The PROCON pH Process Control System is based around the pH Rig and is a self-contained educational platform for the

teaching of pH level control and effluent treatment methods. The control system includes: pH Process Rig Process Interface Process Controller pH Sensor Pack Digital Display Module Control & Monitoring Software

The pH Control Rig comprises two independently pumped fluid circuits mounted on a robust bench-top panel which allows the study of the principles of process control using the pH of the mixed effluent and reagent fluids as the process variable. The System is suitable for individual student work or for group demonstrations. The rig includes: 2 independently pumped fluid circuits Effluent and reagent holding tanks Reaction vessel with agitator pH probe and transmitter Motorised needle/orifice control valve 2 solenoid operated valves 3 manual valves 2 visual indication flow meters Sump vessel

Introduction to Data Loggers

What is a Data Logger? Technically speaking, a data logger is any device that can be used to store data. This includes many data acquisition devices such as plug-in boards or serial communication systems which use a computer as a real time data recording system. However, most instrument manufacturers consider a data logger a stand alone device that can read various types of electrical signals and store the data in internal memory for later download to a computer. The advantage of data loggers is that they can operate independently of a computer, unlike many other types of data acquisition devices. Data loggers are available in various shapes and sizes. The range includes simple economical single channel fixed function loggers to more powerful programmable devices capable of handling hundreds of inputs.

programmable logic controller (PLC) or programmable controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or light fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines. Unlike generalpurpose computers, the PLC is designed for multiple inputs and output arrangements, extended temperature ranges, immunity to electrical noise, and resistance to vibration and impact. Programs to control machine operation are typically stored in battery-backed-up or non-volatile memory. A PLC is an example of a hard real time system since output results must be produced in response to input conditions within a bounded time, otherwise unintended operation will result.
In the summer of 1999, the equipment in the process control laboratory of the Chemical Engineering Department was updated. The upgrade cost was $67,000 and the funds were provided from the Engineering Equipment funds of the School of Engineering at UMR. The new equipment replaced the Taylor instruments and the hardware that served the students of the department for over a decade. With this update it has been possible to maintain the realistic, and real world characteristics of our laboratory and at the same time take advantage of new developments in the areas of information technology and instructional technology. Three of the experimental stations that existed in the lab have been replaced with three PROCON process control trainers from FEEDBACK Inc. that feature instructional software, process interface and ABB KentTaylor Commander 300 controllers. The hardware for the temperature sensor experiment has also been completely replaced. The equipment is located in the G-35 room of Schrenk Hall. The center of the lab is occupied by the Temperature/Level/Flow trainer that is shown in the figure. The closed loop temperature rig occupies the left hand side of the setup, while the basic level and flow control rig occupies the right hand side. On either side of the rigs one notices the two Process Interfaces (lower case) and the two controllers (upper case). A desktop Pentium based computer is used to configure the instruments and to collect the data. The temperature process rig consists of a heater, a shell and tube heat exchanger and a recirculating pump. Finally an air-cooled radiator is used to cool down the liquid that returns to the level/flow process rig. This coupling of the two process rigs allows the study of complex control structures such as ratio control and cascade control. The second process control trainer consists of a level/flow rig with a float level sensor, a servo valve, a process interface, a controller and a Pentium based desktop computer. The study of level and valve dynamics as well as of various controller tuning techniques will be studied on this experimental station.

The pH process control trainer is located across from the Temperature/Level/Flow rig. This process rig is also accompanied with the process interface/controller/computer combo. This setup allows the study of neutralization reactions and their control. A strong base/ strong acid neutralization, under continuous flow conditions takes place in the top middle tank. This type of process is central in many waste treatment facilities.

In addition to the aforementioned rigs, new equipment has been obtained for the Temperature Sensor Dynamics experiment. In particular, data acquisition hardware and software from National Instruments, and a Pentium -based desktop computer have been set up. Four thermocouples are used in this experiment. Computer interfaces are used (i) to program the equipment. (ii) to provide online instructions and (iii) to collect data in a format that is suitable for further analysis using EXCEL, MATLAB etc. This improves the overall reliability of the data collection process and enables more emphasis to be placed on the analysis of data using numerical techniques. Furthermore, the on-line instructions help reduce equipment setup time and permit our students to focus on designing and performing the experiment.

ON/OFF Level Control

Prepared By: Eng. Omar Al-Osta

Objective:
To introduce the practical aspects and shortcomings of on/off control, applying it to several different devices.

