ENGI29875 Andy Alubaidy

Instrumentation and Process Control

Module #2 – Flow measurement

Purpose:
Students will gain a familiarity with flow system module and measure the water flowrate
using different instruments.

Note:

Procedure:
1. In the figure below, use the manual to identify the parts of the trainer.

2. Launch Virtual Lab software and move towards the Flow station shown below.
ENGI29875 Andy Alubaidy

3. The rotameter can be used to manually measure the flow of water in the system.
Each division measures 30 l/h.
4. Switch on pump by pushing the Start button.
5. Turn on the Graph by pushing the Graph button.
6. Set SV to zero (default value) and Kp to 1 (default value) and wait until the liquid
flow has reached a state of stability. Manually read the flow rate using the
rotameter and record it.
7. Gradually increase the set value by an increment of 10% (SV) to collect around 10
readings. Every time you need to start SV from zero.
8. Then for setpoint change from zero to 50%, get six more results by changing PID
parameters for the following parameters.
• Kp=10, Ti=0. Td=0
• Kp=100, Ti=0,Td=0
• Kp=1, Ti=0.01, Td=0
• Kp=1, Ti=0.1, Td=0
• Kp=1, Ti=1, Td=0
• Kp=1, Ti=0, Td=1
• Kp=1, Ti=0, Td=0.1
9. Turn off the trainer by pushing the Stop button and the Graph button.
10. Close the software by pressing ESC on your keyboard or the “X” on the upper right
corner.
11. Plot the flow rate measurements (output) available in the CSV file. You can find the
CSV file of the collected data in your computer in a path similar to this: C:\Program
Files (x86)\Virtual Labs\Virtual Labs Data\Report Flow*. Note that the new data will
continue amending to the existing file until your stop it by pressing the Graph
button on the trainer or press F12 on your keyboard to start over a new set of data
(maximum of 100000 set).
12. Compare your manual readings to the actual readings.
13. Calculate the time constant, overshoot, undershoot of the flow system for each
16 graphs. The dt (time) for each count in the time axis is 0.02 sec.
14. Discuss the importance of time constant in system measurement.
15. Discuss the effect of changing the PID parameters.
16. Submit your findings in a formal lab report to your instructor.
17. Discuss the different sources of errors and the difference between actual
readings and the manual readings.

*
You should have full control of your folders. Please check the image below for
directions. You only need to do this once.
ENGI29875 Andy Alubaidy