Environmental chamber controller
January 2005
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Eurotherm's Model X26 controller accurately controls temperature and humidity and is designed for climate simulation, component testing, ceramic drying rooms and plant growth chambers. Fifty customer named programs can be stored with up to 100 steps per program with 500 program steps in total. Two user programmable event outputs are available to activate external devices such as vibration test equipment. Boost heat, boost cool and compressor on/off outputs are included as standard, and a realtime clock can be set to start a program at defined times of the day or week.
Program profiles can be set up either through the controller front panel from iTools program editor software or via a Windows setpoint program editor. This allows the storage of a virtually unlimited number of programs and easy editing and transfer of programs between controllers. iTools software will save and reproduce the complete configuration of the controller and provides trend plotting facilities for monitoring the process.
A program holdback feature guarantees soak time at temperature and humidity and six sets of PID parameters give accurate control under varying combinations of temperature and humidity. The humidity can be derived from wet and dry bulb inputs or taken directly from a humidity probe.
Modbus digital communication is available for connection to supervisory computers or PLCs. The temperature inputs are accurate to within 0,1% and have a 9 Hz sample rate. An OPC to Modbus server communicates with the X26 and it can be used as a link to other client software packages such as Labview and Wonderware.
For more information contact Jerry Smits, Protea Automation Solutions, 011 719 5700, [email protected], [email protected]
Further reading:
Network-capable remote relay system with flexible channel assignment
Phoenix Contact
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Phoenix Contact has launched a modular PLC-Interface Ethernet Gateway remote relay system with up to 56 configurable I/O channels, multi-protocol support including Profinet Class C and S2 redundancy, and compatibility with established controller software for straightforward network integration.
Read more...
Seven checks before replacing an obsolete industrial control component
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
An obsolete control component rarely fails in isolation. Before ordering an exact spare, manufacturer successor or engineered alternative, maintenance and procurement teams should work through seven checks to define the problem properly and avoid a costly mismatch.
Read more...
Loop signature Part 2-6
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
This instalment of the Loop Signature series introduces frequency plot theory as a foundation for understanding process dynamics, explaining Bode plots, dynamic gain, phase lag and their relationship to control loop tuning.
Read more...
The rise of software-defined brownfield automation
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert is enabling brownfield operators to modernise incrementally, decoupling control logic from hardware to bridge legacy equipment and future-ready operations without disrupting production.
Read more...
Upgrading alarm systems for critical industries
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Omniflex’s OMNI16R alarm annunciator platform provides a direct replacement for legacy CSA systems such as MPAS 90 and SA9100, enabling operators in oil and gas, nuclear and power generation to modernise alarm infrastructure without sacrificing the clarity required for safe operations.
Read more...
How DCS can step off the hardware obsolescence treadmill
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Schneider Electric argues that virtualising DCS environments breaks the cycle of hardware obsolescence, giving plant operators a smarter path to lifecycle modernisation without production disruption.
Read more...
Loop signature Part 2-6
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
The Loop Signature series turns to frequency plot theory, explaining Bode open-loop plots and how dynamic gain, phase lag and crossover frequency can be extracted from test data to inform more accurate control loop tuning.
Read more...
PC-based control in surgery
Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Researchers at the University of Basel are using Beckhoff PC-based control technology to develop a miniature laser robot for minimally invasive bone surgery.
Read more...
IIoT controller for the field and control cabinet
ifm - South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
The IIoT controller from ifm is a powerful, communicative and flexible PLC solution in machine and plant digitalisation.
Read more...
How the DCS can step off the hardware obsolescence treadmill
Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Ageing servers and unsupported operating systems are quietly eroding the stability of process plants that rely on distributed control systems. Kobus Vermeulen of Schneider Electric explains how virtualising the DCS environment can break the hardware obsolescence cycle without disrupting operations.
Read more...
printer friendly version