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Control Systems Training - Session 01: Introduction To Industrial Automation
Control Systems Training - Session 01: Introduction To Industrial Automation
• In automatic control the output variable is sensed and the amplitude of the
output parameter is compared to the desired or set level and an error signal
is sent to controller and the corrective signal is sent to control the process at
desired condition.
This is how the manual control to automated control changes occur in the
industries.
The thermometer is replaced by a sensor which produces electrical signal.
This is the lowest level of the automation hierarchy, which includes the field
devices like sensors and actuators. The main task of these field devices is to
transfer the data of processes and machines to the next higher level for
monitoring and analysis.
Sensors convert the real time parameters like temperature, pressure, flow,
level, etc into electrical signals. The sensor data is transferred to the
controller to monitor and analyze the real time parameters. Sensors include
thermocouple, proximity sensors, RTDs, flow meters, etc.
• The control level consists of various automation devices like CNC machines,
PLCs, DCSs, etc., which acquires the process parameters from various sensors.
The automatic controllers drive the actuators based on the processed sensor
signals and program or control technique.
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are the most widely used robust
industrial controllers which are capable of delivering automatic control
functions based on inputs from sensors and the programs downloaded into
the PLC.
• DCS is the advanced or more integrated controller used for large process
industries.
• This is the top most level of the industrial automation which manages the
whole automation system. The tasks of this level include production planning,
customer and market analysis, orders and sales, etc. So it deals more with
commercial activities and less with technical aspects.