Why only 24 V DC used as control voltage in most of the applications.

Why DC is
preferred over AC.
Yorumlar
IOANNIS KARYOTIS
IOANNIS KARYOTIS
Electrical engineer R&D at HYDEL Shanghai
1. Industrial sensors , PLCs and generally electronic devices are powered mainly with 24VDC. So, even we need
an extra power supply for these, we select relays and other parts of 24VDC for a complete supply.
2. Safety purposes, - it is not safe to send voltages more than 50 VAC or 70 VDC to sensors, valves etc.
Regards

Aprido Silalahi
Aprido Silalahi
Electrical Technician at PT Ecogreen Oleochemicals
As we know, low voltage will have few noise even nothing.
24VDC is a kind of low voltage. :)
Jari Vertanen
Jari Vertanen
Project Engineer at VEO Oy
- DC has all the time same value when it's on. It's more simple. Eg. 50VAC get all values between -71V .. 71V.
For microprocessor/controller this is problem and AC need to be converted to DC in any case.
- DC power can be stored in battery. 24VDC battery is not expensive and large because not so many batteries are
needed. Eg. for 110VDC battery 9 pcs. of 12V batteries is needed.
- 24VDC is standard also for trucks/workmachines. Lot of same components can be used. 12VDC is too low
voltage for industry.
Ravi kiran Kandregula
Ravi kiran Kandregula
Student at Ramachandra engineering college
En nemli Katk Salayan
DC is more efficiency....than AC due to it's inherited losses..
osama shafik
osama shafik
Electrical engineer at Engineering Consulting, Construction, Industry and Trade Company
because ac voltage wave is affected by electronics componants specially the capacitor
ohammad Aburshaid
Mohammad Aburshaid
Electrical Engineer
Hi,
The DC voltage is more efficient to transmit it than AC

Zeca Santos
Zeca Santos
Electrotecnic Engineer (Plant Engineer) Junior
En nemli Katk Salayan
DC is more preferred than AC because, DC has no Harmonic distortion, and for better signal or value, DC is
preferred by converting AC to DC capacitors.
Thanks
Chaman Hsiao
Chaman Hsiao
-Control means you want something stable, comparing with DC and AC source, DC Source is more convincible
than AC of frequency changing. So that is why we always use DC to be a stable source of controllers.

Roohollah Yahyapour
engineer at kccpp
- DC has all the time same value when it's on. Eg. 50VAC get all values between -71V .. 71V. For
microprocessor/controller this is problem and AC need to be converted to DC in any case.
- Safety purposes. it is not safe to send voltages more than 50 VAC or 70 VDC to sensors, valves, etc.
- DC power can be stored in battery. 24VDC battery is not expensive and large because not so many batteries are
needed. Eg. for 24VDC battery 2pcs. of 12V batteries is sufficient.
Cameron Hunt
Engineer at Mercs
Smaller Voltages means smaller PSU and components! You can fit more in a cabinet this way!
Sidhivallabhan Arayamparambil
Dy.Manager(Electrical) at Galfar Engineering & Contracting SAOG
Control voltages normally designed by product manufactors preferably 24vdc because it is a standered reliable
voltage to operate control relay coils. It preferred DC because current and voltages are does not change at defenit
intervals in DC.
SURENDRA KATARIA
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER at Rajasthan Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Ltd, Jaipur, (Rajasthan)
24 V /110 V /220V DC Auxiliary supply is used in 33 KV, !32KV &220KV. Grid Sub Stations for operating
different protection relays,circuit breakers,indicating circuits & Communication systems installed. DC auxiliary
power supply is provided from storage batteries maintained contentiously charged by some source of DC supply
set or a charger. DC supply is preferred than AC supply for operating protection & control equipment as in case
of grid failure & non availability of AC supply there is always available reliable DC supply to operate protection
& control equipment immediately in case of faults, thus saving costly equipment such as Transformers breakers
& CT,PT .Further DC supply is more stabilize than AC supply as it is free from harmonics.

