Industrial Process Control Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Industrial Process Control - Lab Report Example The controllers were analyzed in relation to how effective they were in ensuring optimization in the functioning of the industrial processes. The general realization is that the On-Off controllers were the least effective and were only applicable in few systems, the proportional controllers were found to introduce instability in systems, while the integral and derivative controllers were found to stabilize the amplitude and stability of industrial systems. Introduction The best way to attain control of industrial processes is to ensure that effective and efficient controllers are incorporated in the processes. One major aspect of consideration according to Patrick (2009), is to ensure that the controller is able to keep the processes within optimal working conditions and to be able to employ a corrective feedback mechanism. Competitiveness of industrial processes depends on their efficiency which ensures that a higher output is registered using a lower input. The objective of the exp eriment is to conduct an analysis on various industrial controls and techniques used in modern industries. The controller that was analyzed was an electrical air heater simulator. The experiment used a combination of PT 326 Feedback process trainer and the PCS 327 process controller. The experiment was divided into four sections where the first section consisted of a two-step closed control loop with the power button being turned on and off with respect to temperature at given values. The second experiment concerned the proportional control where the ability of the controller to maintain optimal levels with variations in measurements was observed. The third experiment involved the introduction of an external stressor to the system and then observing the response of ths sytem to the external stressor. The fourth experiment involved the application of several fundamental changes that the system might experience and observing the stability and response of the system to the changes. Lit erature Review The understanding of industrial processes has always been the key factor driving the design for instruments meant to ensure control of the processes. Technological advancements have always aimed at designing control instruments that improve the efficiencies of industrial processes with minimal supervision from technicians. According to Dunn (2009), the basis to any industrial control process lies in the instrumentation. Dunn outlines that the most common industrial processes that are usually controlled are temperature, pressure, distance, and rate of flow. Current approaches have been aimed at designing automatic controllers with the capacity of controlling simultaneously the most of the variables if not all while at the same time ensuring efficiency. Dunn defines process control as the automatic process that involves the sensing of variations in the process against a pre-set value and then providing accurate feedback to the control for effective adjustments to be mad e (2009). Therefore, a process control should incorporate mechanisms and gadgets that allow it to sense variations, provide feedback and implement corrective measures. The most basic form of a control system can be found in the On-Off control system. The system works on a simple procedure where with respect to any variations with regard to the pre-set value the system will either shut on or off. The best example is the water heater system controller. When the temperature of the heater goes above a pre-set temperature the system