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Implementation Modbus - Based pH Monitoring Using PLC and HMI in Tilapia

Fish Aquaponics Tank

Conference Paper · August 2023

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Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Politeknik Muadzam Shah Pahang Malaysia
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5 KESEDIAAN DAN CABARAN PENDIGITALAN PENDIDIKAN BAGI 90

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47 ANALISIS PENILAIAN KEBERKESANAN SISTEM PENASIHATAN 783

AKADEMIK (SPAk) TERHADAP PELAJAR DI POLITEKNIK SULTAN
MIZAN ZAINAL ABIDIN (PSMZA) SESI II:2022/2023
Mohd Redzuan Rosly
Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin,
Kamarudin Ripin
Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin,

48 IMPLEMENTATION MODBUS - BASED PH MONITORING USING 800

PLC AND HMI IN TILAPIA FISH AQUAPONICS TANK
Masrul Nizam Mahmod, 1Mohd Kamal Hat
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Polytechnic Muadzam Shah, Pahang.

PENDIDIKAN AGAMA ISLAM

49 APLIKASI AUGMENTED REALITY SNAKE SOLAT (AR2S) 810

MENINGKATKAN PENGUASAAN PELAJAR SVM 2 TERHADAP
TAJUK RUKUN SOLAT DI KOLEJ VOKASIONAL BEAUFORT
Didi Nurdina binti Joseph
Kolej Vokasional Beaufort

50 SI-NGA: APLIKASI DALAM MEMPERBAIKI KEMAHIRAN 823

MENYAMBUNG HURUF NGA BAGI MURID TAHUN 3
Ain Azzahrah binti Anuwar, Ayuumayuni binti Bakri, Nuri Fatinamira binti Jutidi
& Siti Nursaadah binti Feridaus
Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Pendidikan
Islam Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus
Gaya Kota Kinabalu

51 AHAP PENGETAHUAN DAN KESEDIAAN GURU PENDIDIKAN 841

ISLAM TERHADAP PENGGUNAAN TEKNOLOGI MAKLUMAT DAN
KOMUNIKASI DALAM PENGAJARAN DAN PEMBELAJARAN
PENDIDIKAN ISLAM
Mohd Zulkarnain bin Gantala1, Sabariah Bahrun(Ph.D)2,
Wan Nurafiqah Sabrina binti Wan Mustapa3,
Nur Safwah binti Abdullah4, Nur Adlina Diyana binti Jeffry5
Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Kent

19
 IMPLEMENTATION MODBUS - BASED PH MONITORING USING
PLC AND HMI IN TILAPIA FISH
AQUAPONICS TANK

Masrul Nizam Mahmod1, Mohd Kamal Hat²

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic Muadzam Shah, Pahang.
E-mail: masrulnizam22@gmail.com¹

ABSTRACT

The recirculating water system in the aquaponics tank is very important in

giving tilapia fish and vegetables good nutrients. The water from the tank is
routed to the plants and back directly into the tank. The higher the water quality,
the better the fish growth rate. The target of this study is to create direct
monitoring using sensors and Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) system
control. The research method is in the field where it is done for 2 weeks with
water temperature and pH. Readings are taken using an analog pH sensor
connected via Modbus directly to the PLC control to be converted from analog
to digital reading and displayed on a Human-Machine Interface (HMI). PLC has
been set up so that the light will turn on and the siren will sound if below than
pH 4. 20 samples of natural water and nine more buffers were tested for pH,
and the correct pH values were identified. The tilapia fish tank served as a pH
sensor test in this research. Therefore, investigated the pH ranges that are
ideal for tilapia fish. Finding discovered that tilapia fish equal pH range between
5 and 6. Continuous monitoring ensure water quality and tilapia fish growth rate
effectively.

Keywords: pH Monitoring; Modbus; PLC; HMI

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The current problem is that there is no equivalent 24-hour pH

monitoring system for water that is automatic. During the day, the only
method to take readings is manually, which is difficult because readings
must be taken every three to five hours. Many conventional water
quality monitoring technologies lack integration, are labor-intensive,
time-consuming, and expensive (Anvari,2009). This water pH
monitoring system project is implemented if the pH value is unstable; a
siren will sound as opposed to manually obtaining readings, which has
no warning system. According to previous research, measuring water
quality through various parameters can make a significant contribution
to urban agriculture (Ibarra et al., 2018). The pH of the water can have
numerous effects on the fish. Some fish thrive at a higher or lower pH,

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while others cannot sustain themselves outside of their normal pH
range...............................

