Abstract
A conical tank in which the diameter changes with the tank height, allows the use of feedback control used in complex nonlinear systems, such as adaptive control. This project modified an existing system of two interacting tanks by inserting a removable solid cone into one of the tanks. This modification created two new nonlinear configurations, one of which had a discontinuity. Optimal controller settings at different depths of liquid were found by minimizing the integral of the absolute error (IAE). These settings were used by an adaptive PID controller at a different settings, comparing the results to a conventional PID tuned to that setting.
Highlights
Interacting tanks provide a useful model for the control of feed forward and feedback systems
The flow was controlled by a pneumatically operated gate valve powered by a 0-15 psig signal driven by a 4-20 mA signal controlled from an Opto 22 Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
Water returned to the sump from this second tank, by gravity, through a line in which the discharge can be controlled by another control valve operated by the same PLC
Summary
Interacting tanks provide a useful model for the control of feed forward and feedback systems. Our existing system consisted of two interacting tanks. The first tank was fed by a centrifugal pump that pumped water from a 50 gallon sump to the tank. The first tank’s discharge entered a second tank through a ball valve whose base is located 25.4 cm below the base of the first tank. Water returned to the sump from this second tank, by gravity, through a line in which the discharge can be controlled by another control valve operated by the same PLC. This equipment serves as an effective platform for teaching about conventional PID control (Figure 1)
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