BatchTronic
Asphalt Batch Plant Automation & Control
Designed with batch plant Operators in mind, BatchTronic allows exceptional automation and control of asphalt plants through powerful and easy-to-use visual software combined with dedicated hardware.
Request More Info" We have been using Minds products for many years and their automation software equips now five of our six plants. We even specified them to provide the control system on the latest two Astec plants we acquired. They are very responsive and have easily incorporated our requests in their products. I would recommend them to anyone who wants a fine control of their production process. "
John Sullivan K-Five Construction Corporation, Chicago, IL
BatchTronic Highlights
Multiple Console Options
With the number of screens ranging from one to four and a 'zero console' option, the BatchTronic fits all types of asphalt plants and budgets.
The system has the capacity to control all asphalt plant operations or just the tower. An industrial grade computer with security and redundancy features ensures reliable operation in all situations.
BatchTronic runs on Microsoft Windows® via a communication driver, RTX from IntervalZero, and uses one or more unique I/O boards, depending on the plant complexity, over a real-time TCP/IP protocol.
Clearly See Your Operations
The human interface has been conceived with ergonomics in mind. The exact 3D representation of the actual asphalt plant reduces the learning curve needed to use the system.
The operator can actually link what is seen to the actual physical mechanisms. Large arrays of numbers are avoided in favor of clear symbolic information.
The operator is always in control of the process which can be stopped and resumed anytime while direct control of motors is always possible.
Ultimate Real-time Control
Timing is of the essence of batching processes. BatchTronic provides tools to understand and customize how actions are scheduled. The result is a clear understanding of what precedes and what follows any given event. Many options are available to fine tune the process in order to maximize asphalt plant flow rate and accuracy. In many real-life cases, these options have proven to be instrumental in dramatically improving the asphalt plants maximum tons per hour output. For combo or hybrid asphalt plants requiring management of towers, individual batches, and large drum mixes, MINDS has solutions to visualize your operation for ultimate control. See the DrumTronic product page for more information on drum plant control. Our automation software can also be linked to Tessera Single Site (and Tessera Enterprise, coming soon) so managers can see a high level overview of totals, consumption and inventory usage.
BatchTronic Quick Tour
Feeder Screen
This layout configuration shows the cold aggregate feeders, dryer, storage silo and batch elevator.
Combo Feeder Screen
This layout configuration shows the plant, the burner control and storage silos.
Batch Tower Screen
This layout configuration shows the bitumen, batch aggregates, aggregate scale and mixer.
BatchTronic Specifications
Cold Feed Bins
- Up to 30 feeders, volumetric or weight, with or without encoder feedback, loader signaling light, material flow sensor and optic bin level sensor, vibrator control.
- Calibrated with up to 30 materials with main aggregate beltscale or truck, wet or dry calibration curves, archivable and printable calibration report with linearity graph with up to 10 points per feeder/material couple.
- Feeders run either in auto on user adjustable PID speed or flow control loops, or in manual with an operator adjustable set point for feeder emptying or manual override.
Belt Scales
- Up to 10 Belt scales: Virgin Aggregate and RAP plus 8 auxiliary belts
- Flow monitoring from direct flow signal or calculated via speed times weight
- Up to 4 fully automated and configurable calibration points per belt scale
- Fully automated and configurable belt scale tare procedure
- Multi-level calibration backup/restore with archived, viewable and printable reports
Asphalt
- Up to 3 asphalt product lines and 20 asphalt product materials
- Volumetric type, with or without encoder feedback or mass flow signal type
- Automatic or manual material density calculations for volumetric systems
- Single/double encoder inputs for pump/meter correlation and backup
- Asphalt material flow detection
- Analog or increase/decrease pump control
- Calibration procedure for each pump/meter combination with simultaneous calibration of the asphalt meter and pump for redundant or backup control
- Fully automated procedure with archived calibration reports
- Asphalt pumps run either in auto on user adjustable PID flow control loops, or in manual with an operator adjustable set point for material emptying or manual override
Filler
- Up to 4 independent mineral filler lines and 10 filler materials
- Additional single re-circulated bag house dust line
- Volumetric type, with or without encoder feedback
- Mass flow through weight depletion vessel
- Analog or increase/decrease control
- Given proper equipment we can calculate bag house dust removal flow and adjust belt scale flow accordingly for a better production control.
Exhaust Fan Damper - Burner
- Automatic through Dryer negative pressure or manually controlled
- Analog or increase/decrease damper control
- Complete manual or automatic burner damper control (Optional)
- Selectable burner temperature reference, exhaust gases or materials
- Burner damper runs either in auto on user adjustable PID flow control loops or in manual with an operator adjustable damper opening
- Analog or increase/decrease control
- Note: Burner system must have a separate/external customer supplied flame security interface.
Production Controls
- Configurable automatic conveying motors start/stop sequence
- Configurable production motors start/stop sequence
- Configurable Hot Start/Stop sequence
- Mix changes with operator set mix timer
- Custom production screen adapted to reflect your plant
- Damped production rate change to prevent instability
- All elements accessible for on-screen operation
Information Available
- Unlimited Alarm historical log
- Production totals and daily total compiled from actual material flows
- Flexible report design tool allows for user adapted reports
- Production inventories and material usage reports
- Calibration reports
- Real-time material flows and production rates
- Motor currents (given proper signals)
- Conveying element status (given proper signals)
System and User Interface
- 3D Graphical User Interface representing actual plant configuration
- Industrial plant computer running Windows® with RTX real-time subsystem
- I/O modules through 10/100Mb Ethernet on a TCP/IP based protocol
- Each industrial module (XIO) has the capacity to acquire: 64 Logic Inputs, 32 Logic Outputs, 12 Analog Inputs (4 on base and two 4 inputs extension boards) featuring multi-range self calibrating from 20mV to 10VDC (0-20, 4- 20mAdc external supply), 6 Analog 0-10V output (2 on base and two 2 output extension boards), 6/12 High speed counting inputs (Quad/Single)
- System is easily customized through multi-level user accessible parameters
XIO Controller
Dedicated hardware for inputs & outputs
All the electrical inputs and outputs of our plant control systems are handled through one or many instances of a single type of electronic board: The XIO. A small batch plant requires just a single one while a very large drum plant may require upwards of 5 boards. Employing one type of I/O board means there is just one model to manufacture, stock, maintain and support. We have deployed 1000s of them at 100s of plants on 4 continents. Learn more on our XIO Controller product page.
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