The most essential fact to remember is that altering the pH level

of water excessively causes stress on the fish's body and can result in
death. In addition, the temperature of ammonia has a significant impact
on the pH of water. Temperature has a significant effect on the amount
of dissolved oxygen in water. If the temperature is high, the water will
become oxygen-saturated quicker than if the temperature is low’ When
the water's temperature decreases, its pH value will also decrease.
Ammonia and oxygen are the two most disturbing components of
water. If oxygen levels are low and ammonia levels are high, fish will
perish (Sallenave,2016).

In mossy areas, for instance, some fish can survive owing to low
oxygen levels. In this case, water contamination may have a
devastating impact on the environment, putting the health of its
inhabitants at risk. Consequently, water quality monitoring is extremely
valuable because it provides information about water condition and
intended application (Zohari, 2019). The main objective of the research
is to develop a system that will monitor certain pH in the outdoor
Aquaponics system. Modbus is used for communicating from analog
pH prob to Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and Human Machine
Interface (HMI) for the output monitoring system.

The specific objectives are as follow (1) To develop a monitoring

system that will make use array of sensors for the status of temperature
and pH value in the tank (2) To implement a Modbus communication
on determining the status water pH reading (3) To develop a system
that can provide warning when the pH value is unstable.

2.0 PROPOSED SYSTEM METHOD

In this section, a set of schemes, including a flowchart, a simulation

design, and a block diagram of the proposed system that will be
implemented, will be described in order to develop the required
automation water quality monitoring systems. Control unit, sensors,
and actuators are the three components that make up the automation
system utilized during a manufacturing process. The Programmable
Logic Controller (PLC), which is a device that is based on a computer

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and is very reliable in industrial automation, chemical processes, and
other industrial processes, is the control unit that is often used (Chattal
et al, 2019). Finally, the necessary hardware and software will be
outlined.

A. Block Diagram
The main parts of the proposed monitoring system are the PLC
connected using Modbus to 2 sensors (pH and Temperature)
to monitor the water quality and display the monitored
parameter on the HMI screen with notification alarm and tower
lamp. In this block diagram, the pH sensor measures the pH of
the water and provides an analog signal to the analog input
module named Modbus to the PLC. The PLC processes the
analog signal using a control program, which converts the
signal into a pH value. The pH value is then displayed on an
HMI device connected to the PLC., along with alarms and
tower lamp. Show the monitoring properties of the water
condition as shown in figure 1.

Figure. 1.
Block diagram for the monitoring system

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Figure. 2.
Flow chart for the monitoring system

B. System Flow chart

The flow chart for the system shows how the whole system
works for monitoring the reading value. Initializing, then it will
read the data from the pH and Temperature sensor. Data from
the analog module sensor will transfer by Modbus to PLC
module. PLC programming executes the data value for the first
sensor is the pH sensor and its safe reading is bigger than 5
(the green Lamp works). If it is equal to 5 then Lamp yellow
works. If it is less than this value and if it decreases, red lamp
and alarm works. All the reading and value will be displayed on
the HMI unit with the data logging. All these steps are shown
in figure 2.

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 C. Modbus RTU
Modicon developed the Modbus protocol in 1979 stated in
Modbus Organization (2023) website. Modbus is a
fundamental communication protocol used mostly in industrial
settings. It is universal, accessible, and simple to use. New
industrial products like PLCs, PACs, I/O devices, and
instruments may have an Ethernet, serial, or even wireless
interface, but Modbus remains the preferred protocol. Modbus
protocol works on all types of communication medium,
including twisted pair wires, wireless, fiber optics, Ethernet,
etc., which is its primary advantage (Sadik et al., 2015). Figure
3 shows the wiring diagram communication between COM2
and RS485 Modbus.

Figure. 3.
Communication between PLC and Modbus RTU RS485 pH probe
sensor

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 D. Evaluation data collection
The monitoring system involves two simultaneous data
transmission. Before the deployment of the system, data is
collected manually using a pH probe and keep recorded
manually every 4 hours. Using monitoring system were
programmed to measure and send data to HMI via PLC every
second. HMI will record the data value.

