Thermosolar didactic plant for modeling, identification, simulation and control tests
Solar energy, engineering education, didactic plant, modeling, simulation, control
This work proposes a didactic thermosolar plant for model studies, simulations and process control. The thermosolar plant uses solar energy to perform the heating of a fluid generating heat, an input that is widely used in industry. In addition to the physical structure of the plant, some instruments were developed for the sensing of important physical quantities, such as solar irradiance and the state of the control valve. One of the objectives of this work is to offer a study environment that approximates the theoretical foundations of teaching to the industrial reality, a primordial philosophy for the area of education in engineering. The equipment allows analyzes and applications in modeling, simulation and control through Matlab / Simulink and Labview softwares. A case study is presented in order to demonstrate the functionalities of the proposed system, being possible the study and application of advanced control.