A selection of our projects
5 Axis Slicer
Creating an innovative slicer
Problem: No (commercial) methods excist to slice a 3d object and generate a toolpath for a 5 axis printer.Solution: Development of the 5 Axis Slicer, a slicer which utilizes the 5 axis to it's full extent.
Result: A fully functional 5 Axis 3D Printer.
pH Loop Optimization
On-site assistance in applying the PID Tuner to tune 4 control loops in two 2000 L Bioreactors.
On-site Training in PID Tuning using the DotX PID Tuner software.
Control System Monitor
Creating a real-time control system monitor
Problem: Monitor critical control pressure loops.Solution: Web-based application on which the operators can monitor the pressure loops.
Result: Web-based application on which the operators can monitor the pressure loops.
Customer: Asperitas
Development of a Game Arcade
Control of a cable driven manipulator
Problem: Operators of the hunting simulator had issues with positioning the meat in the lion cage.Solution: Providing haptic assitance to the operators joystick, allowing the operator to feel when the control system started overiding the operators input to avoid a collision with the wall.
Result: The collision ratio was significantly decreased, while the average velocity was increased.
Smart Grids
Development of innovative solutions
Goal: Increase the cooperation between companies and research facilities.Result: Dotx gained a solid understanding of the problems associated with Smart Grids.
Hunting-simulator
Control of a cable driven manipulator
Problem: Operators of the hunting simulator had issues with positioning the meat in the lion cage.Solution: Providing haptic assitance to the operators joystick, allowing the operator to feel when the control system started overiding the operators input to avoid a collision with the wall.
Result: The collision ratio was significantly decreased, while the average velocity was increased.
Vision System
Inspect steel coil inconsistencies
Problem: Steel coils sometimes suffer from inconsistencies in their windings. When this goes unnoticed, it could trip a factory for a few hours.Solution: Automatic detection of inconsistencies using a camera measurement system.
Result: A fully functional camera measurement system which has been operating for 5+ years in harsh environments.
DNPC control of dutch polder 'Waterlandse Boezem'.
Control of the water level using two pumping stations
Problem: The controller must satisfy complicated on/off criteria, to minimize pumping activity during expensive day hours.Solution: A Nonlinear Model Predictive Controller is used to find the optimal pump settings to maintain the water level within the limits.
Result: A 5% reduction in energy consumption.
Improved O2 control of wastewater plant
Using a Smith predictor
Problem: Too much variance of the O2 percentage.Solution: Implementation of a Smith predictor in the PLC.
Result: An 80% reduction of O2 variations.
Improved paper pulp control at Crown van Gelder
Change of control systems
Problem: Too much fluctuationsSolution: Change of the used control system
Result: A 40% reduction in grinding fluctuations
MPC at VDL
Application of MPC to a Walking Beam Furnace
Problem: Improve the control loopSolution: Implementation of a MPC controller
Result: Improvement of quality and a 5% reduction in gas consumption
Cokes furnace control improvements
Reduction of pressure peaks in cokes furnace
Problem: Te veel drukvariaties in de KooksovensSolution: Several measures to improve control
Result: 70% Reduction in pressure peaks
Control of a gas turbine connected to Blast Furnace
An optimisation of the control system
Problem: The energy generation efficiency was not as expected.Solution: Grey-Box modeling to optimisation the control system.
Result: Energy generation efficiency increased from 35% to 99%.
System integration for batch crystaliser research
Optimisation of deacidification control
Solution: New model based control system, developed using a physical model of the proces.
Result: 80% reduction in pressure variations.
Wind Turbine: DotX Wind Turbine Controller
Wind Turbine: Pitch & Yaw Optimization
Field test results
Problem: Wind turbines operate at a yaw error of about 6 degrees on average.Solution: An Artificial Intelligence method to find the yaw angle that optimizes the power production.
Result: Increase in power production of 1.5%.
Customer: Nordex
Nordex is a wind turbine manufacturer based in Germany. DotX has assisted Nordex in research & development.
Customer: ECN
ECN develops new technology and conducts pioneering research in various ways into innovative solutions to facilitate the transition to sustainable energy management. DotX has assisted ECN in the research project SUSCON (=Sustained Control). This project focussed on developing new control concepts for Individual Pitch Control (IPC), handling Extreme Events (wind gusts), improved modelling by identification, improving fault detection methods and improving shutdown control.
Customer: 2B-Energy
2-B Energy has introduced an innovative offshore wind power plant concept aimed at a significant lower Cost of Energy than competitors, and intends to commericialise this concept worldwide. Some of the differences with conventional wind turbines are: it is two bladed, it is downwind (the blades are downstream of the tower), it has a lattice tower, it has a unique yaw system. DotX has supplied 2-B energy with the DotX Wind Turbine Controller (see Products) and has helped to develop the 2B6 demonstrator (6MW) which is up and running in Eemshaven, the Netherlands.
Customer: EWT
EWT is a global designer and producer of utility standard high performance gearless wind turbines of 250kW, 500kW to 1MW. DotX has been involved in the development of new EWT wind turbine types since 2014. EWT has acquired the source code of the DotX Wind Turbine Controller and has successfully launched its wind turbine since.
Wind Turbine: Controller Tuning
Automating the tuning process
Problem: Wind turbines often run 8 or more PID loops, and many of them have strong interactions. This causes manual tuning to give sub-optimal results.Solution: An automatic tuning tool which optimizes all the controller parameters w.r.t. the loads, and the power.
Result: The time required to fully optimize the control loops is reduced from two weeks to just two days.
KGF1 Cokes Final Temperature (KET) Controller
Solution: Model vorming van het systeem om kritische relaties tussen in- en uitgangen van het regelsysteem te achterhalen en een regelsysteem te ontwerpen.
Result: Het ontworpen regelsysteem lijdt tot een efficienter process met een energiebesparing tot wel 2.8%.
Optimalisatie afzuiging oxystaalfabriek
Solution: Ontwerp & validatie van een model van het rookafzuigsysteem, waarmee verschillende oplossingen gesimuleerd konden worden
Result: Managementsrapport met de kosten/baten voor 7 aanpassingen
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