Make It Online: Retrofitting Of A Small-scale Process Plant For Networked Control and Supervision

Lucas Raduy Gomes de Camargo; Leticia Iara de Souza; Sérgio Henrique Zanforlim Filho; Higor Parizi Strazzi; Lucas Ribeiro Romero Insfran Ocampos; Alexandre José Tuoto Silveira Mello; Thiago Alberto Rigo Passarin

doi:10.20906/SBAI-SBSE-2023/3971

Lucas Raduy Gomes de Camargo Federal University of Technology - Parana, Brazil
Leticia Iara de Souza Federal University of Technology - Parana, Brazil
Sérgio Henrique Zanforlim Filho Federal University of Technology - Parana, Brazil
Higor Parizi Strazzi Federal University of Technology - Parana, Brazil
Lucas Ribeiro Romero Insfran Ocampos Federal University of Technology - Parana, Brazil
Alexandre José Tuoto Silveira Mello Federal University of Technology - Parana, Brazil
Thiago Alberto Rigo Passarin Federal University of Technology - Parana, Brazil

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20906/SBAI-SBSE-2023/3971

Keywords: Networked control system, remote learning, instrumentation

Abstract

Small-scale, didactic process plants are important tools for the training and teaching of disciplines such as control theory, system identification, and fluid dynamics. One example, on which we focus the present work, is a flow and level control plant equipped with two independent proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers. This work aimed to boost the usability of that plant by making it accessible via an IP network. Additionally, the upgraded system ought to serve as a tool for the study of networked control systems (NCS) and related topics. The core task was the development of a control and communication module (CCM) for the plant. The CCM was based on a Raspberry Pi 3B single-board computer and programmed on Python 3 language. Two modes of operation were made available: (i) remotely configurable local controller and (ii) NCS. A simple, fast UDP-based communication protocol was implemented, as well as a Modbus-TCP interface.