Automatización de un reactor tipo batch para la obtención de biodiesel en el Laboratorio de Procesos Industriales de la Facultad de Ciencias.

Abstract

It was carried out the automation of a biodiesel reactor in the Laboratory of Industrial Processes of the Faculty of Science at the Polytechnic School of Chimborazo. It settled a board with a programmable logic controller (PLC) with an expansion module of digital inputs and outputs which operate according to information receipted by the sensors, for a closed loop control. Manual elements are replaced by sensors. The temperature sensor PT100, serves to activate or deactivate a solenoid valve. Level sensors control the income of methoxide and water through two solenoid valves. A motor driven by a relay maintains constant agitation of liquid without generating eddies or bubbles that affect the quality of biodiesel. A pump is driven by a relay for the passage of biodiesel to the reactor. Through a touch screen time and temperature values are entered and monitored, fundamental variables of the process, it can be used in automatic and manual mode. Once implemented the control system, tests to rule out possible failures were performed in order to have safe operating equipment and to improve product quality and significantly reduce production time. Automating let reducing the time allowed in the decanting stage in 81.25%; which helps that the production time will also reduce in 65.22% compared to the 11 hours and 30 minutes when the process was purely manual, it presents an improvement in the quality of biodiesel, however, it depends largely of oil quality and purity of the chemical reagents. It is recommended to students of the Science Faculty to use of the operating manual before putting the equipment into operation.