TITLE OF THE TASK

BOILER CONTROLLER USING LABVIEW

BANNARI AMMAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

(An Autonomous Institution Affiliated to Anna University, Chennai)
SATHYAMANGALAM-638401

JUNE 2020

Submitted by
SATHISH KUMAR S
191ME549
 ABSTRACT

This work describes a framework of ON/OFF, proportional and PID temperature controller

systems. The design and implementation of this process is done using LABVIEW software. The

project involves includes data acquisition, data processing and the display of data.

A ON/OFF controller is designed to measure temperature and the LABVIEW virtual instrument

is used to control the temperature and ensure that the temperature does not go beyond a certain set

point.

Feedback control is used in industry to improve and regulate response and result of a number of

processes and systems. This project gives us an idea about the development and design of a

feedback control system that keeps the temperature of the process at a predefined set point. The

system contains data acquisition unit that gives input and output interfaces in between the PC, the

sensor circuit and hardware. A proportional, integral, and derivative controller is implemented

using LabVIEW. The project provides details about the data acquisition unit, the implementation

of the controller and also presents test results.

 LIST OF ACRONYMS
P Proportional

PI Proportional Integral

PD Proportional Derivative

PID Proportional Integral Derivative

LabVIEW Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench

VIs Virtual Instruments

IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION TO LABVIEW

LabVIEW TM (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench), a product of National

InstrumentsTM, is a powerful software system that accommodates data acquisition, instrument

control, data processing and data presentation. LabVIEW which can run on PC under Windows, Sun

SPARstations as well as on Apple Macintosh computers, uses graphical programming language (G

language) departing from the traditional high level languages such as the C language, Pascal or

Basic. All LabVIEW graphical programs, called Virtual Instruments or simply VIs, contains a Front

Panel and a Block Diagram. Front Panel has various controls and indicators while the Block Diagram

consists of a variety of functions. The functions (icons) are wired inside the Block Diagram where

the wires represent the flow of data. The execution of a VI is data dependant which means that a

node inside the Block Diagram will execute only if the data is available at each input terminal of

that node. By contrast, the execution of programs such as the C language program, follow the order

in which the instructions are written.

LabVIEW manages data acquisition, analysis and presentation into one system. For acquiring data

and controlling instruments, LabVIEW supports IEEE-488 (GPIB) and RS-232 protocols as well as

other D/A and A/D and digital I/O interface boards. The Analysis Library offers the user a

comprehensive array of resources for signal processing, statistical analysis ,filtering, linear algebra

and many others. LabVIEW also supports the TCP/IP protocol for exchanging data between the

server and the client. LabVIEW v.5 also supports Active X Control allowing the user to control a

Web Browser object.

The version used for our project is LabVIEW 2010

1.2 DATA ACQUSITION USING LABVIEW

Data acquisition (DAQ) is the process of acquiring an electrical or physical phenomenon such as

voltage,current, temperature, sounds or pressure with a computer. A DAQ system consists of a

DAQ card or sensor, hardware from which data is to be acquired and a computer with associated

software. A DAQ card has various features which can be designed for different purposes. For data

involving very high accuracy the sampling rate of the card should be high enough to reconstruct

the signal that appears in the computer. NI USB-6363 DAQ can be used to get data related to

impulse voltage which require very high accuracy. Sampling rate of this card is 2MS/s

(megasamples per second). This DAQ can be used in variety of platform like Microsoft windows,

MAC, and Linux etc. For acquiring data from high voltage system, first the system parameters

should be scaled down to values supported by the DAQ card.

CHAPTER 2

ON/OFF TEMPERATURE
CONTROLLER
2.1 SYSTEM OVERVIEW

A control system consists of components and circuits that work together to maintain the process at

a desired operating point. Every home or an industrial plant has a temperature control that

maintains the temperature at the thermostat setting. In industry, a control system may be used to

regulate some aspect of production of parts or to maintain the speed of a motor at a desired level.

Although a control system can be of open loop type, it is more common to use negative feedback.

The block diagram shown in Fig. 2.1a illustrates the basic structure of a typical closed loop control

system. The Process represents any physical characteristic that must be maintained at the desired

operating point. In this paper, it is the temperature that is to be maintained at the desired value.

The purpose of feedback is to provide the actual or the current value of process variable. In this

application a solid state temperature sensor is used to monitor the temperature. It outputs a voltage

that is too small for practical purpose, typically in the millivolt range. The signal conditioning block

that follows amplifies this signal to a useful level. The signal conditioning block may also be used

for calibration purposes by scaling the voltage from the sensor to the corresponding temperature.

The output from the signal conditioning block is designated in Fig 2.1(a) as VPV, the current value
of the Process variable. The Set Point, designated as VSP, represents the user input. It is the desired

value of the Process Variable, temperature in this application. The two signals, VPV and VSP are

applied to the difference amplifier whose output is the Error signal VE = VSP – VPV.

The Controller block in Fig.2.1 a is the heart of a control system. It accepts the Error signal VE

and produces an appropriate output. In practice a control may be one of several types: ON/OFF,

Proportional, Proportional plus Integral or Proportional plus Integral plus Derivative (PID). These

controllers differ in the manner in which they operate or process the Error signal.

Fig 2.1(a) Closed Loop Control System

(b) Hysterisis Loop
The use of negative feedback is the key to the proper operation of a control system. Consider the

operation of the ON/OFF control system depicted in Fig. 1b. The object of the temperature control

system described in this paper is to provide air condition (cooling) control. Suppose that the

Controller is OFF (VCO = 0V), providing no cooling. The operating point is now on the bottom

part of the hysteresis curve in Fig 2.1b. This results in increasing temperature and also in increasing

VPV. The Error signal VE = VSP -VPV is decreasing since VSP does not change. VE continues

to decrease until VE =VE (MIN). At this point the controller switches ON (VCO =

+5V) and drives the actuator (fan) in this experiment) which provides cooling. The Error signal

now begins to increase because VPV is dropping. It continues to increase until VE = VE(MAX).

