Temperature control is an important application of control theory to industrial processes. This experiment has been designed to expose the students to such a practical control system, its various stages for control, and the tuning of a PID controller. The process consists of a small and fast responding oven which can be controlled in the temperature range from ambient to about 90°C. Temperature readings may be taken manually on a 3½ digit meter, mounted on the main unit, at regular intervals. A built-in digital timer having ‘START’, ‘STOP’ and ‘PAUSE’ switches on the panel makes the conduct of an experiment very simple. This design of the oven avoids expensive accessories like an X-Y recorder for conducting the experiment. A forced cooling arrangement has been provided to bring the oven temperature down to room temperature after every experiment.
Experiments
- Identification of the oven parameters.
- Study of ON-OFF temperature control (with adjustable relay characteristics).
- Study of P, PI, PD and PID controls having adjustable coefficients.