Track: Industry 4.0 - Special Track

Abstract

Hazards inherent to chemical products must be minimized to ensure the health of workers in processes where flammable and toxic liquids are stored, the integrity of piping, valves and equipment throughout the system must be ensured until its application. The main aspects to be considered for the storage of chemical products are compatibility between materials, temperature, ignition control, ventilation, segregation and identification. However, many potential hazards are associated with the storage and handling of hazardous chemicals. The purpose of this work is to present a technical solution for the automation of the mechanical handling operation performed by the operator, the filling of the tanks, level control, cleaning (purge), pressurization of the system with inert gas, reversal and rotation of the tanks, in order to guarantee the supply of liquid methanol with controlled pressure and flow rates used in atmospheres of heat treatment furnaces and reduction of metallic powders, eliminating operator handling, increasing the safety of the system, and making the process more robust. The methodology used for this purpose starts with an analysis and algorithm of the electrical components for automation, PLC programming, operation simulation via Festo's CodeSys software, and IoT techniques aimed at industry 4.0. This work presents a simplified technical solution for the automation of a methanol supply center, in order to prevent the operator from handling the toxics and highly dangerous chemicals products that are applied in atmospheres of heat treatment furnaces.