Abstract:
A web making machine is monitored to identify at least one cross-machine direction (CD) actuator that is developing local mapping problems. The identified CD actuator and a segment of surrounding actuators are probed to determine a performance curve for the actuator. The center of an insensitivity region of the performance curve is selected as an optimal mapping alignment setting for the identified actuator with the setting for the actuator being updated. Global smoothing may also be accomplished by probing a global smoothness factor to generate a corresponding performance curve that is then similarly used to select an optimal value for the smoothness factor.
Abstract:
A gas chromatograph for connection to a source of carrier gas and a source of a sample gas. The gas chromatograph includes a first bridge circuit with a sample sensor connected therein and a second bridge circuit with a reference sensor connected therein. The outputs of the bridge circuits are digitized and then subtracted from each other in a processor.
Abstract:
A robotic wash cell is provided and includes a six-axis robotic arm and end effector equipped with nozzles that spray unheated, solvent free, pure water at high-pressure to clean or debur objects by maintaining the nozzles in close proximity and substantially normal to each surface being cleaned or edge being deburred. The robotic cell wash is particularly useful for cleaning contaminants such as oil and grease from items having more complex shapes. The six-axis robotic arm positions the nozzles and their sprays substantially normal to each surface being cleaned or deburred. The nozzles produce a multi-zone spray pattern with a continuous effective cleaning zone. A water recycling and pressurizing system collects the used water, separates out the oil and grease contaminants to a level of about 5 ppm, and pressurizes the pure water to about 3,000 psi for washing operations or about 6,000 psi for deburring operations.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus and for detecting faults in components of a continuous process such as a steam generator. A model of the process is developed using a modeling technique such as advanced pattern recognition and the model is used to generate predicted values for a predetermined number of the operating parameters of the process. Statistical process control methods are used to determine if the difference between the predicted and actual measured values for one or more of the parameters exceeds a configured statistical limit. A rule set is used to indicate an actual or probable fault in a component of the continuous process.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a system and method for monitoring the performance of a heat exchanger. In accordance with the system and method, baseline values of a performance factor (E) for baseline sets of heat exchanger operating values are calculated and stored. A current value of E is calculated for a current set of the operating values and is compared to a retrieved baseline value of E for a baseline set of the operating values that at least substantially matches the current set of the operating values. E provides a measure of the performance of the heat exchanger and is calculated using differential temperatures across the heat exchanger and without using any information concerning the physical construction of the heat exchanger.
Abstract:
A new way of applying the compartmental approach to the simulation of multi-stage separation processes in the process industry leads to more robust simulation models and higher success rate. The new approach makes use of steady-state component balances, constant vapor-liquid equilibrium ratios, and initialization models. Guidelines are provided for creating a computer executable regular model of the multi-stage separation process. Guidelines are also provided for creating a computer executable model that solves the problem of initialization failure of the regular model for the process.
Abstract:
A system for use with a roll bowl type mill for the pulverizing of solid fuels such as coal. The system includes hardware in the form of sensors and other components and software to among other things monitor the operating condition of the mill's moving parts and predict their failure. The system can determine the diameter of the mill's rollers, or the reduction and/or depth of cup wear of each of the rollers, the thickness of the solid fuel in the mill, can by analysis determine the wear of each of the one or more roller bearings in the mill and predict their failure and can estimate the mill availability
Abstract:
Non-linear inductor(s) are used to reduce the percent total harmonic distortion of the harmonics in the line currents in the input side rectifier system of an ac drive system. Several constructions for the non-linear inductor(s) are described. The non-linear inductor(s) may be constructed from E and I laminations. The gap depends on the construction of the middle leg of the E laminations and may have a step with a constant spacing or a variable spacing which depends on the stacking of the laminations. Alternatively the non-linear inductor(s) may be constructed from a toriodal core that either has a step gap or a variable type gap.
Abstract:
An image analysis method designed to identify images in a sequence of images that are statistically different in a pre-selected region of interest. The method is suitable when there is no a priori knowledge of the nature of the interesting images. A reference image is used to identify specific regions of the image that may contain interesting changes (Detect Zone), that will not have interesting changes, but can be used to assess image quality (Veto zone), and an unanalyzed region (Ignore zone). To improve the spatial sensitivity, the Detect and Veto zones can be divided into specific cells. The analysis may also be performed on compressed data and another method automatically classifies a cell as either in the Detect zone or Ignore zone. The sensitivity can be further improved by removing periodic feature variation prior to the statistics calculation.