Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc.

Technical Solution Reference Guide

An Application Tech Note for

Pumping

1
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
Table of Contents

1. Overview ................................................................................................3
2. Application Example ..............................................................................3
2.1 Pressure sensor................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Check Valve...................................................................................................... 4
3. Product Solutions...................................................................................4
4. Wiring Diagram ......................................................................................6
5. A700 control setup .................................................................................7
5.1 Parameter setup ............................................................................................... 7
5.2 Parameter List................................................................................................... 7
6. PLC program..........................................................................................9
6.1 Start-up ........................................................................................................... 10
6.2 Operation ........................................................................................................ 10
6.3 Auto-mode ...................................................................................................... 11
6.4 Run control...................................................................................................... 12
6.5 System faults .................................................................................................. 12
7. Optional extension equipment .............................................................13
7.1 A700 optional functionality .............................................................................. 14
8. Other control methods .........................................................................14
8.1 F700 + GT10 series ........................................................................................ 14
8.2 FX3 series + F700 + GT10.............................................................................. 15
9. References...........................................................................................16

2
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
Application Tech Note for
Pumping Applications
1. Overview
Pumping can be defined as the ability to compress or drive a fluid. Within applications
pumping can mean passing a fluid into or out of a system where either pressure or flow
rate is controlled.

The systems involved for setting up efficient pumping are usually fairly simple,
consisting of an inverter, pump, pressure/flow rate sensor and a check valve. The
inverter operates at the center of the application determining the control characteristics
of the pump.

The example programs and information detailed in this report focus on fluid pumping
applications designed for pressure control, where the speed of the pump is controlled to
maintain pressure. There are of course many variations of pumping solutions, examples
of these are discussed at the end of the report.

2. Application Example
In Figure 1 below, an example of a pumping application is shown. The illustration
shows fluid entering inlet piping to the pump. Fluid is then pumped into the outlet piping
and passed through a check valve where the fluid pressure is monitored by a pressure
sensor. The pressure sensor provides feedback to the inverter which controls the pump
characteristics.

Figure 1: Pumping application

Check Pressure
valve sensor

Main system
piping

Outlet
piping

Inlet piping

Fluid flow

Pump

3
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
2.1 Pressure sensor
The pressure sensor’s function is to monitor the pressure within the main system piping.
Through continuous pressure feedback to the inverter the speed of the pump can be
adjusted.

Figure 2: Pressure sensor Pressure sensor

Liquid flow

2.2 Check Valve

The check valve is designed to retain system pressure once a sufficient pressure is
achieved within the main system piping. The check valve operates on a pressure
differential – If pressure is higher within the pump than the outlet piping the valve will
open otherwise the valve will remain shut. The check valve removes the need for
continuous pump pressure to sustain pressure, allowing the pump to turn off once the
system has reached a threshold pressure. This makes the system more energy efficient
and reduces the running costs significantly.
Valve open
Figure 3: Check valve
Check valve High Low
pressure pressure
Fluid flow
Valve shut

Low High
pressure pressure

3. Product Solutions
The Mitsubishi Electric solution to controlling fluid pressure consists of four major
components: the inverter, the GOT, the pressure transducer and the pump.

Figure 4: Product configuration with Mitsubishi Electric products

GOT1000

Fluid pressure sensor Pump

A700

4
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
Inverter
At the center of the system is Mitsubishi Electrics FR-A700 series inverter. The A700
has many advantages including a built in controller, acceptance of a wide range of
incoming power types, and compatibility with a variety of feedback devices (pressure
transducers in this case).

The VFD varies the output voltage and frequency to vary the speed of the AC Induction
Motor. By maintaining the voltage to frequency ratio, consistent torque can be attained
while reducing motor heating and maintaining efficiency. The VFD receives a signal
from the pressure transducer, runs it through a PID calculation to get an output voltage
and frequency needed to maintain the desired pressure, set through the GOT. As flow
decreases, the VFD can sense the pressure increase and reduce the motor speed to
compensate. Inversely, when the flow increases, the VFD senses the pressure
decrease and responds by increasing the motor speed. In this way constant pressure is
maintained. By having the motor slow down or shut off when not needed, significant
power savings can be achieved.

