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A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Automation Control Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (8 December 2022) | Viewed by 23524

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Dr. Sergey Y. Yurish

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International Frequency Sensor Association (IFSA), 08860 Castelldefels, Spain
Interests: smart sensors; optical sensors; frequency measurements
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Industry 4.0 holds a lot of potentials and is expected to register substantial growth in the near future. According to the modern market study, the global Industry 4.0 market is projected to grow from USD 116.14 billion in 2021 to USD 337.10 billion in 2028 at the CAGR of 16.4% in the 2021–2028 period.

Industry 4.0 is an integrated system that consists of an automation tool, robotic control, communications and Big Data analytics. The increased adoption of industrial robots is one of the main driving factors of this market, while the data risks associated with the integration of advanced technologies are the restraining factors.

This Special Issue contains extended selected papers from the 2nd IFSA Winter Conference on Automation, Robotics & Communications for Industry 4.0 (ARCI' 2022), 2–4 February 2022, Andorra la Vella, Andorra.

Topics of Interest (but not limited to):

Process Automation;
Process Control and Monitoring;
Design Principles in Industry 4.0;
Smart Manufacturing and Technologies;
Smart Factories;
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing;
Chemical Process Control;
Industrial Big Data and Analytics;
Digital Production and Virtual Engineering.

Prof. Dr. Sergey Y. Yurish
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

automation
process control
process monitoring
smart manufacturing
Industry 4.0

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 36570 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Supervision and Control System of the Operational Variables of a Cluster in a High-Pressure Gas Injection Plant

by Cristhian Ronceros, José Medina, Juan Vásquez, Pedro León, José Fernández and Estefany Urday

Processes 2023, 11(3), 698; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11030698 - 26 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2187

Abstract

The objective of this research was to develop a technological architecture proposal that allows for the supervision and control of the operational parameters of gas injection (flow, temperature, and pressure) in a cluster of a high-pressure gas injection plant. The proposal provides a supervision and control system for the HPGIP I high-pressure gas injection plant that includes instrumentation equipment (transmitters and actuators), a remote terminal unit (RTU) as a control device, and the creation of a control logic as the basis for the development of the SCADA GALBA^®, through which the operational variables involved in the process of the gas injection plant can be visualized and controlled, allowing the automatic regulation of the flow of gas that enters the deposits. Automatization of the process allows for the elimination of the average error differential that increases from 2 to 5% when the control valve is opened manually. Currently, the MUC-67 and MUC-68 wells that make up cluster 5 require a control valve opening of 20% and 5%, respectively, and this percentage is directly affected by the average valve opening error when performed manually. In addition, there is a savings of around 40 min in the response time by the operators for the adjustment of the opening or closing parameters of the control valve manually. The proposal allows for the different control actions on the variables or parameters of gas injection present in the clump to be carried out from a control room. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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28 pages, 6762 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Influencing Factors of the Response Characteristics of the Slide Valve-Type Direct-Acting Relief Valve with External Orifice

by Huiyong Liu and Qing Zhao

Processes 2023, 11(2), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11020397 - 28 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1460

Abstract

The slide valve-type direct-acting relief valve with external orifice (SVTDARVWEO) is widely used in hydraulic systems, and its response characteristics are influenced by key factors. It is of great significance to carry out research on the influencing factors of the response characteristics of the SVTDARVWEO. The working principle of the SVTDARVWEO is analyzed in the present study. The simulation model of the SVTDARVWEO is established using AMESim. The influence of the orifice diameter, viscosity coefficient, valve element mass, spring stiffness, oil seal length, and valve element diameter on the response characteristics of the SVTDARVWEO is studied. The results show that: (1) The smaller the orifice diameter is, the smaller the oscillation frequency, amplitude and maximum overshoot of pressure, flowrate, displacement and velocity are. (2) When the viscosity coefficient is 50 N/(m/s), 55 N/(m/s) and 60 N/(m/s), the pressure, flowrate, displacement and velocity oscillate periodically, but the amplitude of the oscillation decreases gradually, and the oscillation frequency is 250 Hz. When the viscosity coefficient is 60 N/(m/s), the pressure, flowrate, displacement and velocity will reach their respective stable values earlier. (3) When the valve element mass is 0.01 kg, 0.015 kg and 0.02 kg, the pressure, flowrate, displacement and velocity oscillate periodically, but the amplitude of oscillation decreases gradually. When the valve element mass is 0.01 kg, the pressure, flowrate, displacement and velocity will reach the stable value earlier. (4) The smaller the spring stiffness is, the greater the maximum overshoot of pressure, flowrate, displacement and velocity is, and the higher the number of oscillations to reach the stable value are, in addition to more time being required. (5) With the increase in oil seal length, the maximum overshoot of pressure and velocity, stability value of displacement also increase correspondingly. (6) With the increase in the valve element diameter, the stable value of pressure decreases, and the oscillation frequency of pressure, flowrate, displacement and velocity increase, but the oscillation amplitude decreases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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26 pages, 23064 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Reservoir Advanced Process Control for Hydroelectric Power Production

by Silvia Maria Zanoli, Crescenzo Pepe, Giacomo Astolfi and Francesco Luzi

Processes 2023, 11(2), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11020300 - 17 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2520

