11

Liquid Level Digital Control System: A Case Study

In this chapter we shall look at the design of a digital controller for a control system, namely a liquid level control system.

Liquid level control systems are commonly used in many process control applications to control, for example, the level of liquid in a tank. Figure 11.1 shows a typical liquid level control system. Liquid enters the tank using a pump, and after some processing within the tank the liquid leaves from the bottom of the tank. The requirement in this system is to control the rate of liquid delivered by the pump so that the level of liquid within the tank is at the desired point.

In this chapter the system will be identified from a simple step response analysis. A constant voltage will be applied to the pump so that a constant rate of liquid can be pumped to the tank. The height of the liquid inside the tank will then be measured and plotted. A simple model of the system can then be derived from this response curve. After obtaining a model of the system, a suitable controller will be designed to control the level of the liquid inside the tank.

11.1 THE SYSTEM SCHEMATIC

The schematic of the liquid level control system used in this case study is shown in Figure 11.2. The system consists of a water tank, a water pump, a liquid level sensor, a microcontroller, a D/A converter and a power amplifier.

Water tank. This is the tank where the level of the liquid inside is to be controlled. Water is pumped to the tank ...

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