Industrial Automation

Saravanakumar
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Faculty of Technology
University of Gondar, Ethiopia
Automation
 Automation – use of control
systems and information technologies to
reduce the need for human work in the
production of goods and services.

 Automation is the use of various control

system for operating equipment such as
machinery, processes in factory , boilers, heat
treating ovens, switching in telephone
networks, steering and stabilization of Ships,
Aircrafts and other application with minimal or
reduced human intervention.
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Automation Hierarchy
Enterprise

Manufacturing Execution

Supervision (SCADA)

Group Control

Individual Control

Field

Primary technology
 Large control system hierarchy
5 Planning, Statistics, Finances administration

4Production planning, orders, purchase enterprise

3Workflow, order tracking, resources (manufacturing) execution

SCADA =
2 Supervisory Supervisory Control
And Data Acquisition

Group control

Unit control
1
Field

Sensors A V T
& actors

0 Primary technology
Large control system hierarchy
Administration Finances, human resources, documentation, long-term
planning
Enterprise Set production goals, plans enterprise and resources,
coordinate different sites, manage orders
Manufacturing Manages execution, resources, workflow, quality
supervision,
production scheduling, maintenance.
Supervision Supervise the production and site, optimize, execute
operations
visualize plants, store process data, log operations,
history (open loop)
Group (Area) Controls a well-defined part of the plant
(closed loop, except for intervention of an operator)
• Coordinate individual subgroups
• Adjust set-points and parameters
• Command several units as a whole
Unit (Cell) Control (regulation, monitoring and protection) part of a
group .
(closed loop except for maintenance)
• Measure: Sampling, scaling, processing,
calibration.
Field level

Field level is in direct

interaction with the plant's
hardware
(Primary technology)
Group level
unit controllers the group level coordinates the
activities of several unit controls

the group control is often hierarchical,

can be also be peer-to-peer (from group
control to group control = distributed
control system)

Note: "Distributed Control Systems"

(DCS) commonly refers to a hardware
and software infrastructure to perform
Process Automation
Local human interface at group level
sometimes,
the group level has its
own man-machine
interface for local
operation control
(here: cement
packaging)

also for maintenance:

console / emergency panel
 Supervisory level: Human-Machine-Interface

control room
(mimic wall)
1970s...

formerly, all instruments were directly wired to the control room

Supervisory: Mosaic interface is still in use –
with direct wiring
 Supervisory level: SCADA
(SCADA = Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)

- displays the current state of the process (visualization)

- display the alarms and events (alarm log, logbook)
- display the trends (historians) and analyse them
- display handbooks, data sheets, inventory, expert system (documentation)
- allows communication and data synchronization with other centres
Today’s control rooms

Projectors replace the mosaics, no direct wiring to the plant

anymore
Plant management
- store the plant and product data for further
processing in a secure way (historian), allowing
to track processes and trace products
-> Plant Information Management System
(PIMS)

- make predictions on the future behaviour of the

processes and in particular about the
maintenance of the equipment, track KPI (key
performance indicators)
-> Asset Optimisation (AO)
Engineering workplace

Managing the control system, not the plant.

Tasks: configure networks and devices, load software, assign
access rights, troubleshoot the control system,...
Example: Power plant
Response time and hierarchical level
Planning ERP
(Enterprise
Level Resource Planning)

MES
Execution (Manufacturing
Level Execution
System)
SCADA
(Supervisory
Supervisory Control and Data
Level Acquisition)
DCS
(Distributed
Control
Control System)
Level PLC
(Programmable
Logic Controller)

ms seconds hours days weeks month

years
 Data Quantity & Quality and Hierarchical Level
Higher Levels
• When ascending the control hierarchy, data are reduced:
higher level data are created (e.g. summary information)
• Processing and decisions becomes more complicated (requires
using models).
• Timing requirements are slackened. Historical data are stored
SCADA level
• Presentation of complex data to the human operator,
help to make decisions (expert system) and maintenance.
• Requires a knowledge database in addition to the plant's database

Lower Levels
Lowest levels (closest to the plant) are most demanding in response tim
Quantity of raw data is very large.
Processing is trivial (was formerly realized in hardware).
These levels are today under computer control,
except in emergency situations, for maintenance or commissioning.
Complexity and Hierarchical level
Complexity Reaction Speed
ER months
P
Command level MES
days
Führungsebene,
Supervision
Prozessleitung minutes
étage de conduite
Conduite de processus
Group Control
Gruppenleitung seconds
Conduite de groupe

Individual Control
0.1s
Einzelleitung,Conduite individuelle

Field 0.1s
Feld, terrain

Site
Anlage, usine
Automation Applications
Power generation hydro, coal, gas, oil, nuclear, wind, solar
Transmission electricity, gas, oil
Distribution electricity, water
Process paper, food, pharmaceutical,
metal production and processing, glass, cement,
chemical, refinery, oil & gas
Manufacturing computer aided manufacturing (CIM)
flexible fabrication, appliances, automotive, aircrafts

Storage silos, elevator, harbor, retail houses,

deposits, luggage handling
Building heat, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC)
access control, fire, energy supply, tunnels,
parking lots, highways,....
Transportation rolling stock, street cars, sub-urban trains,
busses, trolley busses, cars,
ships, airplanes, rockets, satellites,...

