INSTRUMENTATION, AUTOMATION AND PROCESS CONTROL
This professional course on Instrumentation, automation and process contains the elaborated concepts on three engineering fields namely instrumentation engineering, automation engineering and process engineering. Instrumentation refers to the devices and instruments that are used in various processes. Automation refers to the automatic working of instruments. Process engineering refers to the study of processes that are carried out in any type of industry and industrial applications.
The fundamentals and selection criteria of measuring devices like pressure transducers, level transducers, temperature transducers and flow measurements are detailed. The Piping & instrument diagram and symbols for the instrumentation devices are listed and selection criteria are discussed. The process automation control and their types are incorporated with the process systems. The new technology oriented smart instruments and their data signals are further discussed.

 

SCADA SYSTEMS FOR INDUSTRY
SCADA has traditionally meant a window into the process of a plant or gathering of data from devices in the field, but now the focus is on integrating this process data into the actual business and using it in real time. The emphasis today is on using open standards such as communication protocols (e.g. OPC, MODBUS, and TCP/IP) and ‘off-the-shelf’ hardware, such as industrial Ethernet to keep the costs down. This course covers the essentials of SCADA systems.
The first few topics give an introduction to SCADA systems then focuses on the SCADA system hardware and software, including alarm management and Human Management Interface (HMI) issues. This is followed by a review of the RS-232/RS-485 interface standards and the MODBUS and DNP3 protocols.
The remainder of the topics give a review of industrial Ethernet, TCP/IP and MODBUS/TCP. The role of Open Process Control (OPC) in plant SCADA systems is also discussed. This is followed by discussion of network security, SCADA historians and troubleshooting issues.
Although the emphasis will be on practical industry topics highlighting recent developments using case studies and the latest application of SCADA technologies the fundamentals of SCADA systems will be covered. The course is aimed at those who want to be updated on the latest developments in SCADA systems and want to get a solid appreciation of the fundamentals of SCADA design, installation and troubleshooting.

 

PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLERS FOR AUTOMATION AND PROCESS CONTROL
This course is designed to benefit you with practical up-to-date information on the application of PLCs for the automation and process control of plants and factories. It is suitable for people who have little or no exposure to PLCs, but expect to become involved in some or all aspects of PLC installation. It aims to give practical advice from experts in the field, to assist you to correctly plan, program and install a PLC with a shorter learning curve and more confidence. The inventible question is which PLC is being used.

This online course will be focusing on the generic PLC and use the open programming IEC 61131-3 standard. The information contained in this course advances from the basics to challenge even the most experienced engineer in the industry today

 

COURSE OUTLINE

BASIC MEASUREMENT CONCEPTS

• Performance terms and specifications – sensitivity and range and span
• Accuracy
• Precision
• Repeatability
• Range of operation
• Difference bet analog and digital

 

ADVANCED MEASUREMENT

• Performance terms and specifications – linearity
• Hysteresis response
• Control loop components
• Measuring instruments and control valves as part of the overall control system

 

P&ID SYMBOLS

• Tag description
• P&ID symbols
• Instrumentation representation on flow diagrams
• Mix of instrument signals
• Letter codes and balloon symbols
• P&ID symbols for transducers and others

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

• Effects of selection criteria
• Instrument selection
• Flow applications

 

FUNDAMENTALS OF PRESSURE MEASUREMENT

• Principles
• Types- static pressure, dynamic pressure and total pressure
• Technical terms

 

PRESSURE TRANSDUCERS

• Mechanical – manometer
• Bourdon tube
• Diaphragm

 

PRESSURE SENSORS

• Electrical – strain gauge
• Piezoelectric
• Capacitance
• LVDT
• Optical

 

PRINCIPLES OF LEVEL MEASUREMENT

• Point source- by visual inspection
• Gauging rod method
• Buoyancy tape systems
• Field effect level detection
• Gravimetric
• Bubbler tube
• Pressure gauge to measure level
• Installation considerations

 

CONTINUOUS SOURCE

• Magnetic float
• Time of flight measurement
• Echo measurement
• Selection considerations
• Continuous -  pressure head
• Capacitance/resistance
• Fiscal measurement

 

CONTACT TYPE DEVICES – THERMOCOUPLES

• Concepts
• Average of temperatures
• J type thermocouple
• Voltage curves
• RTDs
• Concept
• PT100 resistance table

 

THERMISTORS AND OTHER DEVICES

• Selection and sizing
• Typical packaging
• Filled devices
• Non-contact pyrometer type

 

FUNDAMENTALS OF FLOW MEASUREMENT

• Basic terms and concepts
• Flow parameters – velocity
• Volumetric flow and mass flow
• Flow types
• Importance of Reynolds number
• Differential pressure flow meters
• Bernoulli’s equations

 

ORIFICE PLATE

• Installation
• Concentric orifice
• Application limitations

 

OTHER MEASURING DEVICES

• Venturimeter
• Pitot tube
• Flow over a weir
• Rotameter
• Vortex meter
• Construction of swirl meter
• Turbine flow meter
• Magnetic flow meter
• Ultrasonic measurement,
• Positive displacement – rotating vane, rotating lobe meter
• Positive displacement meter
• Mass flow rate meter
• Coriolis meter construction
• Straight through meter
• Thermal mass flow meter

 

CONTROL VALVES

• Introduction Control valve, classification, principles, Application function – isolation, ON-OFF valves
• Flow control, directional control, protection, overpressure
• Sliding stem valves: Plug, Globe, Cage valves, Operating conditions
• Rotary valves: butterfly, ball valves, flow characteristics
• Noise and cavitations:  sources of noise, principles of cavitations and its effects

 

