This paper presents the use of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) system in the hardware implementation of a self-validation (SV) algorithm for cupola furnaces. The authors provide an adequate introduction to FPGA-based systems, and to their advantages compared to other implementations. Compared to similar developments already in the literature, the proposed approach seems to be innovative and interesting.
The authors present, in detail, the developed SV software algorithm (based on fuzzy logic), the overall design of the hardware system, and the FPGA implementation of the algorithm. In general, although the proposed algorithm seems to be workable, I think that this is slightly excessive for such an application. The hardware system consists of a data acquisition and conditioning system, a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), and an FPGA system. The FPGA system is used in the online calculation of the confidence measures of the sensor readings from an iron-melting cupola furnace.
In general, the paper is well written and easy to read. I recommend it to anyone involved in the design and implementation of FPGA-based systems.