JP7457174B2 - AI-controlled centrifugal separator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a centrifugal separator that separates sewage-derived treated liquid containing sludge into a dehydrated cake and a separated liquid, and in particular, the present invention provides full automation of the centrifugal separator by adding an artificial intelligence (AI) control function. Concerning technology to realize driving.

A centrifugal separator called a decanter is known as a device installed in a sewage treatment facility for solid-liquid separation of a sewage-derived treated liquid containing sludge into a dehydrated cake and a separated liquid. FIG. 4 schematically shows the basic structure of a decanter. A horizontal decanter 1 includes a bowl 11 that rotates around a horizontal axis and a screw conveyor 12. Although not shown, a vertical decanter in which a bowl 11 and a screw conveyor 12 rotate around a vertical axis is also known.

The bowl 11 is a cylindrical body with one or both ends formed into a conical shape. The screw conveyor 12 is a rotary conveyance means equipped with screw blades 12a for conveying the solid phase separated within the bowl 11. The screw conveyor 12 is hollow along the central axis of rotation, and a supply nozzle 13 for centrifuged processing liquid is inserted with a slight clearance so as not to come into contact with the screw conveyor 12. The processing liquid discharged from the tip of the supply nozzle 13 is supplied to the processing liquid chamber in the screw conveyor 12, and is discharged from the supply hole 14 formed on the outer circumferential surface by the action of centrifugal force, and is supplied into the bowl 11. be done.

In such a configuration, a treated liquid derived from sewage that has been treated in a sedimentation tank or the like in a sewage treatment facility is continuously supplied into the bowl 11, and when the bowl 11 is rotated at a predetermined number of rotations, the centrifugal The processing liquid is separated into a solid phase and a liquid phase in the bowl 11 by the action of force. The solid phase is conveyed toward one end of the bowl 11 by the screw conveyor 12, separated from the liquid phase at the conical portion, and discharged as a dehydrated cake through the solid phase outlet 15. On the other hand, the liquid phase (separated liquid) overflows and is discharged from the liquid phase outlet 16 on the opposite side.

As a control method for obtaining dehydrated cake with the desired moisture content in the above-mentioned decanter 1, a method is known in which the torque value of the screw conveyor 12 is used as a control index and the differential speed is variably controlled to obtain a predetermined torque value (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). That is, this control method focuses on the fact that the load on the screw conveyor 12, which transports the solid phase in the bowl 11 toward the solid phase outlet 15, changes depending on the moisture content of the solid phase. Since there are few moisture content meters that can accurately measure the moisture content of the dehydrated cake discharged from the decanter 1, the above-mentioned torque control is an effective control method for obtaining dehydrated cake with the desired moisture content.

However, for example, when operating the decanter 1, there are specific issues such as how much centrifugal force should be applied (i.e., how much rotational speed should the bowl be set to), and how much should the target torque value be set? Normally, the control guidelines are inherited from the previous day's operating conditions, and may not necessarily be set to appropriate operating conditions. This is because the properties of sewage flowing into a sewage treatment facility may vary greatly from day to day. In such a case, it is not possible to obtain a dehydrated cake with the desired moisture content under the operating conditions of the previous day, and the operator will subsequently improve the operating conditions. However, even in this case, the operator's intuition is often relied on to determine how much to change.

Patent No. 5442099 Patent No. 5118262 Patent No. 3690169 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-226591 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 04-171066 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-242524 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 01-99620

The present invention was made based on these circumstances, and its purpose is to collect various information inside and outside of sewage treatment facilities, and to utilize the collected information to develop an appropriate operating pattern for centrifugal separators. The object of the present invention is to provide an AI (artificial intelligence) controlled centrifugal separator that can realize fully automated operation by setting (or resetting).

A further object of the present invention is to collect various information even after the centrifugal separator starts operating, correct the operating pattern based on the collected information, and use it thereafter to achieve fully automated operation with a higher degree of perfection. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an AI (artificial intelligence) controlled centrifugal separator that makes it possible to realize the following.