CONTROL VALVES FLOW CHARACTERISTICS

• Selection and Sizing
• Effective pressure drop
• Control valve characteristics/trim
• Components of a process control loop

 

PRINCIPLE OF LOOP CONTROL SYSTEMS

• Block diagram for summation and gain
• Direct & reverse controllers
• Feed forward control loop
• Cascade control

 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROCESSES OF LOOP CONTROL

• First order process and response
• Second order process and response

 

CLOSED LOOP PID

• Control types
• Objectives of tuning

 

NEW SMART INSTRUMENT AND FIELD BUS

• Fundamental concepts
• Field bus to typical control system

 

HYBRID TECHNIQUE – HART

• Digital messages
• Sources of noise
• Earthling configurations

 

COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

• Data control and transfer protocol
• RS-423, RS-422, RS-432, RS-485
• Fibre optics
• Network topology - star, ring and bus
• Media access control methods

 

PLC SYSTEMS

• PLC block diagram and configuration
• Discrete DC/AC Input and Output module
• Analog input module

 

FUNDAMENTALS OF PLC

• PLC programming simulator
• Programming setup, languages and concept
• Function block diagram
• Instruction list
• Structured text language
• SCADA Systems for Industry

 

INTRODUCTION

• Communication architectures
• Communication philosophies

 

OVERVIEW OF SCADA SYSTEMS

• Hardware alternatives (RTU/PLC etc)
• Communication concentrators
• Communication alternatives

 

SCADA SYSTEM HARDWARE

• Hardware components
• Operation and selection issues

 

SCADA SYSTEM SOFTWARE

• SCADA software functions
• Response times
• Redundancy issues
• Specification and configuration issues

 

SCADA ALARM MANAGEMENT

• Alarm layout and organisation
• Alarm priorities
• Alarm processing and reporting

 

HUMAN MANAGEMENT INTERFACE (HMI)

• Ergonomic factors
• HMI organisation
• HMI screen design

 

COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS

• RS-232/RS-485 interface standards
• MODBUS protocol
• DNP 3.0 protocol

 

INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET

• Fundamentals
• Redundancy
• TCP/IP
• Configuration
• Troubleshooting utilities

 

MODBUS TCP

• Overview

 

OPEN PROCESS CONTROL (OPC)

• Overview

 

SCADA NETWORK SECURITY

• Security issues
• SCADA firewall configuration

 

SCADA HISTORIAN

• Archiving plant data
• Data access

 

TROUBLESHOOTING ISSUES

• Testing methodology
• Noise issues
• Communications testing
• Programmable Logic Controllers for Automation and Process Control

 

INTRODUCTION TO THE PLC

• Introduction to PLCs
• A brief history of PLCs
• Alternative control systems – where do PLCs fit in?
• Why PLCs have become so widely accepted
• Lingering concerns about PLCs

 

INTRODUCTION TO IEC61131-3

• Concepts
• Common elements
• Programming languages: structured text
• Function block diagrams
• Ladder diagrams
• Instruction list
• Sequential function chart

 

OPC

• Introduction to OPC
• What is OPC?
• Architecture

 

SAFETY PROGRAMMABLE FEATURES

• Why regular PLCs should not be used for safety functions
• Programmable electronic logic solvers
• Safety certification
• Certified programming systems
• Application examples
• Growth of networked safety devices and certified networks
• Integrated safety systems

 

FUNDAMENTALS OF PLC HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

• Block diagram of typical PLC

 

USING LADDERLOGIC FOR A SIMPLE DIGITAL FUNCTION

• The basic rules
• Comparison with relay ladder diagrams
• The concept of the “scan” and how to apply it
• Infinite fan-out
• Contact “normal” states
• Positive and negative logic
• Basic Boolean functions
• The usefulness of De Morgan’s law

 

PLC PROCESSOR MODULE MEMORY ORGANISATION

• Input/output section – module types
• Power supplies
• Methods of representing logic
• Boolean algebra
• Instruction code
• Graphical presentation: functional logic diagrams, ladder logic
• Fundamental ladder logic instruction set
• Comparison of different manufacturers
• Memory and data representation
• Instruction code

 

DATA COMMUNICATION

• Interface standards, RS-232, RS-422/423, RS-485
• Protocols, Modbus and DH+
• Local area networks, Ethernet and token bus
• Monitoring communication links and simple watchdog timers

 

USING REGISTER (WORDS)

• Number systems
• Types of register data
• Timers
• Counters
• Bit shift/rotate
• Table functions
• Register (matrix) logic functions

 

GOOD PROGRAMMING HABBITS

• Keeping track of addresses and data used
• Looking ahead – how will programs be maintained
• Practical methods to improve program quality
• Organisation of code
• Through documentation
• Simplifying changes

 

BATCH PROCESSES AND SEQUENTIAL CONTROL

• Remembering the program state
• Creating a “stepper”
• Step advance
• Fault detection and recovery
• Operator intervention
• Multiple recipes or alternate paths
• Sequential function charts

 

GOOD INSTALLATION PRACTICE

• Location of hardware
• Good wiring practice
• Cable spacing
• Power distribution
• Wire numbering
• Reducing noise and interference
• Screening and shielding
• Earthing and grounding

 

ADVANCED CONTROL WITH PLC

• The concept of reusable logic - examples: drive logic, alarm handling
• Use of advanced programming functions
• Matrix logic
• Table functions and indirect addressing
• Examples: simple display driver

 

PID CONTROL

• The importance of timing and scan time
• When PID is not always appropriate:
• Intermittent measurements
• Long transport delays

 

SYSTEM CHECKOUT AND TESTING

• Development and verification of code
• Factory acceptance testing
• Testing procedures
• Emulating missing hardware
• Emulating process responses