Patent ID: 7140564

Claim:
A method for a computer-based process control of a fragmentation apparatus including a capacitive energy storage device which is discharged via a spark gap to a load consisting of fragmentation goods submerged in a process liquid and disposed in a space between two electrodes of which one electrode is at a reference potential and the other is on the potential of the spark gap, and the space between the electrodes is filled with a process liquid, said method comprising the steps of: A. determining electrical operating parameters during at least one discharge by measuring and recording the time-dependent oscillation pattern of the discharge current i(t), determining a discharge delay time T D from the pattern of the discharge current i(t) from the start of the damped oscillation pattern, determining the discharge resistance R E from the damping of the discharge current pattern; B. examining the operating state of the fragmentation apparatus by comparing the two operating parameters most recently determined with the desired field in which the two should be disposed and forming a control signal for changing the processing state in the following way: if the discharge resistance R E is between the smallest and the largest discharge resistance value R EW1 and R EW2 of the process liquid alone and if the discharge delay time T D is greater than the smallest discharge delay time in the process liquid alone, supplying fragmentation goods to the space between the electrodes, if the discharge resistance R E is larger than a predetermined minimum value R Emin , and the discharge delay time T D is smaller than a predetermined maximum value T Di , taking no action—a fragmentation good has already been added—and if the discharge resistance R E subsequently drops below a minimum value R Emin , adding fragmentation goods; and C. Determining the best operating point: comparing the storage energy E g =½ C 5 (mU L ) 2 ) transferred during a discharge to the energy storage device just before the discharge with the energy E F = R E ⁢ ∫ T D ∞ ⁢ i 2 ⁡ ( t ) ⁢ ⁢ ⅆ t by forming the ratio η=E F /E G and deriving therefrom a control signal for changing the electrode distance if the maximum of η has not yet been reached and adjusting the electrode distance.