The gist of the present invention is as follows.
(1) The AI-controlled centrifugal separator of the present invention is a centrifugal separator that separates a sewage-derived treated liquid containing sludge into a dehydrated cake and a separated liquid, and the centrifugal separator is used to collect sewage to be processed by the centrifugal separator. information collection means for selectively collecting predetermined information from area environmental information and/or past operation information of the sewage treatment facility in which the centrifugal separator is installed; and a control method for the centrifugal separator. a driving pattern storage means having a plurality of driving patterns; a driving pattern selection/determination means for selecting at least one of the plurality of driving patterns based on information collected by the information collecting means; and a driving pattern selection means. - A fully automatic operation control section including an operation control means for controlling the centrifugal separator to operate according to the operation pattern selected by the determination means.
(2) Furthermore, while operating the centrifugal separator according to the above operation pattern, information on the properties of the dehydrated cake and/or separated liquid, the load status of the ancillary equipment of the centrifugal separator, and the centrifugal separation at the sewage treatment facility are provided. An operation information collection means for collecting predetermined information from the operation status of processing equipment arranged in a process downstream of the apparatus, and determining suitability of selection of an operation pattern based on the information collected by the operation information collection means. In addition, the fully automated control section may further include a driving pattern reselection means for reselecting another driving pattern when the determination result is negative.
(3) In this case, the reselected driving pattern is newly stored in the driving pattern storage means in association with the predetermined information selectively collected by the information collecting means, and the driving pattern selection/determination means If the combination of the predetermined information is met, the reselected driving pattern may be selected as the first candidate.
(4) Also, while operating the centrifugal separator according to the above operation pattern, information on the properties of the dehydrated cake and/or separated liquid, the load status of the ancillary equipment of the centrifugal separator, the centrifugal separation at the sewage treatment facility, etc. an operation information collection means for collecting predetermined information from the operation status of processing equipment arranged in a process downstream of the apparatus; and a correction method for controlling the operation pattern based on the information collected by the operation information collection means. The fully automated control section may further include a driving pattern correction means for correcting the driving pattern.
(5) In this case, the corrected driving pattern is newly stored in the driving pattern storage means in association with the predetermined information selectively collected by the information collecting means, and the driving pattern selection/determination means If a predetermined combination of information is found, the corrected driving pattern may be selected as the first candidate.

According to the present invention, in a centrifugal separator that separates a sewage-derived treatment liquid containing sludge into a dehydrated cake and a separated liquid, environmental information of the sewage recovery target area to be processed by the centrifugal separator, and/or an information collecting means for selectively collecting predetermined information from past operational information of a sewage treatment facility in which the centrifugal separator is installed; and an operation pattern that includes a plurality of operation patterns in advance for controlling the centrifugal separator. a storage means, a driving pattern selection/determination means for selecting at least one of the plurality of driving patterns based on the information collected by the information collection means, and a driving pattern selected by the driving pattern selection/determination means. By including an operation control means for controlling the operation of the centrifugal separator, and a fully automated operation control section including a fully automated operation control unit, the centrifugal separator can be operated appropriately by utilizing information collected inside and outside the sewage treatment facility. By setting (or resetting) a pattern, fully automated operation can be realized.

Furthermore, by configuring the fully automated control unit to further include an operation information collection means for collecting, while the centrifuge is operating according to the operation pattern, predetermined information from among information on the properties of the dehydrated cake and/or the separated liquid, the load status of the ancillary equipment of the centrifuge, and the operation status of treatment equipment arranged in a process downstream of the centrifuge in the sewage treatment facility, and an operation pattern correction means for correcting the control method of the operation pattern based on the information collected by the operation information collection means, it is possible to realize a more complete fully automated operation.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a sewage treatment facility in which a centrifugal separator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is arranged, and an information network that collects information from inside and outside the facility. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional configuration diagram of the centrifugal separator. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation pattern of the centrifugal separator. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional centrifugal separator.

The following describes in detail an AI-controlled centrifuge device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited in any way by the embodiment described below.