Types and Part Numbers - There are three main types of A700 VFD. These are broken
up by incoming voltage. The FR-A720 will take from 170 to 264 VAC; the FR-A740 that
will take from 323 to 526 VAC; and the FR-A760 that will take from 472 to 660 VAC. An
example of the full Part Number for the VFD would be FR-A720-00175-NA. “FR” stands
for Freqrol; this is a Mitsubishi VFD. “A720” designates that this is a 200 Volt class A700
series. The “00175” is the size; in this case 17.5Amp ND. “NA” means this was factory
default for North America. NA-5 firmware required.

Note: For accurate control the A700 firmware must be upgraded to firmware NA5. This
is necessary so that 32-bit values can be handled by the PLC program so that analog
values can be scaled.

GOT1000
To enable simplified operator interaction the Mitsubishi
Electric solution incorporates a GT1020 touchscreen.
The GT1020 has many advantages including its size,
direct communication with the A700 VFD, and can be
powered directly from the A700 VFD.

Types and Part Numbers – For connection to the A700 there are two RS-422 controllers
available. The difference between these controllers is identified through the screen
colors:

GT1020-LBD – Green, orange and red

GT1020-LBDW – White, pink and red

5
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
4. Wiring Diagram
The control system for the pumping application consists of a potentiometer, inverter and
potentiometer. These key points to wiring

Inverter
Wires should be sized according to local electric code.
 Incoming Power – R, S, and T for 3Ф; R and S for 1Ф.
 3Ф Pump Motor – U, V, and W.
 Install jumpers between terminals:
o CS and SD to tell the controller to run.
o RT and SD to tell the controller there is no External Fault. Connect this
into any external devices that will stop the pumping system.
o A2 and PC to complete the circuit for the GOT Power.

GOT
Power:
 +24VDC on the GOT connects to terminal C2 on the VFD.
 -24VDC on the GOT connects to terminal SD on the VFD.
 Ground on the GOT should connect to the Panel Ground.

Figure 5 – GOT to A700 wiring

Communication: This cable needs to have flying leads for the GOT that wire to the RS-
422 Connector, and an RJ45 connector for the VFD that plugs into the PU port.

Alternatively the GOT can be wired directly to the green RS-485 terminals of the inverter.
This allows the GOT to be connected while programming the A700 via the PLC, and
allows the PU to be reconnected to the inverter after programming so the inverter
parameters can be directly accessed without the need for designing extra screens in the
GOT for parameter change.

6
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
Pressure Transducer: Ensure DIP switch 4 on the A700 is ON for 4-20mA signal.
4 wire connection:
 +24VDC to terminal PC on the VFD.
 -24VDC to terminal SD on the VFD.
 +Signal to terminal 4 on the VFD.
 -Signal to terminal 5 on the VFD.
3 wire connection:
 +24VDC to terminal PC on the VFD.
 +Signal to terminal 4 on the VFD.
 -Signal to terminal 5 on the VFD.
Place a jumper between terminals SD and 5 on the VFD.

5. A700 control setup

To achieve efficient pumping the A700 uses its default control method, V/F control. V/F
control controls frequency and voltage so that the ratio of frequency (F) to voltage (V) is
constant when changing frequency.

5.1 Parameter setup

A700 parameter settings can be split into several groups. These groupings and their
respective purposes are identified in the table below.

Group Purpose
Gain adjustment for speed control
Enhance tractability of the motor in response to a speed command change
Speed control Stabilize the speed detection signal
Accelerates the rise of the torque at the start
Avoid mechanical resonance within the system
To provide torque limit during speed control
Prevent overspeed of the motor
Torque control
Improve torque control accuracy
Stabilize the torque detection signal
Protect the motor from overheat
Motor setting
Maximize the motors performance and accuracy
Motor noise Change the PWM carrier frequency to avoid resonance within the motor
Analog Input To configure the analog input signal to read the pressure sensor signal
PID control To Improve PID accuracy and control of the motor
To setup communication between PC and inverter for PLC programming
Communication
To setup communication between GOT and inverter for application control.

5.2 Parameter List

Based on the groupings identified in the table above the following table lists an example
of some of the parameters necessary for setting up the A700 for a pumping application.
Pumping applications can vary in design, therefore more or less parameters may be
required to be set depending on the application complexity.