Abstract

The present work is in the framework of water resource control and optimization. Specifically, an advanced process control system was designed and implemented in a hydroelectric power plant for water management. Two reservoirs (connected through a regulation gate) and a set of turbines for energy production constitute the main elements of the process. In-depth data analysis was carried out to determine the control variables and the major issues related to the previous conduction of the plant. A tailored modelization process was conducted, and satisfactory fitting performances were obtained with linear models. In particular, first-principles equations were combined with data-based techniques. The achievement of a reliable model of the plant and the availability of reliable forecasts of the measured disturbance variables—e.g., the hydroelectric power production plan—motivated the choice of a control approach based on model predictive control techniques. A tailored methodology was proposed to account for model uncertainties, and an ad hoc model mismatch compensation strategy was designed. Virtual environment simulations based on meaningful scenarios confirmed the validity of the proposed approach for reducing water waste while meeting the water demand for electric energy production. The control system was commissioned for the real plant, obtaining significant performance and a remarkable service factor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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24 pages, 2479 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Driving Factors of Collaborative Integration Implementation of Lean-Green Manufacturing System with Industry 4.0 Based on Fuzzy AHP-DEMATEL-ISM: From the Perspective of Enterprise Stakeholders

by Xiaoyong Zhu, Yongmao Xiao, Gongwei Xiao and Xiaojuan Deng

Processes 2022, 10(12), 2714; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10122714 - 15 Dec 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2184

Abstract

The existing research and practices have shown that the coordinated implementation of lean-green manufacturing can have a positive impact on the economic and environmental benefits, which is an effective means to ensure the environmental protection of the production process of manufacturing without damaging their profitability. Within the field of lean-green research, there is still a lack of research to analyze the driving factors for the collaborative implementation of integrated lean and green integration. Although, some scholars and researchers have studied lean and green integration paradigms, their research has mostly focused on lean-green integration practices and their impact on environmental performance and their respective operations. In the context of Industry 4.0, this article investigates the driving forces behind the collaborative integration implementation of a lean-green manufacturing system from the viewpoint of stakeholders. Specifically addressing the issues of correlation and ambiguity in the identification of driving factors, this manuscript proposes an Interpretation Structure Model (ISM) of fuzzy comprehensive Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), based on Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), to determine the importance of the driving factors. Combined with the complex network theory, the evaluation index system is divided into four levels from eight factor categories, including endogenous lean-green driving factors and exogenous driving factors. The fuzzy AHP-DEMATEL-ISM is used to analyze the relationship between indicators and the structure of the indicator system. The complex network which is composed of the indicator system is divided into different levels. The importance of indicators is analyzed from the perspective of the global network, and key factors affecting the driving of lean-green system is analyzed. The integration of the lean-green manufacturing system and organizational synergy are promoted to jointly lead the enterprise toward sustainable development by paying particular attention to the primary impact indicators and aggressively cultivating the key impact indicators. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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17 pages, 3354 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Carbon and Low-Energy-Consumption Gear Processing Route Optimization Based on Gray Wolf Algorithm

by Yani Zhang, Haoshu Xu, Jun Huang and Yongmao Xiao

Processes 2022, 10(12), 2585; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10122585 - 4 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1388

Abstract

The process of gear machining consumes a large amount of energy and causes serious pollution to the environment. Developing a proper process route of gear machining is the key to conserving energy and reducing emissions. Nowadays, the proper process route of gear machining is based on experience and is difficult to keep up with the development of modern times. In this article, a calculation model of low-carbon and low-energy consumption in gear machining processes was established based on an analysis of the machining process. With processing parameters as independent variables, the grey wolf algorithm was used to solve the problem. The effectiveness of the method was proven by an example of the machining process of an automobile transmission shaft. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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15 pages, 2864 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decision-Making Model of Mechanical Components in a Lean–Green Manufacturing System Based on Carbon Benefit and Its Application

by Xiaoyong Zhu, Yongmao Xiao and Gongwei Xiao

Processes 2022, 10(11), 2297; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10112297 - 4 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1841

Abstract

The key to achieving low-carbon manufacturing is to effectively reduce the carbon emissions of production systems and improve carbon benefits. The use of lean and green tools aids in measuring the added value of products, and increases the efficiency and sustainability of production systems. To address this problem and verify that the synergetic relationship between lean and green innovation increases the efficiency and sustainability in production systems, a new low-carbon manufacturing evaluation indicator—carbon benefit—in lean manufacturing systems was discussed. A low-carbon decision-making model of multiple processes aiming at carbon benefit maximization, as well as the dynamic characteristics of carbon benefit and sustainable process improvements in a lean production system, was established. A case study of a certain satellite dish parts manufacturing line was introduced to analyze and verify the feasibility of the proposed model. After improvement, the processing time of unit parts was reduced from 63 s to 54 s. The workstations were optimized again according to the lean–green manufacturing concept, and the number was reduced by 37.5%. The process was recombined and reduced from 8 to 5 to achieve continuous-flow processing. This reduced the distance by 77 m, and at the same time, the number of operating personnel was reduced, and the after-improvement carbon efficiency increased from 12.98 s/kg CO₂e to 36.33 s/kg CO₂e in comparison with that before the improvement. The carbon benefit after improvement was 193.92% higher than that before the improvement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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25 pages, 447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multiple Mobile Robots Coordination in Shared Workspace for Task Makespan Minimization

by Jarosław Rudy, Radosław Idzikowski, Elzbieta Roszkowska and Konrad Kluwak

Processes 2022, 10(10), 2087; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10102087 - 15 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1345

