Knowledge-based control of rotary kiln

Abstract

Rotary kiln is the central and the most complex component of cement production process. Its task is to take an appropriate mixture of input material, and to gradually burn and bake it to produce clicker, coarse-grained pieces of cement which are then transported away from the kiln and milled in a special mill to get the cement dust. An expert system for real-time control or rotary cement kiln operation was developed. The system is based on a previously developed methodology for building real-time expert systems. This paper overviews the methodology, describes the problem domain in detail, and discusses some important design decisions and implementations details of the expert system.