7
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
Parameter Parameter decription Units Initial setting Final setting

1 Maximum frequency 0.01Hz 120 60

7 Acceleration time 0.1s 5 10

8 Deceleration time 0.1s 5 1

9 Electronic thermal O/L relay 0.01A 11 2.6

14 Load pattern selection 1 0 1

18 High speed maximum frequency 0.01Hz 120 60

19 Base frequency voltage 0.1V 9999 230

22 Stall prevention operation level (torque limit level ) 0.1% 150 200

68 Retry waiting time 0.1s 1 0.1

71 Applied motor 1 0 13

77 Parameter write selection 1 0 2

80 Motor capacity 0.01kW 9999 0.75

81 Number of motor poles 1 9999 4

83 Motor rated voltage 0.1V 200 230

95 Online auto tuning selection 1 0 2

96 Auto tuning setting/status 1 0 101

118 PU communication speed 1 192 96

127 PID control automatic switchover frequency 0.01Hz 9999 0

128 PID action selection 1 10 20

129 PID proportional band 0.1% 100 7

130 PID integral time 0.1s 1 4

131 PID upper limit 0.1% 9999 100

132 PID lower limit 0.1% 9999 20

133 PID action set point 0.01% 9999 37.93

182 RH terminal function selection 1 2 14

183 RT terminal function selection 1 3 9999

186 CS terminal function selection 1 6 50

332 RS-485 communication speed 1 96 192

335 RS-485 communication retry count 1 1 9999

336 RS-485 communication check time interval 0.1s 0 9999

337 RS-485 communication waiting time setting 1ms 9999 0

414 PLC function operation selection 1 0 1

506 Parameter 1 for user 1 0 55

507 Parameter 2 for user 1 0 145

508 Parameter 3 for user 1 0 5

509 Parameter 4 for user 1 0 1500

513 Parameter 8 for user 1 0 20480

8
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
 549 Protocol selection 1 1 0

557 Signal output reference current 0.01A 11 17.5

800 Control method selection 1 20 10

893 Energy saving monitor reference (motor capacity) 0.01kW 2.2 3.7

Note: To enable PID control to run the RH terminal must be engaged. This allows the user to
select auto (PID) or manual control from the GOT screen. If the RM terminal is active manual
pump control will be engaged.

6. PLC program
The A700’s built-in PLC enables better integration of the inverter into the application
and makes the need for secondary controller devices redundant. The A700 PLC
program can be written in two languages – ladder or instruction code and through GX-
Developer (full version) programming environment I/O monitoring and testing is possible.
Furthermore the PLC program allows the A700 to interface more effectively with
application environment, allowing the processing of inputs and outputs.

Figure 6 – PLC program input/output handling

The example programs are extracts from the demonstration program that together
complete the following functionality:

- Configuration of the system

- PID setting
- Pump setting
- Motor setting
- Flow check
- PID control
- Sleep function
- Fault monitor
- HMI screen control

9
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
6.1 Start-up
When the pumping application is started for the first time, the system must be
configured to achieve efficient pumping. This consists of setting the pump type, the
PID control and motor settings. Setting screens for each are shown below:

Figure 7 – Screens extracted from the pumping demo program

An example of the program connected to setting up scaling of the analog value received
from the temperature controller is illustrated below:

Figure 9 – Extract program showing scaling of the analog device

6.2 Operation
To monitor the system the HMI has a dedicated screen, that shows the pressure level
that the pumping system will try to maintain (PSI SP), along with the read out from the
pressure sensor (PSI FB). Other information includes the output frequency from the
VFD and current that is being received by the motor.

10
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
Figure 8 – Monitor screen from the demo program

By pressing the PSI SP button the target pressure level of the system can be adjusted,
the transducer max signal is the limit of the transducer output alarm and the On
Differential is the pressure difference required to turn the system on after it enters sleep
mode.

6.3 Auto-mode
Auto-mode allows the application to run as a standalone controller without the need for
an operator. Auto mode allows the pump pressure to be maintained with respect to the
setpoint value, as well as automatically restart the system in the event of a power failure.
In auto-mode flow is checked once a minute, the system continuously monitors the
pressure level. Monitoring the pressure level involves continuously monitoring the outlet
pipe pressure to see if fluid flow has occurred and the pressure has dropped. If no fluid
flow occurs and the pressure level is maintained the system will be put into sleep mode.

