A distributed control system for processes in food industry: Architecture and implementation

The paper addresses the development and implementation of a distributed and hierarchized control system for processes in food industry. More precisely, the wheat grinding and bread production processes that take place at the Mill and bread factory Calafat, Romania, are envisaged. Two solutions based on the DCS/SCADA (Distributed Control System / Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) architecture are proposed. The first DCS-SCADA structure is a hierarchical monitoring and control system based on digital controllers, data acquisition and computer system. The second structure is a DCS-SCADA hierarchical monitoring and control system based on compact data acquisition and control systems. The configuration and the functionality of the DCS levels are described. Also, the communication interface between the primary control loops and the superior hierarchic levels is presented. The proposed control structures allow the improvement of the overall system currently implemented at the mill and bread factory.