Introduction:
The On/Off Control of a fluid level in a tank has only two states; either above the desired level or below it. Monitoring can now be carried out by a float switch, mounted at the desired level. The switch produces a binary (on/off) signal that indicates whether the level is above or below the desired value. The signal can then be used to operate the inlet valve directly. When the level is above the reference value, the inlet valve is closed, and when below, it is opened. The control law in on/off control is kept simple; it switches the control effort between two extremes, depending on the sign of the error.

However, there are several problems associated with on/off control. One problem concerns the abrupt fluctuations in flow as the valve switches between fully open and fully closed.

Another problem is that the precision of on/off control depends heavily on delays associated with the switch, the inlet valve and the rate of change of flow. With lengthy delays, overflow could occur if the valve is not shut as soon as the desired level is reached. The answer is not just to make the switch quick and sensitive as this can lead to unnecessary switching caused by waves or ripples. When deciding which control strategy to implement in a plant situation, characteristics of each type will normally be weighed against each other. In the case of on/off control the major opposing features are the general simplicity against its inherent binary nature. When using on/off control, all devices are either fully on or fully off, 100% open or 100% closed. There is no middle ground possible, so oscillation is often a feature of on/off control systems, as the control law is switching between extremes, driving the output between states. On/off control is suited to situations where it is only necessary to keep a process variable between two limits. For continuous processes, where the variable is required to be at a particular level it becomes impractical

Apparatus:
The Basic Process Rig (BPR) o Sump Tank o Process Tank o Circulating Pump o Visual Indication Flow Meter o Motorized Flow Gate Valve(servo valve) o 3 Solenoid Valves o 5 Manual Valves o Float Level Sensor o Float Switch o Pulse Flow Sensor The Process Interface o The power supply unit with the circuit breaker. o The ON/OFF control section. o The current-to-voltage converters. o The process connections section. o The servo valve section o The current source section. o T h e

Digital Display Module (DDM)

The Process Controller o Digital microprocessor-based single loop programmable controller, that measures, displays and controls temperature, pressure, liquid level, flow and other process parameters. o Inputs and control outputs are of the 4-20mA loop current, to and from the Process Interface (PI).

Experimental setup:
The on-off controller includes a comparator and Schmitt trigger arrangement with variable hysteresis. The logic output is used to control the switched power supply to the 24V dc solenoid valve. The comparator has two inputs; one non-inverting (marked with a +), and one inverting (marked with a -). The inputs to the comparator must be voltage signals, so the current/voltage converters must be incorporated. They will take the current signals (reference or measured values) and convert them to voltage signals suitable for the comparator. This comparator feeds its output to a Schmitt Trigger (which is a comparator with positive feedback connected to its non-inverting input). This arrangement is shown below.

The current source is providing the reference input to the comparator. This reference signal will provide a desired tank water level. A measured process variable from the FLT (the actual water level) is the other input, and the difference between these is the deviation. The size of this deviation will control the logic output of the Schmitt trigger, which is either 0V or 5V. The logic output from the Schmitt trigger is used to control the switched power supply to the 24V dc solenoid valve. The hysteresis control determines the value of the threshold voltage Vt, and so this will control the difference between switching levels. Initially the deviation shall be defined as large and negative, so that the operation can be explained. The output will be high (5V). As the measured value and the reference value become closer together, the deviation will become less negative, at some point be zero and then become positive. When the deviation has become more positive than Vt, the output will switch to its low state (0V). Deviation will decrease, until at some point it will be more negative than -Vt. This will switch output back to its original state (high, 5V). So with on/off control, the measured value cannot remain constant at the reference value level, but it will lie between two limits either side of the reference, determined by the amount of hysteresis. The greater the hysteresis, the further apart the two limits will be. The pump should be on while the tank water level is less than the desired level, and should switch off when the measured level has passed the desired level by an amount set by the hysteresis value. Once the measured level has dropped enough to trigger the Schmitt trigger, the pump should switch on again. The reference signal is connected to the inverting input of the comparator, so that while the measured level is less than the desired level the deviation is negative. When the measured value has passed the desired level, the deviation becomes positive, this is an inverted action, since the output will switch from positive to negative as the deviation is moving from negative to positive. The Float Level Transmitter The Float Level Transmitter (FLT) is a device which takes level information from the Float Level Sensor in the tank and transmits it to the Process Interface.

