Improving Boiler Efficiency Using PLC Controller

Abstract

Boiler systems have many factors that affect the efficiency of the air conditioning process. A traditional control system is complicated and requires physical hardware and software programming. The modern operator console is more compact and works better. Regardless of the boiler system, the operator can run it automatically, allowing changes in many variables such as fuel input, air combustion, water feed flow, steam temperature, etc. In fact, it is impossible to control all of these variables simultaneously in the manual mode. Modern systems have been developed to a high degree of precision that can provide excellent results in maintaining high levels of efficiency, reliability, and safety. The Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) was developed in 1968, and since then it has improved rapidly and applied to many manufacturing industries. Besides the Allen Bradley PLC, other modules were developed such as Human Machine Interface (HMI), Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), and safety components. In this paper, the Allen Bradley PLC ControlLogix family 1756 model is used to control the boiler system. In addition, this work focuses on improving the boiler efficiency by comparing between the manual and automatic control the fuel-air ratio.