(Explanation of overall configuration)
FIG. 1 shows the overall schematic configuration of a sewage treatment facility 3 in which a decanter 2 is installed as a preferred example of a centrifugal separator, and an information network for fully automated operation of the decanter 2 by collecting various information inside and outside the facility. An example is shown.

The sewage treatment facility 3 can be roughly divided into a water treatment facility and a sludge treatment facility. The water treatment facility is comprised of equipment such as an initial settling tank 31, an aeration tank, and a final settling tank. The aeration tank, final settling tank, etc. are shown as "downstream process" for convenience of drawing. Then, sewage collected from a sewage collection target area divided to include, for example, a plurality of cities, towns, and villages is supplied to the initial settling tank 31 for solid-liquid separation into supernatant liquid and initial settled sludge. The supernatant liquid is transferred to an aeration tank, and the initial settled sludge is sent to a sludge treatment facility. The supernatant liquid from the initial settling tank 31 supplied to the aeration tank is subjected to biological treatment using activated sludge in the aeration tank. A part of the generated activated sludge is supplied to the final settling tank where it is separated into solid and liquid into supernatant liquid and settled sludge. The supernatant liquid is further detoxified before being discharged, a portion of the settled sludge is returned to the aeration tank, and the rest is sent as excess sludge to a sludge treatment facility.

The sludge treatment facility is a facility that processes sludge generated in the water treatment facility described above, and is comprised of thickening equipment, digestion equipment, dewatering equipment, and the like. FIG. 1 shows an example of separation and concentration type equipment. In this case, the initial settling sludge from the initial settling tank 31 is gravity concentrated in the gravity thickening tank 32, and the excess sludge from the final settling tank is mechanically thickened in the mechanical thickening machine 33. The mechanical concentrator 33 is a belt-type filtration concentrator or the like, and a decanter-type centrifugal concentrator may also be used. The sludge (thickened sludge) concentrated in the gravity thickener tank 32 and mechanical thickener 33 is supplied from the thickened sludge tank 34 to the decanter 2 as a dehydrator via the pump 35, or is digested and then fed to the decanter 2. supply The decanter 2 performs solid-liquid separation of sludge (thickened sludge), which is a treated liquid, into a dehydrated cake and a separated liquid. Then, the dehydrated cake from the decanter 2 is supplied to an incinerator 37 via a transfer equipment 36 such as a pressure pump or a conveyor, and is incinerated. Treatments other than incineration may also be used. Note that the overall configuration of the sewage treatment facility 3 is an example, and other equipment configurations and treatment methods may be different except for the AI-controlled decanter 2 of this embodiment.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1, an information network through which the decanter 2 collects information in order to achieve fully automated operation will be described. First, regarding the information collected within the sewage treatment facility 3, one of the servers installed in the operation room 38 that centrally controls each equipment (31 to 37) within the sewage treatment facility 3 collects information about the past of the treatment facility 3. The operating status of the system is stored in a storage unit (for example, HDD) in a readable manner. This past operating status information includes, for example, the operating status of each facility (31 to 37) such as the decanter 2 and the incinerator 37, as well as incidental equipment such as chemical injection equipment for injecting chemicals such as flocculants into sludge and pressure pumps. Equipment load information, properties of sludge and liquid processed by each equipment (31 to 37), types and chemical injection methods of chemicals such as polymeric and inorganic flocculants, maintenance and maintenance of each equipment (31 to 37) Contains information such as failure history. For example, this information may be a driving record in the form of a daily report in which various data are recorded at predetermined time intervals. Examples of information used to realize fully automated driving are listed below. Note that such information is used to pre-select and determine an appropriate driving pattern when operating the decanter 2.

(A) An example of past operation information of a sewage treatment facility - Records of the operating status of decanter 2, for example, centrifugal force, differential speed, torque, power consumption, inverter frequency, chemicals/chemical injection method, etc. - Records of dehydrated cake conveyance equipment Records of the load, such as the discharge pressure and motor current value of the pressure pump, and the motor current value of the transfer conveyor. - Records of the operating status of the incinerator 37. For example, the temperature of the furnace, the amount of fuel used, etc. - Operational troubles, breakdowns, etc. of each equipment, etc. Maintenance history For example, causes of operational troubles and breakdowns of each equipment, maintenance plans or past maintenance records, etc.

