3D virtual environment of the sugar refining process and automatic control using the hardware in the Loop technique

This paper proposes the design of a 3D virtual environment of the sugar re-fining process for the implementation of the Hardware in the Loop (HIL) technique and the design of PID controllers by means of a commercial programmable logic controller (PLC), developing operation and control tests in the plant. The 3D modeling of the virtual environment is developed from the P&ID diagram of the process, which indicates the arrangement of equipment and instruments with-in the virtual environment, the mathematical models of the process were developed from base equations, theorems and experimentation to determine the dynamics of operation of the sugar refining process, while the animations and realism were designed in the Unity 3D graphics engine. The interchange of information between the virtualized plant and the PLC, using the Modbus TCP/IP protocol, determined a fast and reliable communication. Finally, different control tests were developed, allowing to demonstrate that the HIL technique presents a complete control over the virtual plant as if it resembled reality.