Volumetric flow monitoring of biomass through an industrial grinder

Abstract

Industrial grinding is the process of converting biomass, such as logs or brush, into products used by a variety of industries. While this process is a large contributor to the production of mulch and wood chips around the world, current methods of measuring real-time volumetric output of industrial grinders are inadequate and unreliable. Existing solutions to monitoring volumetric output are only available after a substantial amount of biomass has been processed. This research aims to evaluate if a structured light sensing system can perform real-time volumetric output monitoring in an accurate and reliable manner. Previous research has shown that this sensing technology can be successfully leveraged to measure material moving on a conveyor belt in a lab setting (Li, Liu, & Liu, 2016). To assess the performance of structured light relative to an existing volumetric flow monitoring technology, this research will use LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) as an evaluation benchmark. The objective of the technical chapter is to first evaluate the repeatability of structured light accuracy in trials of material moving at a constant flow rate in a laboratory setting. This is a required step to establish the usability of structured light sensing in material with highly variable surface characteristics. Once structured light repeatability is verified, it will be directly evaluated against the LiDAR solution at variable biomass flow rates in a laboratory setting. Analysis will be conducted to determine relevant performance differences between the two sensing systems. The outcome of this work can be used to extend evaluation of structured light sensing technology to field testing trials. Further testing in realistic environmental conditions will serve to validate this technology as a viable real-time volumetric output monitoring system for industrial grinders.