frederic michel
Engineering Manager chez breendig farm
i will add the reason
yes is true we can also use AC but how you will filter ?
and for the automation if you want safe the program you need just a battery no more
in AC you need converter and a capacity superior in battery
where is the economy ?
virgilio rodriguez
Principal Consultant
A 24-V DC power supply for control circuits is more cost-effective in terms of reliability and safety than AC
power-supplied control circuits.
IOANNIS KARYOTIS
Electrical engineer R&D at HYDEL Shanghai
Why you make it so complicated?
If we need control only IN a panel with 400VAC, the cheap and easy way is to use a transformer 400/230 VAC
to feed devices.
In more modern systems we have to make control related with valves, sensors, PLCs, screens, control buttons
etc. that they all use 24VDC, why to worry if the supply is AC or DC? How to feed a pressure sensor eg. with
AC. So we select ONE only voltage for all:
PLC 24VDC
Screens 24VDC
Valves 24VDC etc, and
Possible relays 24VDC
Dear Cameron, smaller voltages does not mean smaller PSU. Size depends of the control power you have to
supply, only.
Dear Frederic, we can not supply with AC devices that use DC voltage , so what to filter?
Dear Zeca, what harmonic distortion and what converting AC to DC capacitors, please explain.
Thanks
Regards
PARVESH NAGILL
DESIGN ENGINEER at AUTOMATION ENGINEERS A. B. PVT LTD
Damage of devices are less & short circuit reduces less

Gaurav Katiyar
Electrical Engineer.
En nemli Katk Salayan
The ability to store energy in batteries is the greatest advantage for a DC system.
Therefore, critical applications will use DC source.
Ali Abdelnaby
Electrical Maintenance engineer at Riyadh cables groups
All electronic device have memory that should be store during this devices power off, so you find internal
battery in major electronic devices, Battery should be DC also high volt do not need....

Cameron Hunt
Engineer at Mercs
@Ioanni, yes, I was comparing 110Vac to 24Vdc! I should have been clearer.
izhar ahmed
Medium Voltage Electrical Engineer at Saudi Bin Ladin Group
Low losses and reliability as compare to AC
Eleodoro, Jr. Averilla
Professional Electrical Engineer at E. O. Averilla Engineering Services
I agree on the salient advantage of using 24 volts DC over AC for monitoring and control system which is
uninterrupted supply of power when it is needed. As expounded by Engrs. Ali Abdelnaby and Gaurav Katiyar,
DC power system's ability to be stored for a period of time in batteries but AC power supply cannot be stored
and cannot be relied on during power interruption.
Also majority of controls and monitoring devices' voltage requirement is 24 volts DC
Regards to all.
Nadia Habibi MIEAust CPEng (RPEQ)
Lead Electrical Engineer
En nemli Katk Salayan
Under 50 V is safe voltage that is more appropriate as control voltage, also DC voltage is insulated from source,
in the result in lightning situation, system voltage is healthy
Godfrey Kuyoni
Electrical Engineering Graduate from Kenyatta University
En nemli Katk Salayan
The main reason for using DC is the reliability,while AC cant be stored,the opposite is true for DC
Eleodoro, Jr. Averilla
Professional Electrical Engineer at E. O. Averilla Engineering Services
Thanks Godfrey for the like.If we want further design considerations on this issue DC over AC in relation to its
capability. Let us all refer to existing IEEE etc surveys/studies on the technologies considered in the power
supply for devices used in monitoring, protection and controls(i.e stored energy-batteries, AC system etcreliability, economics, maintainability/sustainability-Trade-offs etc.
Regards to all.
Ali Elsayed Moghazi El kattan
coca cola Egypt
Because of,
1- almost of control elements like PLC moduls, Sensors.,.... work on 24 VDC
2- personal safety

Mike McLaren
Principal Electrical Engineer at Woodgroup PSN Ltd

DC versus AC - why?
More so on a long cable run the AC control relay can be 'sealed in' due to the capacitance of the cable. Another
point to consider is the voltdrop on the control circuit. On an AC circuit the volt drop can get large due to the
initial magnistation of the coil. Again on a long cable run this would affect the cable size and requrie it to be
larger. Another thing to consider is the control circuit protection fuses. If you put one size down to earth through
a fault would your fuse clear ......?
Forget DC for backup - chances are if you have lost the AC you have lost your drive / pump / whatever so it
doesn't matter. These are the real reasons we go for 24VDC.