Hybrid control approach for loading process of coal mine train

Automatic control for loading process of coal mine train in a large coal preparation plant is studied in this paper. Considering the production practice, a hybrid control scheme is proposed by combining mode-based control and PID control techniques. This hybrid control system consists of a loading capacity setting model, a loading capacity PID controller and a model-based traction speed feedforward controller. The feedforward controller is used to control the traction speed according to the loading basic height. And then the loading capacity setting model is used to auto-adjust the setpoint of the loading capacity controller under the varying loading operating conditions. Lastly, the loading capacity controller is responsible for fast tracking the given setpoint while assuring closed-loop stability by adjusting the gate opening. Both simulation and industrial applications show the validity and effectiveness of the proposed hybrid control approach.