E. Calibration of Sensor
To ensure the reading of the sensor is accurate, they are using
3-point references. Buffer Solution are pH 4, pH 7 and pH 9.2.
Dissolve buffer table of pH 4 in 100ml of distilled water to get
pH 4 buffer solution stated in Chegg.com expert answer
database. Comparing a standard pH meter to an analog probe,
the output reading is obtained by dipping the electrode into the
sample.

3.0 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The aim of calibration sensor is to correct the sensor measurement.

Hence recommended and simple by modification in pH measurement.
The sensor is always standardized with three buffers, preferably 7.0,
9.2 and 4.0. If the sensor could not be set to the theoretical values, then
record the actual values displayed for the buffers. However, the
respective value should be adjusted to get a closer pH value to the
theoretical value. Tested between manual and Modbus analog sensor.
From the data, discovered that pH Modbus calibration was inaccurate.

Therefore, it was suggested that pH Modbus be recalibrated to obtain

more accurate readings. Modbus pH is calibrated using Modbus pool
software. Adjust to the proper value to achieve the desired pH value.
After creating and confirming the accuracy of the calibration, the next
step is to obtain readings from the actual tank. Six hours of pH
monitoring are performed to determine if the reading is accurate. The
HMI display will respond to any change in the pH value of the tank water
through changing the color of the lights and sounding an alarm.

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Figure. 4.
Data difference between manual pH probe and analog sensor

In figure 4 as shown above, measure the pH using manual probe as a

reference point with pH buffer solution, then compare the output data
with the RS485 analog sensor. By doing this step is to calibrate the
RS485 analog sensor. There is a significant difference between the
readings on buffer Sodium tetraborate gap between pH 1.1.
Recalibration Modbus RS485 probe sensor till the same reading
between the reference manual probes. The result is shown on Fig. 5
between two pH probes.

Figure.5.
Output pH after recalibrations the pH Modbus RS485

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Figure. 6.
Sample data on pH monitoring system

Collect data as shown on fig. 6 after effectively calibrating, every 30

minutes for six hours, the pH of a fish tank was monitored to determine
its fluctuation. The HMI autonomously records data memory and
downloads data onto a flash drive. Real data is also monitored on an
HMI screen. In this monitoring data for sampling for 6 hours, output
lamp shows Green Light is on according to the program in PLC in real
time (Xiaoming et al., 2019). According to Nizam (2022), the higher
water quality is better it to be identified and better growth performance.

4.0 CONCLUSION

In this paper, an implementation Modbus - based pH monitoring using

PLC and HMI in Tilapia fish aquaponics tank is proposed based on HMI
and PLC, focus on reading parameter in Modbus RS485 for sending
data to PLC in real time. An intelligent measurement and control system
based on PLC and HMI. The collection reading data shows that the
measurement and control system is stable. A stable and appropriate
pH level is essential for sustaining the system's overall stability.
Deviations from the ideal pH range may indicate alterations in water
chemistry, such as excessive ammonia levels, insufficient biological
filtration, or insufficient nutrient availability. By monitoring pH levels,

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aquaponic practitioners can quickly detect and resolve these issues,
ensuring a healthy and growing ecosystem agreed by Sace et al.
(2013). pH water sensors provide valuable data for the purposes of
analysis and trend monitoring. By recording pH readings real
time aquaponics practitioners can identify patterns and trends in pH
fluctuations. This information can be used to optimize system
management and make informed decisions about system adjustments,
nutrient supplementation, and system health in general.

REFERENCE

A. Anvari, J. D. Reyes, E. Esmaeilzadeh, A. Jarvandi, N. Langley

and K. R. Navia. (2009). "Designing an automated water quality
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Expert Answer Database. (2023). Retrieved from http//www. chegg

.com

J. B. G. Ibarra et al. (2018)."Water quality monitoring system using 3g

network", J. Telecommun. Electron. Comput. Eng., vol. 10, no.
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Masrul Nizam Mahmod, Mastura Ramli, Ahmad Daud Om. (2020)

“Development of CENTS-RAS system using PLC improve
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R. Sallenave. (2016). “Important water quality parameters in

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Sace, Chito & Fitzsimmons, Kevin. (2013). Vegetable production in a

recirculating Aquaponics using Nile tilapia (Oreochromis
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