Abstract

In this paper we consider a system of multiple mobile robots (MMRS) and the process of their concurrent motion in a shared two-dimensional workspace. The goal is to plan the robot movement along given fixed paths so as to minimize the completion time of all the robots while ensuring that they never collide. Thus, the considered problem combines the problems of robot schedule optimization with collision and deadlock avoidance. The problem formulation is presented and its equivalent reformulation that does not depend explicitly on the geometry of the robot paths is proposed. An event-based solution representation is proposed, allowing for a discrete optimization approach. Two types of possible deadlocks are identified and deadlock avoidance procedures are discussed. We proposed two types of solving methods. First, we implemented two metaheuristics: the local-search-based taboo search as well as the population-based artificial bee colony. Next, we implemented 14 simple constructive algorithms, employing dispatch rules such as first-in first-out, shortest distance remaining first, and longest distance remaining first, among others. A set of problem instances for different numbers of robots is created and provided as a benchmark. The effectiveness of the solving methods is then evaluated by simulation using the generated instances. Both deterministic and lognormal-distributed uncertain robot travel times are considered. The results prove that the taboo search metaheuristic obtained the best results for both deterministic and uncertain cases, with only artificial bee colony and a few constructive algorithms managing to remain competitive. Detailed results as well as ideas to further improve proposed methods are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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10 pages, 2237 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Additively Manufactured Robot Gripper Blades for Automated Cell Production Processes

by Ferdinand Biermann, Stefan Gräfe, Thomas Bergs and Robert H. Schmitt

Processes 2022, 10(10), 2080; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10102080 - 14 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1991

Abstract

The automation of cell production processes demands strict requirements with regard to sterility, reliability, and flexibility. Robots work in such environments as transporting devices for a huge variety of disposables, e.g., cell plates, tubes, cassettes, and other objects. Therefore, the blades of their grippers must be designed to hold all of these different materials in a stable, gentle manner, and in defined positions, which means that the blades require complex geometries. Furthermore, they should have as few edges as possible, so as to be easy to clean. In this report, we demonstrate how these requirements can be met by producing stainless steel robot grippers by additive manufacturing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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45 pages, 7546 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Technical Considerations for the Conformation of Specific Competences in Mechatronic Engineers in the Context of Industry 4.0 and 5.0

by Eusebio Jiménez López, Francisco Cuenca Jiménez, Gabriel Luna Sandoval, Francisco Javier Ochoa Estrella, Marco Antonio Maciel Monteón, Flavio Muñoz and Pablo Alberto Limón Leyva

Processes 2022, 10(8), 1445; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10081445 - 24 Jul 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4123

Abstract

The incursion of disruptive technologies, such as the Internet of Things, information technologies, cloud computing, digitalization and artificial intelligence, into current production processes has led to a new global industrial revolution called Industry 4.0 or Manufacturing 4.0. This new revolution proposes digitization from one end of the value chain to the other by integrating physical assets into systems and networks linked to a series of technologies to create value. Industry 4.0 has far-reaching implications for production systems and engineering education, especially in the training of mechatronic engineers. In order to face the new challenges of the transition from manufacturing 3.0 to Industry 4.0 and 5.0, it is necessary to implement innovative educational models that allow the systematic training of engineers. The competency-based education model has ideal characteristics to help mechatronic engineers, especially in the development of specific competencies. This article proposes 15 technical considerations related to generic industrial needs and disruptive technologies that serve to determine those specific competencies required by mechatronic engineers to meet the challenges of Industry 4.0 and 5.0. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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Review

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20 pages, 3822 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review on Energy Conservation of Construction Machinery for Pumping Concrete

by Huiyong Liu and Qing Zhao

Processes 2023, 11(3), 842; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11030842 - 11 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1911

Abstract

The excessive consumption of fossil fuel, energy shortage and global warming along with environmental deterioration have increasingly become a global issue. In order to deal with the energy crisis, energy conservation has been developed and applied in vehicles and construction machineries, i.e., excavators, loaders and forklifts. Due to the shortcoming of low efficiency, high-energy consumption and bad exhaust, the energy conservation of construction machinery for pumping concrete is necessary and urgent. This paper aims to carry out a review on energy conservation of construction machinery for pumping concrete. The research methodology comprises a quantitative analysis method and literature investigation method. First, the structure and working principle of construction machinery for pumping concrete are expounded, and energy consumption ways of construction machinery for pumping concrete are analyzed. Then, research developments in the energy conservation of construction machinery for pumping concrete are summarized. Finally, challenges with the energy conservation of construction machinery for pumping concrete are presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Automation Control Systems & Process Control for Industry 4.0)

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