Furthermore, one of the servers installed in the operation room 38 is configured to be able to collect information outside the sewage treatment facility 3, for example, via the Internet line 4, which is a preferred example of an information network. Of course, information networks other than the Internet may be included. Furthermore, an information network instead of the Internet may be adopted. Examples of information outside the sewage treatment facility are listed below. Such information is various environmental information of the sewage collection area that the facility will treat, and is used to pre-select and determine an appropriate operating pattern when operating the decanter 2.

(B) Examples of sewage-related information for sewage collection target areas - Information on sewage collection areas For example, the ratio of residences, commercial facilities, and factories in the area, collection methods such as separate and combined systems, etc. - Each area for sewage collection Information on the inflow of sewage into the pumping station 41. For example, pump flow rate and sewage storage volume in each pumping station, sewage flow rate in major squares in the area, etc. - Construction information on sewage-related facilities in the sewage collection target area, etc. For example, maintenance work on each pumping station , replacement work for sewage pipes and squares in the area, etc. ・Information on events held within the area subject to sewage collection For example, information on large events such as sports and concerts that attract people from outside the area, etc.

(C) An example of weather information for the sewage collection target area - Weather, temperature, humidity, rainfall, etc. (forecast for the next day or several days ahead, etc.)
For example, forecast information that subdivides the area by city, ward, town, etc. Weather, temperature, humidity, rainfall, etc. (situation on the day)
For example, current information on the area divided into cities, wards, towns, etc.

(D) Examples of other information about the sewage collection target area - The amount of river water flowing in the area, the amount of sand deposits from dams being discharged, etc. - Power generation status of electric power companies, etc.

The above-mentioned information is collected, for example, by a server installed in the operation room 38 running a program that searches through the Internet (for example, using a search engine) and collects the information at a predetermined time. It is desirable to do so. For example, information can be obtained by linking to a specific information site such as the Japan Meteorological Agency's homepage, the Waterworks Bureau's homepage, a local government's homepage, a facility's homepage such as an arena or a concert hall, or an electric power company's homepage. If there is no specific information site, a dedicated line may be installed for a specific facility, such as the pumping station 41, to obtain information. The information used is, for example, information obtained the day before or a predetermined number of days before the operation pattern of the decanter 2 is selected and determined in advance. Information may be obtained once a day, or twice or more at fixed times, for example during the day and at night.

Furthermore, at least one of the servers installed in the operation room 38 displays the current operating status of the sewage treatment facility 3 when the decanter 2 is in operation, for example, the decanter 2, the incinerator 37, etc. - 37) operating status, load information on ancillary equipment such as chemical injection equipment and pressure pumps for injecting chemical solutions such as flocculants into sludge, properties of sludge and liquid treated with each equipment (31 - 37), Current actual information such as the selected types of chemicals such as polymeric and inorganic flocculants, chemical injection methods, maintenance and failure status of each equipment (31 to 37) can be collected. This actual information is collected by being transmitted from a control unit (for example, a control panel) 42 of each piece of equipment, or transmitted by an operator patrolling the site using a communication device 43. This actual information also uses information collected from outside the facility to determine whether or not the pre-selected and determined driving pattern of the decanter 2 was appropriate, and if it is not appropriate, the driving pattern is reset. used for. Furthermore, if it is determined that the driving pattern is not appropriate, it is used to correct the driving pattern itself. Examples of information used to reset or correct the driving pattern are listed below.

(E) An example of current operation information of the sewage treatment facility - Current operating status of decanter 2, for example, centrifugal force, differential speed, torque, power consumption, inverter frequency, chemicals/chemical injection method, etc. - Information on the dewatered cake conveyance equipment Load For example, the discharge pressure and motor current value of the pressure pump, the motor current value of the transfer conveyor, etc. - The operating status of the incinerator 37, for example, the temperature of the furnace, the amount of fuel used, etc. - The occurrence of operational troubles or failures of each equipment, for example, Occurrence status and causes of operational troubles and breakdowns of each equipment, etc. (F) An example of current weather information for the sewage collection target area -Current conditions such as weather, temperature, humidity, rainfall, etc. For example, by city unit within the area, Actual information subdivided by ward, town, etc.