Figure 9 – Timing screen for auto-mode

11
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
Within the inverter sleep mode is managed by the PLC program. An extract of the
program that completes the system checks of the pressure is shown below:

Figure 10 – Extracted program showing system checks for sleep mode

6.4 Run control

The run control of the inverter is carried out with a simple piece of code that examines
whether the system is in manual or auto-mode along with flow and system sleep checks.
This code is shown below:

Figure 11 – Extracted program showing the conditions necessary for driving the inverter

6.5 System faults

Within the pumping application there are four main faults that are continuously
monitored for. These faults are listed as:

Over pressure – pressure is 10% above the max setpoint for more than 15s

12
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
Under pressure – the system is running at the maximum frequency however there is
effectively no current draw by the motor, meaning that the pump is not pumping fluid.
Transducer loss – When a 4-20mA signal is used and the pressure drops below 2mA
External disconnection – RT input has become disconnected
Inverter fault – Any fault within the inverter.

Faults within the system can be viewed via the GT1020 error screen that shows the
name of the fault along with an option to reset any fault that has occurred. The screen
for fault management is shown below, along with an extract of the program showing the
error condition for over pressure.

Figure 12 – Fault screen within demo program

Figure 13 – Extracted program showing conditions for recognizing over pressure

Note: When cycling the power all faults wills be removed except for the inverter faults
which will remain logged.

7. Optional extension equipment

The discussion detailed so far has examined the key points regarding pumping
applications and the system setup. Going beyond these points there are a number of
optional devices that can enhance the effectiveness of a pumping application. Some of
these options have been identified below:

13
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
7.1 A700 optional functionality
Within a winder application effective motor control is often dependent on providing
reliable data from other parts of the system. To handle communication and data passing
demands the A700 can connect to a range of different networks.

 Ethernet/IP
 Profibus DP
 DeviceNet
 CC-Link
 ControlNET
 LonWorks
 SSCNETIII motion network.

Other optional boards also exist for the A700 that help the inverter better adapt to the
needs of the application. These optional boards can be listed as:

 120VAC control input

 Analog I/O
 Encoder feedback
 Relay output
 12-Bit digital input
 Ext. Analog output
 Bi-polar analog input
 High resolution output
 Motor thermistor

8. Other control methods

In order to achieve similar control to A700 control application explained above, there are
two further control methods available to the customer depending on the application
requirements. These solutions are listed below:

8.1 F700 + GT10 series

For greater cost effectiveness the A700 inverter can be substituted for an F700 inverter.
In simple terms the F700 is a more cost sensitive inverter that does not feature a PLC,
so while reducing system cost the exact functionality of A700 system cannot be
replicated.

Without a built-in PLC, the F700 is unable to complete advanced fault finding and the
commands supplied to the inverter from the HMI are much more direct and are unable
to complete a lot of the manipulation that was presented in the A700 program.

That said the F700 inverter does feature many of the standard features of the A700 that
enable PID control, standalone operation and energy saving costs.

14
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
 Figure 14 – Alternative control solution using an F700 inverter and GT10 HMI

GOT1000

Fluid pressure sensor Pump

F700

Please refer to the demo programs folder for example F700 inverter parameter settings
for pumping control.

8.2 FX3 series + F700 + GT10

For a higher end solution that provides enable larger programs to be created, greater
I/O expansion and overall improved system flexibility an FX3 series PLC can be
connected to the F700. The FX3 series consists of 3 types of controller – FX3U,
FX3UC and FX3G. These controllers are classed as compact controllers with built in
power supply, CPU and I/O. FX controllers can be expanded further to include
networking, positioning, analog and serial control.

The FX3 series controller allows all functionality of the A700 PLC program to be
replicated within the system, where communication between the PLC and inverter is
implemented via the FREQROL protocol. In the original program the A700 program
was limited to 1000 lines of code, however the FX3 series controllers allow
programming of 64 000 steps and a much greater range of device registers for data
manipulation, permitting much more complex and elaborate code to be created, for such
functionality as fault handling within the pump application. Communication is provided
over RS-485 communication, through either a communication board or communication
ADP.

Figure 15 – Alternative control solution using FX3 PLC, F700 inverter and GT10 HMI

GOT1000

Fluid pressure sensor FX PLC

F700 Pump

15
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*
Please refer to the demonstration programs folders for more example program code for
FX3 series PLCs, F700 parameter setting and GT10 screen designs. The example
code illustrates how the PLC can be used for alarm warning, transducer setup and
inverter run signal. PID code remains centralized in the A700.

9. References
For further information on the functionality and programming of the A700 please refer to
the following manuals and links.

Inverter FR-A700 Instruction Manual

Inverter FR-A700 PLC Function Programming Manual

Manuals can be found at: www.meau.com

16
R72-097-SLSMKTG-008-*