Fuel cells are electro-chemical device that convert chemical energy on hydrogen into DC electrical energy. Its mainly different with battery, battery consume DC electric energy with long times when charging and generate DC electric energy when discharging. Battery just device to storing electric energy with limitation capability. Fuel cells just need hydrogen gas which flow to electrode to generate DC electric energy. Its similar with internal combustion engine that need fossil fuel to generate mechanical energy then moving the generator to produce the electric energy. The different with internal combustion engine is fuel cells not release carbon-dioxide emission, just water vapour. Fuel cells with hydrogen fuel very environmental-friendly. Read more ›
Review: PLC Panasonic FPX Series
Panasonic Electric Works release new variant of PLC controller, FPX Series. Besides FPX Series there are other type PLC Panasonic that had release before, like FP0 Series, FP2 Series and FPΣ Series. On this article we only review PLC Panasonic FPX Series.
As a compact PLC, FPX Series offer 14 I/O or 30 I/O or 60 I/O built-in digital points. But the I/O capacity could expanded up tp 300 I/O digital points using the Expansion Unit. From that point, we could choosing Relay Output (Max. 2A/250VAC) or Transistor Output for digital output specified to our application. With the transistor output capability on PLC FPX Series, we could using this PLC for 4-axis position control application with pulse output up to 100kHz.
FPX Series offer only small I/O analog point, which is using add-on application cassette. Below are the application cassette type for analog point : Read more ›
Modbus RTU between PLC K120S and VSD Altivar-31 & iG5A
On these case, we build system with PLC K120S from LS Industrial Systems as Master device and VSD (Variable Speed Drive) Altivar-31 from Schneider Electric as 1st Slave device and iG5A from LS Industrial Systems as 2nd Slave Device. All communication between Master and Slave device performed by Modbus RTU protocol.
PLC K120S with K7M-DR20U type is low price PLC with powerful built-in functions, like : PID function, Modbus RTU protocol, High Speed Counter (HSC), Pulse Output. Otherwise, the disadvantage of PLC K120S is could not processing floating data. All analog data will processed using integer format.
Goal target on this case is PLC K120S could set the reference frequency, acceleration, deceleration and monitor current value of output frequency, output current, output voltage and output power from each VSD. Read more ›
Modbus TCP between HMI Ifix5.0 and Flow Computer OMNI6000
Our previous article had explained how to configuring Modbus TCP protocol between HMI Ifix5.0 and PLC VersaMax40. So that on these article we just explain how to create register blocks and few setup on Modbus Driver v.7.42 Ifix5.0 so that HMI Ifix5.0 as Client device could send/receive data from Flow Computer OMNI6000 as Server device.
OMNI6000 is latest Flow Computer from OMNIFLOW Inc. OMNI6000 suitable to be used as deterministic electronic flow/energy correction on metering measurement of crude oils, refined products, NGLs, LPGs, ethylene, propylene, natural gas, and specially gases, such as Oxygen, Nytrogen, Hydrogen, Water, and Carbon Dioxide. OMNI6000 suitable to be used for Orifice Plate or Turbin Meter metering system. Read more ›
PID & Alternate Control System
PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) controller is control loop feedback mechanism that widely used in control system. PID calculating the error value that generated by difference between feedback Process Value (PV) and Set Point (SP) PID. When error value generating, PID controller adjusting output Measurement Value (MV) to minimize error near to zero value.
Let us give some example PID Controller on Booster Pump application like on the left picture. Feedback Process Value (PV) is Actual Pressure (Bar), Set Point (SP) PID is Set Pressure (Bar), and output Measurement Value (MV) is VSD Reference Frequency (Hz). This is the mechanism. Whenever the difference between PV & SP negative, PID Controller increasing output MV. Otherwise when the difference between PV & SP positive, PID Controller decreasing output MV. How fast the PID Controller could execute error calculation are depend on cycle speed on each controller and type of PID function. There are several PID function base on control actions, which are P, I, PI, PD. PI function is widely used for Booster Pump application. Read more ›