(Description of the configuration of decanter 2)
Next, an example of the configuration of the decanter 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the decanter 2 includes a casing 2 having a solid phase outlet 20 and a liquid phase outlet 21 formed on the underside thereof, a bowl 5 arranged in the casing, a screw conveyor 6 for conveying the solid phase centrifuged in the bowl 5, and a supply nozzle 7 for supplying the sewage-derived treated liquid sent from the thickened sludge tank 34 into the bowl 5. The bowl 5 is supported at both shafts by a bearing mechanism 22 such as a bearing arranged outside the casing 2. Furthermore, the screw conveyor 6 is supported at both shafts by a bearing mechanism 23 such as a conveyor bearing. Reference numeral 24 denotes a partition wall for dividing the space inside the casing 2.

When the power of the main motor 25, which is a drive mechanism, is transmitted to the pulley 25b on the bowl 5 side via the rotating belt 25a, the bowl 5 rotates, and the gearbox 26, which is a differential speed generator, and the spline shaft 26a are rotated. Rotational power is transmitted to the screw conveyor 6 through the bowl 5 and the screw conveyor 6, thereby causing the bowl 5 and the screw conveyor 6 to rotate at a relative speed difference. As an example of normal operation, the bowl 5 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed selected within the range of 500 to 8000 rpm, and the screw conveyor 6 is rotated at a differential speed of 0.5 to 50 rpm with respect to the bowl 5 to perform centrifugation. I do.

A motor called a back drive motor 27 is connected to the gear box 26 via a rotating belt 27a and a pulley 27b. The back drive motor 27 is for applying a brake so that the screw conveyor 6 rotates slower than the bowl 5. Regenerative power generated in the back drive motor 27 by applying the brake can be supplied to the main motor 25. However, the back drive motor 27 does not necessarily need to be provided. In addition, the code|symbol 28 is a support frame of the decanter 2, and the code|symbol 29 is a support member which supports the supply nozzle 5.

The bowl 5 has a conical portion 51 formed at one end of a cylindrical body, and a disk-shaped member called a front hub 52 is provided at the other end. The body of the bowl 5 forms a pool (liquid reservoir) for the processing liquid supplied into the bowl 5 . On the other hand, the conical portion 51 forms a beach portion from which the solid phase conveyed by the screw conveyor 6 separates from the liquid phase, and a solid phase discharge port 53 for discharging the dehydrated cake, which is dehydrated sludge, is provided at the end of the beach portion. It is provided. Further, the front hub 52 is provided with a liquid phase discharge port 54 through which a liquid phase, which is a separated liquid, overflows and is discharged. The liquid phase discharge port 54 is a circular opening hole that penetrates the front hub 52.

Screw blades 61 for conveying the solid phase in the bowl 5 are spirally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the screw conveyor 6. Furthermore, a supply hole 62 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the screw conveyor 6. The supply hole 62 communicates with a liquid supply chamber 63 formed inside the tip side of the screw conveyor 6.

The supply nozzle 7 approaches or is inserted into the liquid supply chamber 63 so as not to come into contact with the rotating bowl 5 and the screw conveyor 6. The base end side of the supply nozzle 7 is connected to a pipe from a liquid feeding means (not shown in FIG. 2) such as a pump 35, for example. The processing liquid sent by the liquid sending means is discharged from the tip of the supply nozzle 7 into the liquid supply chamber 63, and the processing liquid supplied into the liquid supply chamber 63 is further affected by the centrifugal force of the rotating screw conveyor 6. Due to the action, it is discharged from the supply hole 62 and supplied into the bowl 5, and is separated into a dehydrated cake and a separated liquid by the action described above, and then discharged.

