Automação de um sistema rotatório para secagem do rejeito de maracujá

The rotary dryer is one of the most used equipments in processing industries. Its automatic control mode of operation is important specially to keep the moisture content of the final product in the desired value. The classical control strategies, like PID (proportional integral derivative) control, are largely used in the industrial sector because of its robustness and because they are easy to be implemented. In this work, a data acquisition system was implemented for monitoring the most relevant process variables, like: both inlet and outlet drying air temperature, dryer rotation, outlet air speed and humidity, and mass of the final product. Openloop tests were realized to identify a mathematical model able to represent the drying process for the rotary system. From this model, a PID controller was tuned using a direct synthesis method, assuming a first order trajectory. The PID controller was implemented in the system in order to control the inlet drying air temperature. By the end, closedloop tests (operating in automatic mode) were realized to observe the controller performance, and, after setting the best tune, experiments were realized using passion fruit seeds as raw material. The experiments realized in closedloop showed a satisfactory performance by the implemented control strategy for the drying air temperature of the rotary system