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 Three Automation Types

Programmable
Automation
Variety Flexible
Automation
Fixed
Automation

Quantity

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Fixed Automation

Sequence of processing (or assembly)

operations is fixed by the equipment
configuration

Typical features:
 Suited to high production quantities
 High initial investment for custom-engineered
equipment
 High production rates
 Relatively inflexible in accommodating product
variety
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Programmable Automation

Capability to change the sequence of operations

through reprogramming to accommodate
different product configurations

Typical features:
 High investment in programmable equipment
 Lower production rates than fixed automation
 Flexibility to deal with variations and changes in
product configuration
 Most suitable for batch production
 Physical setup and part program must be
changed between jobs (batches)

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Flexible Automation

System is capable of changing over from one

job to the next with little lost time between
jobs

Typical features:
 High investment for custom-engineered
system
 Continuous production of variable mixes of
products
 Medium production rates
 Flexibility to deal with soft product variety
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Reasons for Automating

1. To increase labor productivity

2. To reduce labor cost
3. To mitigate the effects of labor shortages
4. To reduce or remove routine manual and
clerical tasks
5. To improve worker safety
6. To improve product quality
7. To reduce manufacturing time
8. To accomplish what cannot be done
manually
9.
24 To avoid the high cost of not automating
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Technical necessity of automation

• Processing of the information flow

• Enforcement of safety and availability

• Reduction of personal costs

Data quantity in plants
Power Plant 30 years ago
100 measurement and action variables (called "points")
Analog controllers, analog instruments
one central "process controller" for data monitoring and protocol.
Coal-fired power plant today
10'000 points, comprising
8'000 binary and analog measurement points and
2'000 actuation point
1'000 micro-controllers and logic controllers
Nuclear Power Plant
three times more points than in conventional power plants

Electricity distribution network

100’000 - 10’000’000 points
information flow to the personal: > 5 kbit/s.
human processing capacity: about 25 bit/s
without computers, 200 engineers (today: 3)

Data reduction and processing is necessary to operate plants

Automation Principle

1. Understand the existing process

 Input/output analysis
 Value chain analysis
 Charting techniques and mathematical
modeling
2. Simplify the process
 Reduce unnecessary steps and moves
3. Automate the process
 Ten strategies for automation and production
systems
 Automation migration strategy
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Automation Strategies

1. Specialization of operations
2. Combined operations
3. Simultaneous operations
4. Integration of operations
5. Increased flexibility
6. Improved material handling and storage
7. On-line inspection
8. Process control and optimization
9. Plant operations control
10. Computer-integrated manufacturing

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Automation
Migration
Strategy

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Disadvantages of Automation
 Causing unemployment and poverty by replacing human labor.

 Security Threats/Vulnerability: An automated system may have

a limited level of intelligence, and is therefore more susceptible
to committing errors outside of its immediate scope of
knowledge

 Unpredictable/excessive development costs: The research and

development cost of automating a process may exceed the cost
saved by the automation itself.

 High initial cost: The automation of a

new product or plant typically requires a very large initial
investment in comparison with the unit cost of the product,
although the cost of automation may be spread among many
products and over time.
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Automation Systems - World Players
Company (alpha. order) Location Major mergers

ABB CH-SE Brown Boveri, ASEA, CE, Alfa-Laval, Elsag-Bailey

Alstom FR Alsthom, GEC, CEGELEC, ABB Power,..
Ansaldo IT
Emerson US Fisher Rosemount
General Electric US
Hitachi JP
Honeywell US
Rockwell Automation US Allen Bradley, Rockwell,..
Schneider Electric FR Télémécanique, Square-D, ...
Invensys UK Foxboro, Siebe, BTR, Triconex,…
Siemens DE Plessey, Landis & Gyr, Stäfa, Cerberus,..
Yokogawa JP

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Course Outline
 Programmable Logic Controller
 PLC Hardware
 I/O Modules.
 PLC Operation
 Timers
 Counters
 Latching Relay
 PLC Programming
 Programming Languages
 Logic Design
 Structured Logic Design
 Flow Chart based Design
 State Based Design

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Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
 “small computers, dedicated to automation
tasks in an industrial environment“
 A programmable logic controller (PLC) is an
industrial
grade computer that is capable of being
programmed to
perform control functions.