The decanter 2 includes a control unit 8 that preselects and determines an operating pattern and controls the operation of each component of the decanter 2 such as the main motor 25 and ancillary equipment such as chemical dosing equipment and a pressure pump according to the operating pattern. ing. The control unit 8 is configured by a computer system provided in the control panel 42 of the decanter 2 and/or a computer system provided in the operation room 38. A computer system includes, for example, a CPU, a memory, a storage unit (for example, an HDD), and achieves desired processing functions by reading a program stored in the storage unit and executing it by the CPU. That is, these computer systems provide information collection means, driving pattern storage means, driving pattern selection/determination means, operation control means, driving information collection means, driving pattern reselection means, and driving pattern correction means for executing the AI control method. is configured.

For example, as schematically shown in Fig. 3, the operation pattern is based on the correlation between the torque (N m) of the screw conveyor and the water content (%) of the dehydrated cake using various centrifugal forces (G) as parameters. Examples include three patterns: a standard operation model, a post-rainfall operation model, and an increased throughput model when the amount of sewage is large. The information on these plurality of driving patterns is stored in a storage unit (for example, HDD) so that the control unit 8 can read it freely. Note that these three driving patterns are basic forms prepared in advance, and as a preferred example is explained below, the number of driving patterns increases and/or the patterns become more complex each time the driving is repeated by the artificial intelligence function. By making it possible to apply more driving patterns, fully automated driving with a higher degree of perfection will become a reality. Therefore, the default number of basic patterns does not necessarily have to be three, but can be any number greater than or equal to one.

Examples of other operating patterns include operating conditions that associate the model/specification of the decanter 2 with the properties of the processing liquid, and operating conditions that associate the differential speed, properties of the processing liquid, and amount of chemical injection. Each model can be patterned into, for example, a "standard operating model," "an operating model after rain," and an "increased throughput model when the amount of sewage is large." Of course, the classification is not limited to "standard", "after rain", and "when the amount of sewage is large".

Next, an example of fully automated operation of the decanter 2 will be explained.
For example, on the morning of the day of operation, the server in the operation room 38 reads data on the operating status of the sewage treatment facility 3 from the previous day from the storage unit, and determines that the operating conditions of the decanter 2 on the previous day were "standard operating model" and "operating after rain". It is determined whether the treatment was carried out using the model "model" or "model for increasing throughput when the amount of sewage inflow is large". At this time, the decanter 2 may be stopped before starting or may be in operation. Here, as an example, assume that it rained the day before yesterday, and that the vehicle was driven in accordance with the "after-rainfall driving model" the day before.

On the other hand, for example, if the weather forecast for the day of driving announced the day before via the Internet line 4 is that the season is summer (July to August), the weather is sunny, the temperature is 30°C, and the humidity is 70%, the control unit 8 , from among the driving patterns, driving in the "standard driving model" is selected as a candidate. However, for example, if a large event is scheduled to be held according to the environmental information obtained through the Internet 4, a large number of people will gather from outside the area, and the sewage flow will increase. Another candidate is the "Increased throughput model". Furthermore, if, for example, some of the multiple pump stations 41 are scheduled to be temporarily suspended due to maintenance work, the amount of sewage sent to the sewage treatment facility 3 will be reduced accordingly, and the "standard operation model" will be adopted. Decide to choose. However, the centrifugal force (G) will be set higher in consideration of the increase in sewage due to the event. Furthermore, when the season is summer, the centrifugal force is set to be higher because the coagulation properties deteriorate due to corrosion and deterioration of the sludge.

In other words, when the weather is sunny, the standard operation model is selected, but since the conditions are also combined: summer season, event, and construction, Finally, in the "Standard Operation Model", the initial setting of the centrifugal force is the highest, 1800G, and in order to obtain a dehydrated cake with the desired moisture content of 71%, the torque value (control value) of the screw conveyor 6 is set to 32N・m. Decide to drive as follows. In this example, the driving pattern is selected and determined based on four types of environmental information: season, weather, event, and construction, but of course, the driving pattern may be selected and determined based on other collected information. Furthermore, with respect to each piece of environmental information, the timing may be taken into consideration, such as when the impact will be felt the next day or the day after the next day.

