Diseño y simulación de un proceso de secado de granos de arroz con regulación PID de temperatura mediante PLC y HMI

Abstract

Rice is one of the main agricultural products consumed and produced in Ecuador, making it a valuable resource for food security and the country's economy. However, the post-harvest drying process remains a critical challenge, as the application of traditional methods or inadequate temperature control leads to grain quality losses, fractures, and a reduction in its commercial value. Given this problem, there is a need to implement a precise control system that guarantees favorable conditions during the drying stage. This work proposes the design and simulation of a rice grain drying process with PID temperature regulation, using a Siemens S7-1500 PLC and an HMI interface developed in TIA Portal. The automated system integrates a PID control loop to maintain a stable temperature within safe ranges and virtually reproduces the different drying stages: filling, active drying, cooling, and shutdown. The HMI interface allows real-time monitoring of critical process variables and visualization of trends, thus becoming a tool for direct interaction between the operator and the system.