DESCRIPTION

Technical Description

This trainer provides a comprehensive experimental introduction to the fundamentals of control engineering using an example of pressure control.

The air pressure control system is a 2^nd order system. It comprises two in-line pressure tanks interconnected by a flow control valve. An additional valve on the second tank makes air tapping possible and so can be used to simulate a disturbance variable. A pressure sensor measures the pressure in the second vessel. The controller used is a state-of-the-art digital industrial controller. The actuator in the loop is a pneumatically operated control valve with a standardised current signal input. The controlled variable X and the manipulating variable Y are plotted directly on an integrated 2-channel line recorder. Alternatively, the variables can be tapped as analogue signals at lab jacks on the switch cabinet. This enables external recording equipment, such as an oscilloscope or a flatbed plotter, to be connected.

A process control software (RT 650.50) is optionally available. The software permits the construction of a complete networked system comprising multiple trainers from the RT 512 - RT 552 series. The key process variables can also be represented, and control functions executed.

The well-structured instructional material sets out the fundamentals and provides a step-by-step guide through the experiments.

Learning Objectives / Experiments

- fundamentals of control engineering
- real industrial control engineering components: controllers, transducers, actuators
- operation and parameterisation of the local industrial controller  
  * manually (by keyboard)
  * using the RT 650.50 process control software 
- control response to
  * 1^st order controlled system
  * 2^nd order controlled system
- investigation of disturbance and control response
- controller optimisation 
- investigation of the properties of the open and closed control loops
- processing of process variables using external equipment, e.g. oscilloscope or plotter
- together with accessory RT 650.50 and other trainers (RT 512, RT 522, RT 542, RT 552): familiarisation with and use of process control software (SCADA)