When a predetermined period of time (for example, several hours) has elapsed since the operation of the decanter 2 was started, the control unit 8 collects information from inside and outside the facility and determines the suitability of the selected operation pattern. For example, the nature of the dehydrated cake is that it contains a lot of sand, so if the torque value is set to 32 Nm, the water content will drop too much, and the load on the pressure pump as the transfer equipment 36 that conveys the dehydrated cake will increase. Suppose that As for the load of the pressure pump, for example, a threshold value of the discharge pressure is set in advance, and when the load exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that the load is in an increased state. Determination using threshold values can also be performed for other information. In this case, even if the weather forecast is sunny, if it rained the day before yesterday, the control unit 8 changes (reselects) the "after-rainfall driving model" according to the amount of rainfall and continues driving. Make it. Specifically, even if the forecast for the day is sunny, if it rained more than a preset threshold value (for example, 200 mm) the day before yesterday, the system changes to the "driving model after rain". For example, the same applies if a guerrilla thunderstorm occurs in a part of the area.

Furthermore, the control unit 8 changes the method of selecting future driving patterns, and selects the "standard driving model" in the case of a combination of "summer season" - "sunny weather" - "event" - "construction". However, as an exception, in the case of the following combinations: ``Season is summer'' - ``Weather is sunny'' - ``However, there was rainfall exceeding the threshold value the day before yesterday'' - ``There is an event'' - ``There is construction work'' "Driving model" is selected. In this way, the AI control function can be improved by subdividing the combinations of information that serve as driving pattern options each time the vehicle is driven. As an example, the control unit 8 executes the control function by creating (updating) a database in which combinations of information and driving patterns to be selected are arranged in a matrix. The selection of the operating pattern also includes the selection of various settings (centrifugal force, chemicals, etc.) within the pattern, as described above.

Furthermore, if the rain the day before yesterday was a short-lived shower, for example, and if the operation is performed using the "after-rainfall operation model," the moisture content will gradually increase, and the amount of fuel used by the incinerator 37 will increase. Suppose that In this case, the control unit 8 determines that the currently available driving pattern cannot handle the situation, and generates a new driving pattern. The determination can be made by setting a threshold value, for example. Specifically, for example, a new "short-term post-rainfall operating model" with the slope of the correlation curve between torque and water content set to an intermediate position between the "standard operating model" and the "post-rainfall operating model" is generated and stored. Save it in the section. From now on, for the combinations ``Season is summer'' - ``The weather is sunny'' - ``However, there was short-term rain above the threshold the day before yesterday'' - ``Event exists'' - ``Construction exists'', ``After short-term rain Select the driving model. In this way, the number of selectable driving patterns is increased each time the vehicle is driven, and by enabling fine-grained control, the AI control function can be further improved.

In addition to the information used in the control example above, for example, information on the ratio of residences, commercial facilities, and factories in the area can be used to reflect changes in sewage flow rate and properties on weekdays and weekends, for example, in the control. It can be used as information, and information on collection methods such as diversion and combined methods can be used to parameterize the degree of influence of rainfall (large, medium, small). In addition, weather information that subdivides the area by city, ward, town, etc. can be repeatedly used for the above control, and a distribution map that affects sewage can be generated and used for control. good. For example, if the collection area consists of cities A to D, etc., if the amount of rainfall in cities A and C is large, the impact will be large.

Regarding the power generation status of electric power companies, for example, if the amount of electricity used in the power transmission area increases due to intense heat, for example, a model with increased processing flow rate may be selected during the night, and a model with lower processing flow rate may be operated during the day. It can be used to perform operation with reduced power consumption. In other words, it realizes fully automated operation that contributes to power savings.

Furthermore, the history of operational troubles and breakdowns of each equipment is stored in the storage unit as information (database) that is associated with the environmental and operating conditions at the time, and can be used to avoid operational troubles and breakdowns. be able to. In other words, for example, if the environmental conditions are the above-mentioned combinations of "summer season" - "sunny weather" - "events" - "construction", certain operating conditions (centrifugal force, torque, chemical injection method, etc.) If there is a history of operational troubles, the control unit 8 will not select that operating condition. This makes it possible to achieve fully automated operation that avoids equipment operational troubles and breakdowns.

