Plug and Play Process Control (P³C)

Plug and Play Process Control (P³C) is a research program funded in part by the Danish Research Council for Technology and Production Sciences.

The Research Program started September 2006.  

The three scenarios below are potential applications of the technology developed in the P³C research program. The research plan features a novel concept for process control, which allows the control system to self-reconfigure, when an intelligent sensor is plugged in.

I. Imagine a farmer observing some region in his stable, where the pigs are not comfortable. He plugs a new intelli-sensor in a vacant socket in that part of the stable. The stable ventilation system automatically registers the new component and in response reconfigures itself in order to stabilize the indoor climate in the proximity of this sensor, leading to animal comfort and increased productivity.

 

II. Imagine a power plant where the combustion process is causing large thermal stresses to the boiler due to biomass being added to the fuel. Rather than shutting down the plant, the process operator sticks on a few intelli-sensors in the hot areas. After some minutes, the thermal stresses are within permissible bounds.

 

III. Imagine a grocer buying a new refrigerated display case for his shop. He chooses one compliant with the intelligent socket standard and plugs it in himself. His compressor rack and the condensators on the roof start sounding slightly different, and after a couple of hours the new display case as well as all the old ones work correctly. The eco-meter in his backstore room displays optimal power consumption for all of them.