Expert systems for designing pneumatic conveying line

收集了各种期刊上发表的有关气力输送的论文，并对其数据进行了检验。虽然影响输送特性的重要因素粉末特性在大多数论文中没有得到令人满意的记录，但人们发现，管道的条件，如直径和长度，以及输送特性，如流量和压降，都得到了很好的记录。在对这些数据进行检查的基础上，确定了数据库的结构，并制作了一个数据库原型。编制了各种搜索程序，展示了一种有效利用先前数据的方法。第二年，编制了计算机程序，使人们能够获得各种运输条件下的压降和颗粒速度。在程序中，颗粒运动方程沿管道进行数值积分。该程序可处理各种管道配置，如直管和弯管。如果输送管道不是很长，天然气就被视为不可压缩的流体。当输送管道变长时，由于压力的变化，气体性质的变化是不能忽略的。这些计划考虑到了这些变化。在给定颗粒大小、密度、每次传输量和管道长度的情况下，确定了最佳管道尺寸和气速。

Papers of pneumatic conveying published in various journals have been collected and their data have been examined. While powder properties which are important factors affecting transport characteristics are not satisfactorily documented in most papers, it was found that conditions of pipes like diameter and length and transport characteristics such as flow rate and pressure drop have been well documented. Based on the examination of these data, structure of database was decided and a prototype of database was made. Various search programs were made and a method using previous data efficiently was shown.Next year, computer programs were made which enable one to obtain pressure drops and particle velocity for various conditions of transport. The equations of particle motion are numerically integrated along the pipe in the programs. The programs cope with various pipe line configuration such as straight pipe and bends. If the transport pipeline is not very long, gas is treated as an incompressible fluid. When the transport line becomes long, change of gas properties can not be neglected due to the change of pressure. The programs take these changes into account. Given particle size, density, transport quantity per time and pipe length, an optimal pipe size and gas velocity are determined.