According to the embodiment described above, predetermined information is selected and collected from environmental information of the sewage collection target area and/or past operation information of the sewage treatment facility 3, and an operation pattern is selected based on the collected information.・By controlling the decanter 2 according to the determined and selected operation pattern, it is possible to set (or re-set) an appropriate operation pattern for the decanter 2 by utilizing information collected inside and outside the sewage treatment facility 3. Automated driving can be realized. Note that the fully automated operation here means that the decanter 2 itself executes intelligent control so as to perform optimal operation, as described in detail above. For example, even if an operator or the like is involved in part of the control, such as starting up the device or adjusting the flow rate, if the decanter 2 itself is substantially performing intelligent control, it is included in fully automated operation.

Furthermore, while operating the decanter 2 according to the operation pattern, information on the properties of the dehydrated cake and/or separated liquid, the load status of the ancillary equipment of the decanter 2, and the operating status of processing equipment such as the incinerator 37 is collected. By collecting predetermined information from the vehicle and correcting the driving pattern based on the collected information, fully automated driving with a higher degree of perfection can be realized.

Although the present invention has been described in detail in accordance with specific embodiments, various substitutions, modifications, changes, etc. in form and details may be made to the present invention as defined by the claims. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that anything may be done without departing from the spirit and scope.

2 Decanter 3 Sewage treatment facility 38 Operation room 4 Internet line 5 Bowl 6 Screw conveyor 8 Control unit

Claims (3)

In a centrifugal separator that separates sludge-containing sewage-derived treated liquid into a dehydrated cake and a separated liquid,
an information collecting means for selectively collecting a plurality of types of information from among operational information of a sewage treatment facility in which the centrifugal separator is installed; and an operation control means for controlling the centrifugal separator to operate in accordance with operating conditions,
The operating conditions are generated by a computer system using an AI (artificial intelligence function) so as to obtain a dehydrated cake with a desired water content based on the operation information including predetermined information selected and collected from properties of the dehydrated cake and/or separated liquid when the centrifuge is actually operated and load conditions of auxiliary equipment of the centrifuge, and the operating conditions include two or more set values of centrifugal force, torque, differential speed, and chemical injection amount. In a centrifugal separator that separates sewage-derived treated liquid containing sludge into a dehydrated cake and a separated liquid,
an information collection means for selectively collecting a plurality of types of information from operational information of a sewage treatment facility in which the centrifugal separator is installed; and an operation control means for controlling the centrifugal separator to operate according to operating conditions; Equipped with
The operating conditions include the operating information that includes predetermined information selected and collected from the properties of the dehydrated cake and/or separated liquid when the centrifugal separator is actually operated, and the load status of incidental equipment of the centrifugal separator. The operating conditions are generated by a computer system using AI (artificial intelligence function) so that a dehydrated cake with the desired moisture content can be obtained based on the operating conditions, and the degree of perfection is improved by repeating the operation. An AI-controlled centrifugal separator characterized in that the conditions include two or more set values of centrifugal force, torque, differential speed, and chemical injection amount . In a centrifugal separator that separates sewage-derived treated liquid containing sludge into a dehydrated cake and a separated liquid,
information collection means for selectively collecting a plurality of types of information from among operational information of a sewage treatment facility in which the centrifugal separator is installed and environmental information of the sewage collection target area to be treated by the centrifugal separator; an operation control means for controlling the centrifugal separator to operate according to conditions,
The operating conditions include the operating information that includes predetermined information selected and collected from the properties of the dehydrated cake and/or separated liquid when the centrifugal separator is actually operated, and the load status of incidental equipment of the centrifugal separator. The operating conditions are set by a computer system so as to obtain a dehydrated cake with a desired water content based on the above-mentioned environmental information , and the operating conditions include two or more types of centrifugal force, torque, differential speed, and chemical injection amount. An AI-controlled centrifugal separator characterized by including each setting value .

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