PI control of level control system using PLC and LabVIEW based SCADA

This paper focuses on development of PID controller for a single tank level control system using concepts of industrial automation. The idea behind this work is to replace the conventional PID controller available in the level control trainer system with a high end Programmable Logic Controller. The motive behind doing this is to obtain a complete understanding of the changes in the dynamics of the system and transient response characteristics associated with the system. Mathematical model is obtained for the actual system using the mass-balance formulas and the same model is validated. Using NI-LabVIEW, a SCADA platform is developed to monitor the system and log the real-time process data. MODBUS RTU communication protocol is used to exchange the real-time process parameters between PLC and NI-LabVIEW. The developed setup can be used to analyze and implement advance process control algorithm like Auto tuning etc. in place of the existing conventional controller in future.