MOVE TOWARD TOTAL PROCESS CONTROL.

The latest distributed process control systems used in the cement industry are complex and highly efficient, being designed to automate a large percentage of the production process, reduce costs through increased accuracy and a more effective use of labor, while increasing manufacturing flexibility by greater control of individual elements within the process. A number of systems have become available, such as Hartmann and Braun's Contronic P, which is designed to control the physical process variables of cement manufacture and to interface with both local area operator panels and a high level analysis and command unit, running programs such as XRF spectrometry and Fuzzy Logic Control. In this article the author also describes the latest technology which is used in a conventional distributed process control system and the new devices which have enabled its use to be greatly extended.