Automated control and monitoring of an upgraded laboratory-scaled water distribution system

Abstract

In this paper, an automated Water Distribution System (WDS) that imitates a real system is developed, utilizing OMRON Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) CPIH as the master controller and monitored using CX-Supervisor software as the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. The software provides a user friendly Human Machine Interface (HMI) to monitor and control the lab-scaled system. The lab-scaled WDS consists of reservoir tank, supply tank, variable speed drives (VSD), flow rate sensors and level sensors. To develop the automated algorithm in PLC for the WDS, relationships between sensors are utilized. The water level in the reservoir tank (for distribution), measured by the water level sensor, is controlled by regulating the motors' speed. The speed of the motor is manipulated by the VSD. The incoming flow rate, which is correlated to the height of the reservoir tank, is used to analyze the flow rate of water in pipes. As the result, a completely functional automated control system complete with monitoring, control, and data acquisition system for the lab-scaled WDS is developed using OMRON PLC.