NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DURGAPUR

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Experiment No. 2.
Objective: Design and Implementation of liquid flow control System.

INTRODUCTION:
IMPORTANCE OF FLOW CONTROL:
1. The accurate measurement of a gas and liquid is important to obtain specific proportions
as per process requirement is necessary.
2. The maintenance of definite rates of flow is important for maximum efficiency and
production. Without accurate measurements precise quality is control is impossible.
3. Costs which are based on flow measurements will be incorrect if the measurement are
erroneous because huge volumes of gas, steam and liquid may have to be measured daily,
a very small %age error can amount to large sums.

APPLICATION OF FLOW CONTROL:

The control of steam flow is less common than pressure and temperature control, but it is used in
applications where the control of pressure or temperature is not possible or not appropriate to
achieving the process objectives.
Typical applications:
1. Feed-forward systems on boiler plant, where the rate of steam flow from the boiler will
influence other control points, for example: feedwater make-up rate, and burner firing rate.
2. Rehydration processes, where a measured quantity of steam (water) is injected into a
product, which has been dried for transportation or storage. Examples of this can be found
in the tobacco, coffee and animal feedstuff industries.
3. Batch processes, where it is known from experience that a measured quantity of steam will
produce the desired result on the product.

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HOW FLOW IS CONTROLLED:

Fig: Control Diagram.

Figure above shows the control diagram of a water flow control system. Here the delivery pump
delivers fluid (water) from the delivery tank and the fluid (water) goes to the flow transmitter
through the pipe. The transmitter delivers the fluids (water) to the control valve and also it sends
a signal to the controller, where the measured value is being compared with the set value. The
main function of controller is that it compares the set value and measured value with the help of
the applied PID values. The controller sends the signal to the control valve, where the water (fluid)
flow rate is finally controlled by the final control element and we get the desired flow rate of the
fluid. The control valve works here by the action of controller, which is the function of the PID
values and the final control element. After that the water goes to the return tank, where the return
pump delivers the water to the delivery tank. This way the fluid (water) circulates accordingly to
our set point value and the PID values.

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PROCESS SETUP:

Fig: Actual setup of water flow control.

In the above figure there are different components connected together, such as Delivery tank, Return
tank, Delivery pump, Return pump, Flow switch, Differential pressure transmitter, Magnetic flow
meter, Rotameter, Control valve, etc

Experiment:
A. Study the program to read the current water flow from the Analog Input (AI) port (Tag. RAW
FLOW SIGNL) and user given remote set point (Tag. OT SCADA SP). Use a PID controller
block to generate a control signal accordingly and then send the output to the Analog Output
(AO) port (Tag. OT CV Out).
In addition to this continuous control, turn off the pump for the situations occurs.
i)

Water level in delivery tank is below the lower level.

B. Run the SCADA program, set the PID controller in P control mode with P=1, calculate settling
time, rise time, delay time etc. for three different set point values.

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C. Now use different P, I and D values and observe the control action, collect three set of ridings
for three different set point values and record the parameters according to Table I.
Different set of
readings
Exp. 1
Set Point 1
Exp. 2
Exp. 3
Exp. 1
Set Point 2
Exp. 2
Exp. 3
Exp. 1
Set Point 3
Exp. 2
Exp. 3

Controller parameter
P
I
D

Set Point

Record
Liquid Level

Controller Output

D. Simulate the mathematical model (see ANNEXURE-II) of the system in

MATLAB/SIMULINK observe the response and tune model parameters to approximate the
response of the simulated system closer to experimental response.
i)
Obtain the step and impulse response of the process transfer function.
ii)
Find the Root locus, Nyquist and Bode plot and also find gain and phase margins.
iii)
Apply different PID tuning techniques to estimate the proper P, I and D values.
iv)
Suggest an optimum P, I and D values for the controller.
v)
Simulate the total system along with the controller with optimum P, I and D values.

Report the followings in next experiment day (One Group one Copy):
I.
II.

Provide the results obtained from B, C and D.

Describe in detail with suitable figures [Only one, according to group No.]
Experimental Procedure (with screen snap shots)
Electrical Actuator and Control valve (Type: as in experiment).
Differential Pressure Transmitter
Solenoid Valve
DCS (HC 900 Hardware Details)
DCS (SCADA Software Details)

DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE TRANSMITTER:

The most common and useful industrial pressure measuring instrument is the differential pressure
transmitter. This equipment will sense the difference in pressure between two ports and produce an
output signal with reference to a calibrated pressure range. The industrial differential pressure
transmitters are made of two housings (See Fig-below). Pressure sensing element is housed in the

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bottom half, and the electronics are housed at the top half. It will have two pressure ports marked as
High and Low

MAGNETIC FLOW METER:

A magnetic field is applied to the metering tube, which results in a potential difference proportional
to the flow velocity perpendicular to the flux lines. The physical principle at work is
electromagnetic induction so, the magnetic flow meter, also technically an electromagnetic flow
meter or more commonly just called a mag. meter. The magnetic flow meter requires a conducting
fluid, for example, water that contains ions, and an electrical insulating pipe surface, for example,
a rubber-lined steel tube. Usually electrochemical and other effects at the electrodes make the
potential difference drift up and down, making it hard to determine the fluid flow induced potential
difference.

