Industrial Control Systems

3 Industrial Control Systems

CONTENTS

Process Industries Versus Discrete Manufacturing Industries

·        Levels of Automation in the Two Industries

·        Variables and Parameters in the Two Industries

Continuous Versus Discrete Control

·        Continuous Control Systems

·        Discrete Control Systems

Computer Process Control

·        Control Requirements

·        Capabilities of Computer Control

·        levels of Industrial Process Control

Forms of Computer Process Control

·        Computer Process Monitoring

·        Direct Digital Control

·        Numerical Control and Robotics

·        Programmable Logic Controllers

·        Supervisor Control

·        Distributed Control Systems and Personal Computers

The control system is one of the three basic components of an automation system (Section 3.1). In this chapter, we examine industrial control systems, in particular how digital computers are used to implement the control function in production. Industrial control is defined here automatic regulation of unit operations and their associated equipment as well integration and coordination of the unit operations into the larger production system. In the context of our book, the term unit operations usually refers to manufacturing operations; however, the term also applies to the operation of material handling and other industrial equipment. Let us begin our chapter by comparing industrial control as it is applied in the processing industries and how 11is applied in the discrete manufacturing industries.