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PLC installed in Industrial Environment

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Simple PLC
network digital inputs

analog inputs / outputs

digital outputs
 PLC in a cabinet
CPU1 CPU2

serial connections
redundant
field bus
connection inputs/outputs
example: turbine control (in the test lab)
PLC: functions
PLC = PMC: Protection, Measurement and Control

•Measure
Control
• (Command and Regulation)
•Protection
•Event Logging
•Communication
•Human interface
 PLC: Location in the control architecture
Enterprise Network
Engineer Operator Supervisor
gateway
station station Station

Control Bus
(e.g. Ethernet)

large PLC

COM1

COM 2
Control Station

COM1
COM 2
COM1

PLC

CPU
CPU
CPU

I/O
with Field Bus
PLCs gateway

I/O
I/O

I/O
I/O
I/O

I/O
I/O
I/O

I/O

direct I/O
Field Bus Field Bus

COM
COM

COM

COM
COM
CPU

CPU

CPU
I/O
I/O
I/O

I/O

I/O
I/O
I/O
directly connected
I/O
Field Stations FB
gateway Field Devices
small PLC
data concentrators,
not programmable,
but configurable
Sensor Bus (e.g. ASI)
Global players
Comparison with Relay Logic
 Initially the PLC was used to replace relay
logic, but its
ever-increasing range of functions means that
it is found in
many and more complex applications.
Because the structure of a PLC is based on the
same principles as those employed in
computer architecture, it is capable not only
of performing relay switching tasks but also of
performing other applications such as timing,
counting, calculating, comparing, and the
processing of analog signals.
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Drawbacks of Relay Logic
 Relays have to be hardwired to perform a
specific function. When the system
requirements change, the relay wiring has to
be changed or modified.
 In extreme cases, such as in the auto industry,
complete control panels had to be replaced
since it was not economically feasible to rewire
the old panels
with each model changeover.
 The programmable controller has eliminated
much of the hardwiring associated with
conventional relay control circuits.
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 Control Panels
Relay Logic PLC

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Parts of PLC
 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
 Input/Output (I/O) Section
 Power Supply
 Programming Device

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PLC Architecture
 Open architectures use off-the-shelf
components that conform to approved
standards.
 A closed architecture is one whose design is
proprietary, making it more difficult to connect
to other systems.
 Most of PLCs are in fact Close
Architecture/proprietary.
 PLC programs cannot be interchanged among
different PLC manufacturers

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I/O system
I/O system forms the interface by which field
devices are connected to the controller
Classified as
 Fixed I/O
 Modular I/O

PLCs commonly employ an optical isolator,

which uses light to couple the circuits
together

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 Fixed I/O is typical of small PLCs that come in
one
package with no separate, removable units.

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 Modular I/O is divided by compartments into
which separate modules can be plugged.

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Modular I/O Power Supply

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 Specific controller

data bus

three PLCs networked by a data bus.

ecial construction: no fans, large temperature range, vibrations
Compact or modular ?
field bus
€ extension

modular PLC (variable number of I/Os

compact PLC
(fixed number of I/Os)

Limit of local I/O

# I/O modules
PLC Processor or CPU
 The processor (CPU) is the “brain” of the PLC.
 A typical processor usually consists of a
microprocessor for implementing the logic and
controlling the
communications among the modules.
 The processor requires memory for storing the
results of the logical operations performed by the
microprocessor. Memory is also required for the
program EPROM or EEPROM plus RAM.

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PLC Scan Cycle

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PLC Scan cycle
 PLC scan starts with the CPU reading the
status of inputs.
 Then, the application program is executed.
 Once the program execution is completed, the
CPU performs internal diagnostic and
communication tasks.
 Next, the status of all outputs is updated.
This process is repeated continuously as long
as the PLC is in the run mode.

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I/O System Connections

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Programming Devices
o A programming device is used to enter the
desired program into the memory of the
processor.
o The program can be entered using relay
ladder logic, which is one of the most popular
programming languages.
 Hand Held Programming devices
 Personal Computers (PCs)
 Software for programming and Documentation
 Software for programming and Monitoring
 HMI- Human Machine Interface

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PLC Operator Interface and Monitor

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 Simple Application

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Principle of Operation of PLC

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Manual Operation

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Automatic Operation

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