FLOW CONTROL VALVE:

A flow control valve regulates the flow or pressure of a fluid. Control valves normally respond to
signals generated by independent devices such as flow meters or temperature gauges. Control

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valves are normally fitted with actuators and positioners. Control valves are normally fitted with
actuators and positioners. Control valves can also work with hydraulic actuators (also known as
hydraulic pilots). These types of valves are also known as Automatic Control Valves. The
hydraulic actuators will respond to changes of pressure or flow and will open/close the valve.
Automatic Control Valves do not require an external power source, meaning that the fluid pressure
is enough to open and close the valve. Automatic control valves include: pressure reducing valves,
flow control valves, back-pressure sustaining valves, altitude valves, and relief valves.
ROTAMETER:
A rotameter is a device that measures the flow rate of liquid or gas in a closed tube. It belongs to
a class of meters called variable area meters, which measure flow rate by allowing the crosssectional area the fluid travels through to vary, causing some measurable effect. A rotameter
consists of a tapered tube, typically made of glass with a 'float', actually a shaped weight, inside
that is pushed up by the drag force of the flow and pulled down by gravity. Drag force for a given
fluid and float cross section is a function of flow speed squared only. Note that the "float" does not
actually float in the fluid: it has to have a higher density than the fluid, otherwise it will float to
the top even if there is no flow.
PUMP:
A pump is a device used to move fluids (liquids or gases) or sometimes slurries by mechanical
action. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they use to move
the fluid: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps. Pumps may be operated in many ways,
including manual operation, electricity, an engine of some type, or wind action. Here we are using
two pumps one is manual start and another is automatic start.

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EXPERIMENTAL SETUP:

CONTROL USING SCADA:

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Description:
1) Analog input:

Function:
Reads value of an Analog Input from a specified real I/O address. Convert analog input value
to corresponding output (OUT) in engineering units based on the necessary scaling and
conversions performed.
Input:
Analog value from specified I/O address.
DIS = disable the AI channel
Output:
OUT= Analog input value in engineering units.
WARN= Warning input indication-sensor failure possibility.
FAIL= Digital status of channel.
Digital low (0)= OK
Digital high (1) =Open sensor or failed input channel.
2) Switch:

The SW label stands for Analog Switch. This block is part of the Signal Selectors category.

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Function:
Selects input Y for output when digital input signal (SY) is ON.

If SY = ON, then; OUT = Y

Otherwise, OUT = X

Input:
X= First analog value.
Y= Second analog value.
SY = Select Y command digital signal.

Output:
OUT = Selected value.

3)

PID

The PID label stands for Proportional, Integral, and Derivative (3-mode) control action. This block
is part of the Loop Blocks category.
Function:
Provides Proportional (P), Integral (I) and Derivative (D), 3-mode control action based on the
deviation or error signal created by the difference between the set point (SP) and the Process
Variable analog input value (PV).It provides two digital output signals for alarms based on
configured parameters. The PID function block provides for Feed forward, Cascade, and Ratio
control. Automatic tuning with Fuzzy Logic Overshoot Suppression can be configured.

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Inputs:
PV = Process Variable Analog Input value in Engineering Units to be controlled.
RSP= Remote Set point Analog Input value in Engineering Units or Percent to provide external
set point.
FFV = Feed forward value in percent. The Feed forward value is multiplied by the Feed forward
Gain, then directly summed into the output of the PID block
TRV = Output Track value in Percentage (PID Output = TRV Input when TRC = ON.
TRC = Output Track Command [ON, OFF (On -Enables TRV.) (Mode = Local Override)
BIAS = Remote Bias value for Ratio PID
SWI = Switch Inputs (from SWO on LPSW function block).
MDRQI = External Mode request (typically connected to the MDRQO output of a MDSW
function block that encoded discrete switch inputs).
BCI = Back Calculation Input (for blocks used as Cascade Primary).

Output:
OUT = Control Output.
WSP = Working Setpoint in Engineering Units for monitoring.
AL1 = Alarm 1 - Digital Signal.
AL2 = Alarm 2 - Digital Signal.
DIRECT = Direct Acting control (ON = Direct, OFF = Reverse Acting).
ATI = Auto tune Indicator (ON = Auto tune in Progress).
MODE = Loop mode status (typically connected to the Mode Flags block for encoding).
BCO= Back Calculation Output (for blocks used as Cascade Secondary)

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4) Analog output:

Function:
Range High and Range Low are used to specify the Engineering Unit values for 100% and 0%
of this blocks input span. For reverse outputs, Range High may be set to a value less than Range
Low. The output range high and range low values (0-20 max) set the milliamp output values
that correspond to the 0 to 100% span limits of the inputs.
Input:
IN = Analog value
Output:
OUT = Converted value sent to specified real I/O address (mA).
FAIL = Failed Output indication - Module Error.
5) Compare:

Function:
Compares value of X input to value of Y input and turns ON one of three outputs based
on this comparison.

If X input is greater than Y input, then: XGY = ON.

If X input equals Y input, then: XEY = ON.

If X input is less than Y input, then: XLY = ON.

Input:

X = First analog value.

Y = Second analog value

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Output:

XGY = Digital signal state based on calculation.

XEY = Digital signal state based on calculation.

XLY = Digital signal state based on calculation

6) Discrete output:

Function:
Provides a digital status from the algorithms and functions to a physical logic output.
The output status may be inverted.

Input:
X = Input Status Signal.
Output:
FAIL = Failed Input indication - Module error.
OUT = Physical Output Value.

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