table TB3 shown in Fig. 8, the change trend of the concentration inst is associated with a coefficient, but the coefficients include a first coefficient for the first additive and a second coefficient for the second additive. Also, in the coefficient table TB9 shown in Fig. 11, like the coefficient table TB4 shown in Fig. 9, the change trend of the concentration ave is associated with a coefficient, but the coefficients include a first coefficient for the first additive and a second coefficient for the second additive.

[0077] Both the first coefficient and the second coefficient become larger as the change trend of the concentration inst becomes larger, and larger as the change trend of the concentration ave becomes larger. Here, in the case of the concentration ave, if the change trend of the concentration ave is the same, the first coefficient and the second coefficient always have the same value. For example, if the change trend is "5% or more and less than 15%," "15% or more and less than 30%," and "30% or more," the first coefficient and the second coefficient are "1.1," "1.2," and "1.3," respectively.

[0078] In contrast, in the case of the concentration inst, when the change trend is increasing, the second coefficient is larger than the first coefficient. For example, when the change trend is "10% or more and less than 30%, the first coefficient is "1.1", but the second coefficient is "1.3". When the change trend is "30% or more and less than 50%, the first coefficient is "1.3", but the second coefficient is "1.5". When the change trend is "50% or more", the first coefficient is "1.5", but the second coefficient is "1.7". By using these coefficient tables, the amount of the second additive added is increased by a larger proportion than the amount of the first additive added when the first measurement value increases compared to when the second measurement value increases.

[0079] For example, if the first additive is slaked lime and the second additive is sodium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate is several times more expensive than slaked lime, so constantly adding a large amount of the second additive will increase costs and will also result in a constantly low efficiency of action since the weight ratio will no longer be constant as described above. Therefore, as described above, when the first measured value, which is prone to change in a short period of time, increases, the amount of the second additive added can be increased more than when the second measured value increases, thereby usually increasing the efficiency of action of the additive and making it possible to quickly reduce specific components when necessary.

[0080] <Example of Variation: Determining the Additive Amount> The method for determining the additive amount is not limited to the above-described method. For example, the additive amount tables shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are merely examples, and additive amount tables showing other values ​​may be used. The number of value ranges included in the table (six for the concentration inst in FIG. 5 and four for the concentration ave in FIG. 6) may be fewer or more than these examples. Furthermore, the control server 20 (an example of a determination unit) may determine the additive amount as the sum of the additive amount corresponding to the first measurement value and the additive amount corresponding to the second measurement value. Furthermore, the control server 20 may weight these additive amounts according to the change trend of the first measurement value or the change trend of the second measurement value (heavier weighting for an increasing trend and lighter weighting for a decreasing trend).

[0081] Furthermore, the control server 20 may determine the amount to be added based on a first sum of the amount to be added based on the first measured value of hydrogen chloride and the amount to be added based on the first measured value of sulfur oxides, and a second sum of the amount to be added based on the second measured value of hydrogen chloride and the amount to be added based on the second measured value of sulfur oxides. In this case, the larger of the first sum and the second sum may be determined as the amount to be added, or the total sum of the first sum and the second sum may be determined as the amount to be added. In this way, the control server 20 may determine the amount to be added based on the measured values ​​of one type of component (the first measured value and the second measured value), or may determine the amount to be added based on the measured values ​​of two or more types of components.

[0082] The control server 20 may determine the amount to be added by so-called PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) control, or may determine the amount to be added using other well-known control methods. The control server 20 may input the first and second measurement values ​​to an AI (Artificial Intelligence) that has learned using training data that inputs the first and second measurement values ​​and outputs an optimal amount to be added, and determine the value output by the AI ​​as the amount to be added. The control server 20 may also determine the amount to be added using a formula that calculates the amount to be added when the first and second measurement values ​​are input.

[0083] In either case, by determining the amount to be added based on the first and second measured values, it is possible to make the amount of additive to be added more appropriate, thereby preventing a state in which the emission standards are exceeded for a long period of time or a state in which the emission standards are significantly exceeded.

[0084] <Variation Example: Specific Component> The specific component is not limited to the components described above. For example, a component that is low in toxicity to the human body but causes air pollution or has adverse effects on plants and animals may be reduced as a specific component by an additive. In this way, any component that needs to be reduced for some reason may be used as the specific component.

[0085] <Variation: Gas Containing Specific Component> The gas containing a specific component is not limited to the above-described gas, i.e., exhaust gas generated in a facility that incinerates waste such as the waste incineration facility 2. For example, it may be exhaust gas generated in a combustion facility such as a power generation boiler, a carbonization furnace, or a private factory.

[0086] <Variations: Configuration Variations> The configuration (overall configuration, hardware configuration, functional configuration, etc.) shown in FIG. 1 and the like is an example, and other configurations may be used as long as there is no inconvenience in implementation. For example, the control server 20 may be distributed across two or more devices, or may be provided in the form of SaaS (Software as a Service) or a cloud computing system. Furthermore, the information processing performed by the control server 20 and the user terminal 30 may be collectively performed by a device that integrates these. In short, as long as the information processing required for the entire exhaust gas treatment system 3 is performed, the devices that perform this information processing may have any configuration.

[0087] The output destination of information or data (hereinafter referred to as "information, etc.") may be another device, a display, a memory unit (including an internal memory unit and an external memory unit), an email address, an account of another system, etc. Acquisition of information, etc. includes not only acquiring information, etc. transmitted from another device, but also acquiring information, etc. generated by the device itself. Tables, etc. (tables or databases, etc., such as the addition amount table shown in FIG. 6 and the coefficient table shown in FIG. 8) that associate parameters are not limited to the tables, etc. shown in the figures, and the parameters may be changed, or the number of parameters may be reduced or increased. Furthermore, information, etc. corresponding to parameters may be obtained using mathematical expressions or conditional expressions, etc., without using tables, etc.