The sensor is a potentiometer (pot) connected across a low voltage supply, which is turned by a floating disk. As the level of water in the tank changes, the disk turns the potentiometer which changes the voltage across it, and this voltage is passed to the Transmitter. The FLT will then convert this to a current signal of the 4-20mA format, and transmit it to the PI. By converting to the 4-20mA signal format, communication is no longer restricted to very short distances, a concern when dealing with large process plants whose control rooms are situated away from the measurement devices. Also by converting to the 4-20mA signal format, the signals from the sensor are compatible with all other devices. The equipment has become standardized and the set up of the hardware is more flexible. Part one: On/Off controller using solenoid valve. The solenoid valve is designed to as fully open or fully closed and no intermediate setting is possible, therefore it is suitable for on/off control. The main element of the solenoid valve is an electrical coil. The normal state of a solenoid valve is closed and it is opened by passing a current through the coil Solenoid valve SV1 input line to the tank has an inverting action. The valve must be open when the tank level is below desired level, and closed when above desired level. But there is another way of controlling level which exhibits a non-inverting action. This is to use solenoid valve SV2, connected to the upper tank output. It lets water flow from the upper to the sump tank. Now when the actual tank level is above the desired level the valve should switch on, open, so that more water can flow out, and when the actual level is below the desired level it should switch off, close, so the water level can rise. To accomplish this, the reference signal from the current source is fed to the noninverting input to the comparator, and the measured signal from the FLT is fed to the inverting. Now while the measured level is less than the desired level the deviation is positive, and will become negative when the measured level is greater than desired. Translating this to the action of the comparator and Schmitt trigger together, the output should switch from negative to positive as the deviation changes from negative to positive. This is a non-inverting action. Since the solenoid valve is to be controlled, the output of the Schmitt trigger will feed the logic input to the switched 24Vdc output to SV2.

Part two: The Float Switch Control The float switch is a simple two-state device which is used to determine if the fluid in the tank is above or below a particular level. Its operation is shown below.

The stem of the switch contains a reed relay, which is normally open. The barrel of the switch, which moves up and down, contains a magnet. The magnet can open and close the relay by moving up and down the stem. With the barrel at the bottom of the stem, the relay is open and no current will flow through the switch. This state is converted to a 4mA signal by the transmitter. When the barrel is at the top of the stem, the relay will be closed and a current will flow through the float switch. This state is converted to a 20mA signal by the transmitter.

There is no other position of the reed relay; it is either open or closed. The barrel floats, so that when the water is high enough the barrel is carried up the stem. The barrel can only move a short distance vertically up or down because the stem is only short, but the stem can be positioned anywhere in the tank. This can then be set up to signal if the level in the tank is above (20mA signal from the transmitter) or below (4mA signal from the transmitter) the level of the switch. The float switch is binary in operation, open or closed. It can give no clue to how much over or under the desired level the water in the tank is. This makes it a device suitable for on/off control only. The circuit diagram for this part is shown below.

A dead weight tester apparatus uses known traceable weights to apply pressure to a fluid for checking the accuracy of readings from a pressure gauge. A dead weight tester (DWT) is a calibration standard method that uses a piston cylinder on which a load is placed to make an equilibrium with an applied pressure underneath the piston. Deadweight testers are so called primary standards which means that the pressure measured by a deadweight tester is defined through other quantities: length, mass and time. Typically deadweight testers are used in

calibration laboratories to calibrate pressure transfer standards like electronic pressure measuring devices. The Pressure Training Rig is the main component part of the complete trainer 38-004. A single loop pneumatic control rig, it enables the study of the principles of both pressure regulation of a process and the control of flow in a pressurised system. The System comprises a low pressure air circuit supported on a bench-mounted panel, making it suitable for individual student work or for group demonstration.

Features o Safe low pressure operation o Fully gauged for pressure and flow rate o Differential and Gauge pressure sensors o Current controlled (4-20mA) pneumatically operated control valve o Standard industrial components o Self-sealing outlets for manometer o Safety valves fitted as standard o Air used as the process fluid Subject Area 38-004 covers:
o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Pressure Safety Familiarisation and Calibration I/P Converter and Pneumatic Control Valve Operation Controller Familiarisation and Calibration Automatic Control Systems Serial Communication Pressure Sensor, Transmitter and I/P Converter- Linearity and Hysteresis Pneumatic Control Valve, Characteristics at Different Pressure Ranges System Response and Air Receiver Principles of Proportioning Valve and Proportional Process Control Study of P, PI and PID control of Pressure Calibration of the Differential Pressure Sensor and Transmitter Flow Control in the Process Rig
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