DESIGN OF DISTRIBUTED COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR INDUSTRIAL PROCESS CONTROL

Abstract

A laymen's definition of a process-be it man made or taking place by itself in nature - is "getting a product from available raw materials by performing a set of operations on these materials using .some equipments". Figure 1.1 shows a basic block diagram for a process. Figure 1.2 shows the basic elements in a process control. The operating equipments as well as the operating conditions in a process control have. to be maintained at the desired level to achieve uniform product speci-fications and throughput. This forms the basis of control of the processes. The common feature of these system is feedback. Many processes operated sufficiently well without the addition of any control equipments. When operated thus the system is called an open loop system. How€ver, the process engineers, designing high tonnage production equipments to meet stringent quality specifications at low costs, to satisfy increasingly i strict requirements for materials and energy usage, use closed loop control.