[0088] The aspects of the above-described embodiment are information processing devices such as the control server 20 and the user terminal 30, and information processing systems such as the exhaust gas treatment system 3 that include these information processing devices, but they may also be information processing methods. The information processing method includes the same steps as those executed by the information processing system. Furthermore, the aspects of the above-described embodiment may also be programs. The program causes a computer to execute the same steps as those executed by the information processing system.

[0089] <Additional Notes> Furthermore, the present invention may be provided in the following aspects.

[0090] (1) An information processing system including a processor, wherein the processor, in an acquisition step, acquires measurement values ​​of the amount of a specific component measured by a sensor after processing in equipment that at least performs processing to reduce the component contained in the gas, the measurement values ​​including a first measurement value in a first period and a second measurement value in a second period longer than the first period; and, in a determination step, determines an amount of an additive to be added to the gas in the equipment based on the acquired first measurement value and second measurement value, the additive having the effect of reducing the component and being added to the gas before the processing.

[0091] According to this embodiment, the amount of additive added can be more appropriate.

[0092] (2) In the information processing system described in (1) above, the second measurement value is a value measured during the second period, the length of which is less than the measurement period for the amount of the component specified as the emission standard for the component.

[0093] According to this embodiment, it is possible to make it easier to comply with the emission standards.

[0094] (3) In the information processing system described in (1) or (2) above, the first measurement value is an instantaneous value.

[0095] According to this embodiment, the amount of the component added can be increased in response to a momentary increase in the component.

[0096] (4) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (3) above, in the determination step, the processor determines the larger of a first addition amount corresponding to the first measurement value and a second addition amount corresponding to the second measurement value as the addition amount of the additive.

[0097] According to this embodiment, it is possible to respond to a sudden increase in the amount of components while observing the discharge amount standard.

[0098] (5) In the information processing system described in (4) above, in the determination step, the processor determines the amount of additive to be added, with the amount of additive corresponding to the acquired range of the second measurement value being the second addition amount, based on reference information in which each of multiple ranges of the second measurement value is associated with an addition amount.

[0099] According to this aspect, it is possible to suppress overshoot.

[0100] (6) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (5) above, in the determination step, the processor determines the amount to be added based on the change trend of at least one of the first measurement value and the second measurement value.

[0101] According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent a shortage of additives when the concentration of a specific component tends to increase, and to prevent an excess of additives when the concentration of a specific component tends to decrease.

[0102] (7) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (6) above, in the acquisition step, the processor acquires the first measurement value with the first period being a period corresponding to the severity of fluctuation of the first measurement value, or acquires the second measurement value with the second period being a period corresponding to the severity of fluctuation of the second measurement value.

[0103] According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent delays in the control of the amount of addition in response to sudden fluctuations in the measured value.

[0104] (8) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (7) above, the additives include a first additive and a second additive that exhibits the effect of reducing the component more quickly than the first additive, and in the determination step, the processor increases the amount of the second additive added by a greater amount when the first measurement value increases than when the second measurement value increases.

[0105] Such an embodiment generally allows the additive to work more efficiently and allows for rapid reduction of a particular component when necessary.

[0106] (9) An information processing method comprising steps executed by the information processing system according to any one of (1) to (8) above.

[0107] (10) A program for causing a computer to execute the steps executed by the information processing system according to any one of (1) to (8) above. Of course, this is not a limitation. Furthermore, any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be implemented.

[0108] Finally, while various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments and their modifications are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims.

[0109] 1: waste incineration facility, 2: waste incineration equipment, 3: exhaust gas treatment system, 41: piping, 42: piping, 43: piping, 5: gas exhaust path, 11: incinerator, 12: boiler, 13: gas cooling tower, 14: dust collector, 15: suction fan, 16: concentration measuring device, 17: chimney, 18: addition device, 20: control server, 21: control unit, 30: user terminal, 31: control unit

Claims

1. An information processing system including a processor, wherein the processor: in an acquisition step, in equipment that performs at least a process to reduce a specific component contained in a gas, acquires measured values ​​of the amount of the component measured by a sensor after the process, the measured values ​​including a first measured value in a first period and a second measured value in a second period longer than the first period; and in a determination step, determines an amount of an additive to be added to the gas in the equipment based on the acquired first measured value and second measured value, the additive having the effect of reducing the component and being added to the gas before the process.

2. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second measurement value is a value measured during the second period of time that is equal to or shorter than the measurement period for the amount of the component specified as the emission standard for the component.

3. An information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first measurement value is an instantaneous value.

4. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the determining step, the processor determines the larger of a first addition amount corresponding to the first measurement value and a second addition amount corresponding to the second measurement value as the addition amount of the additive.

5. An information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the processor, in the determination step, determines the amount of additive to be added, using the amount of additive corresponding to the range of the acquired second measurement value as the second addition amount, based on reference information in which each of multiple ranges of the second measurement value is associated with an amount of additive.

6. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in the determining step, the processor determines the amount to be added based on the trend of change in at least one of the first measurement value and the second measurement value.

7. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the processor, in the acquisition step, acquires the first measurement value over a first period that corresponds to the intensity of fluctuations in the first measurement value, or acquires the second measurement value over a second period that corresponds to the intensity of fluctuations in the second measurement value.

8. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the additives include a first additive and a second additive that exhibits an effect of reducing the component more quickly than the first additive, and wherein the processor, in the determination step, increases the amount of the second additive added by a greater amount when the first measurement value increases than when the second measurement value increases.

9. An information processing method comprising the steps of: executing an information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A program for causing a computer to execute the steps executed by the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images