US 12,189,355 B2
Energy system performance manager
Steve Benson, Victoria, MN (US); Shuchita Sanjay Patwardhan, Ntuley, NJ (US); David John Stadem, Grand Forks, ND (US); and James Fredrick Langfeld, Chisolm, MN (US)
Assigned to Microbeam Technologies, Inc., Grand Forks, ND (US)
Filed by Microbeam Technologies, Inc., Grand Forks,, ND (US)
Filed on Mar. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/654,478.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/159,762, filed on Mar. 11, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0291650 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. G05B 19/042 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/042 (2013.01) [G05B 2219/2639 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of processing feedstock for a facility providing an output, the method comprising:
feeding a stream of the feedstock from an input location to a sorting location, wherein the sorting location comprises a plurality of bins;
detecting a plurality of measurable properties of the stream of the feedstock using one or more sensors comprising a prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) sensor, wherein the PGNAA sensor continuously detects the plurality of measurable properties as the stream of the feedstock is fed from the input location to the sorting location;
analyzing the plurality of measurable properties of the stream of the feedstock in relation to a database of performance indicators, using one or more computer processing devices having access to the database of performance indicators, wherein the analysis continuously correlates the plurality of measurable properties with the database of performance indicators to characterize quantities of one or more unmeasured properties in relation to the stream of the feedstock;
sorting the quantities of the stream of the feedstock into one or more of the plurality of bins based on the plurality of measurable properties associated with the quantities of feedstock to provide a selectively stored feedstock portion in each of the plurality of bins;
selecting a quantity of each of the selectively stored feedstocks from the plurality of bins based on the plurality of measurable properties to provide a selected feedstock having one or more desired properties;
processing the selected feedstock to generate energy;
sensing a plurality of actual performance properties of a performance of the facility when processing the selected feedstock, wherein the sensing comprises condition-based monitoring of the plurality of actual performance properties using one or more sensors comprising a multi-gamma attenuation (MGA) sensor; and
providing the plurality of actual performance properties as feedback to the one or more computer processing devices, wherein the feedback is used for refining further detecting, analyzing, and sorting of the stream of the feedstock.