Industrial Control Technology Lecture 4

Lecture 4
Contents
Actuators
• Introduction
• Solenoids
• Motors
• Actuating valves
• Switches
• Power amplifiers

Revision
• A sensor is a device giving a signal for the detection or measurement of a
physical property
• During a measurement there appear various errors: deterministic errors and
random errors
• A sensor is described by its properties: Full scale input and output,
accuracy, sensitivity, resolution, linearity, drift, hysteresis, repeatability
and dynamic characteristics
• Each sensor has to be calibrated, because the characteristic of a sensor
differs from one sensor to another.
• Motion sensors can measure displacement, velocity, acceleration, force and
stress. Commonly used are resolver, optical encoder, LVDT, tachometer,
and piezo - resistive sensors.
• Temperature sensors are thermoelements, RTD and thermistor.
• To measure the volumetric flow rate, there are used turbine meters,
magnetic flow sensors and difference pressure sensors.

-1-
 Industrial Control Technology Lecture 4

Introduction
An actuator is a device that converts the control signal into action on the control
element.

Examples:
A valve is a control element. The valve actuator converts a low power control
signal into a force opening and closing the valve.
An electric heater is a control element. A relay is an actuator that converts a
current signal into switching on or off the electric heater.
The actuator system usually includes two parts: an amplifier and a proper
actuator. The amplifier amplifies the power of the control signal from the
computer to drive the actuator.

Actuators can be characterised by

• power
• motion resolution
• repeatability
• operating bandwidth

Types of actuators:
• electrical,
• pneumatic, typically to set valves,
• hydraulic, for large forces,

-2-
 Industrial Control Technology Lecture 4

Solenoids

Fig. 4.1. Principles of a solenoid

Solenoid valves are used to control fluid flow in hydraulic or pneumatic

systems. A solenoid valve consists of a movable spool fitted inside a housing
with one or two solenoids capable of moving the spool to different positions
relative to the housing. Both the spool and the housing have fluid passages. The
passages in the housing are connected together or blocked in different ways,
depending on the position of the spool in the housing.
Each passage in the housing may be blocked, or it may be connected to the
supply line, to the return line, or to a line from a cylinder. Each such connection
is called a way.

-3-
 Industrial Control Technology Lecture 4

Application of solenoids (compare lab experiment)

Sequencing a pneumatic piston

Fig. 4.2. Control of a pneumatic piston

Motors
DC motors
Very common. The commutator is the real disadvantage, which restrict the
power and the speed of the DC motor.

The control of a DC motor is accomplished by controlling the supply voltage to

the rotor. The usual way of supplying voltage is by using solid-state devices
(thyristors). In order to realise a position control a feedback is applied. The
position control contains three nested loops, the torque, speed and position
loops and is called a cascade control system.

Fig. 4.3. Diagram of a motor control loop

-4-
 Industrial Control Technology Lecture 4

AC motors

Fig. 4.4. Principle of a AC motor

They were difficult to control but now by development of power electronics this
is not any longer restriction.

AC motors are attractive because

• cost effective
• simple construction
• reliable
• convenient power supply
• no commutator

-5-
 Industrial Control Technology Lecture 4

Stepping motors
Stepping motors are incremental-drive actuators that are driven in fixed angular
increments (steps).

Each step of the motor is the response of the motor rotor to an input pulse,
which are typically synchronised with pulses from the control computer. The
feedback is used to compensate the motion errors.

Fig. 4.5. Principle of a stepping motor

They are used in low-power applications due to the following advantages:

• high accuracy of motion

• easy implementation in digital applications
• no commutator.

-6-
 Industrial Control Technology Lecture 4

Actuating valves

Fig. 4.6. Principle of a valve

In many process control systems, the manipulated variable is the flow rate of a
fluid, and the pneumatic control valve is the most common final control
element. A typical pneumatic control valve is illustrated in the figure above.
The input to the valve is a 3- to 15-psi air pressure signal, which is applied to
the top of the diaphragm. The diaphragm actuator converts the air pressure into
a displacement of the valve stem. The valve body and trim varies the area
through which the flowing fluid must pass.
The input air pressure signal may come directly from a pneumatic controller; it
may come from a pneumatic valve conditioner; or it may come from a
electropneumatic transducer. A valve positioner is a pneumatic amplifier that
provides additional power to operate the valve. The electropneumatic transducer
converts the milliampere signal from an electronic controller into the 3- to 15-
psi air pressure signal required by the control valve.

-7-
 Industrial Control Technology Lecture 4

Switches
The physical control variable can also be an on/off value produced by electro-
mechanical relays or electronic switches.

Mechanical switch (relay)

Power

Electric
heater

Input from
controller

Fig. 4.7. Circuit with a relay

Electronic switch

Fig. 4.8. Circuit with an electronic switch

-8-
 Industrial Control Technology Lecture 4

Power amplifiers

Low power amplifiers can be build as power operational amplifiers (linear

amplifiers).

A common technique to control power in the order of kilowatts is pulse width

modulation (PWM). The output voltage is switched between two constant
values with the frequency of a few kHz. A PWM unit is built with solid-state
switches such as power transistors.

Fig. 4.9. Circuit and function of a power amplifier

-9-