Modelling of raw hide one-stage washing process

Abstract

In the last years increased application of automatic control systems in tannery processes. The system consists mostly in the control of equipment and metering of chemicals, according to a predetermined programme. A qualitatively higher degree of automatic control is the application of closed loop control, involving active interferences based on measured parameters of the process in progress. One of the ways how to achieve this is adequate technical equipment and application of control algorithms, derived from the mathematical model of the given process and his physical analysis. Our first task was the design of such models. In case of raw hide washing such models are of diffusion type, describing protective component transport or models describing protective solution on the surface. Their solution and practical verification was made under laboratory and industrial scale. The design or control algorithms should equally give answer to the question what is the main purpose of control. This could be e.g. achievement of satisfactory good quality semi-product, environmental protection, minimization of operating costs because reduced water consumption cannot compensate the long operation time connected with power consumption. We focused on part of soaking process-washing.