At this point the Controller switches OFF, shutting OFF the fan and the cycle repeats. The

difference VE (MAX) - VE (MIN) is called the dead band. It is the range of the Error signal in

which the controller is either ON or OFF. No regulation of the Process Variable occurs inside this

range. The dead band is necessary because without it the system will oscillate constantly between

ON and OFF operating states.

2.2 SYSTEM HARDWARE

The data acquisition board (DAQ board) serves as the interface between the computer and the real

world as shown by a block diagram in Fig. 2.2. It is installed in the PC that operates under

Windows. In this application MIO-16E -10 board was used. Channel. 0, one of the analog input

channels, is wired to the external temperature sensor. Channel.1 is wired to the D/A Ch.0, one of

the DAC output ports, and also to the fan. Thus the current temperature data is coming into

computer via analog input Channel. 0 and the control signal that controls the operation of the fan
comes from the computer via D/A output Ch.0. In addition, analog input Channel.1 monitors the

operation of the fan as it receives the same signal from the computer as does the fan.

Fig 2.2 System Hardware Block Diagram of ON/OFF control

2.3 SYSTEM SOFTWARE

Analog input data acquisition options include: immediate single point input and

waveform input. In using the immediate single point input option, data is acquired one point at a

time. Software time delay to time the acquisition of the data points, which is typically used with

this option, makes this process somewhat slow.

Waveform input data acquisition is buffered and hardware timed. The timing is provided by the

hardware clock that is activated to guide the acquired data points quickly and accurately. The

acquired data is stored temporarily in the memory buffer until it is retrieved by the data acquiring

VI.

The temperature control application described in this article uses two Easy VIs. The AI Sample

Channel.vi is used to acquire data from Analog Input Channels 0 and 1 while AO Update

Channel.vi outputs 0 V or +5 V to D/A channel 0 to control the operation of the fan.

2.3.1 FRONT PANEL

All programs which are written inside the LabVIEW environment are called VIs. Each VI consists

of a Front Panel and a Block Diagram. The Front Panel includes various controls and indicators

while the Block Diagram contains various functions and other VIs, that are interwired among

themselves. Shown in Fig 2.3 is the Front Panel of the temperature control VI.
As shown, the Front Panel includes two Waveform Charts and other objects. The top Waveform

Chart displays the error signal (the difference between the set point and the process variable), and

the bottom chart displays VCO, the Controller status.

Other objects inside the Front Panel includes the recessed box with two digital controls. They are

used by the operator to input the Set Point (VSP) value of and the scaling factor (T Calibrate)

which converts the temperature sensor output from millivolts to degrees F. The thermometer

indicator measures the current temperature and the Cooling indicator displays the Controller state

(ON or OFF). The last object in the Front Panel is the Run/Stop switch which is used to initiate

and terminate the VI execution.

Fig 2.3 Front Panel of ON/OFF Control

2.3.2 BLOCK DIAGRAM

The Block Diagram is the graphical program that shows the data flow of the temperature control

operation. Unlike a high level language program, like the C language where instructions are

executed in the order that they are written, the execution of a LabVIEW VI depends solely upon

the flow of data: a particular object inside the Block Diagram will execute only if data is available

or present at all its input terminals. The execution continues at each node that has the data.

Fig 2.5 shows the details of the Block Diagram which can be used to describe the operation of the

ON/OFF controller while Fig 2.4 shows the hysteresis of the ON/FF Controller operation as the

Error signal varies between –2oF and +2oF.

The operation begins with a check on whether the Controller is ON or OFF. This is accomplished

with VI 2 (AI Sample Channel.vi) and the comparator C1. The output of C1 is either TRUE or

FALSE. If TRUE, then the Controller is OFF, and if FALSE then the Controller is ON. VI 2 takes

its input from Channel 1 of Device 1 (DAQ Board number). As described earlier, analog input

Channel 1 is physically wired to DAC output Ch. 0 which controls the operation of the fan. Thus

by testing the DAC output Ch. 0, we can determine whether the Controller is ON or OFF.

This will place the Controller operating point either on the lower segment or the upper segment of

the hysteresis loop.

Fig 2.4 Hysterisis Loop of ON/OFF control
 Fig 2.5 Overview of the Block Diagram for ON/OFF control

At this time V1, M1 and S1 determine the value of the Error signal (VE). V1 takes the temperature

sample from the analog input Ch. 0 to which the temperature sensor is wired. M1 multiplies the

temperature sample by the scaling factor (T Calibrate) and S1 subtracts this value from the Front

Panel digital control Set Point (VSP) . The result is the Error signal.
The Controller has to make a decision whether to turn the fan ON or OFF. This decision making

process is implemented with nested Boolean Case structures. The reader should follow the

hysteresis loop in Fig 2.4 and the code in Boolean Cases 1, 2 and 3.

If the output from Comparator C1 is TRUE, then the True frame of Boolean Case 1 will be

executed. The Controller must be OFF and its operating point is on the lower segment of the

hysteresis loop in Fig. 4. We must check next if the Error signal is greater than –2oF. This is done

inside the True frame of Boolean Case 1. If the Error signal is greater than –2oF, then the True

frame of Boolean Case 2 outputs 0V, keeping the fan OFF. But if the error signal is equal to or

less than –2oF, then the False frame of Boolean Case 2 outputs +5v to turn the fan ON.

If C1 output is FALSE, the Controller must be ON. Comparator C3 inside the False frame of

Boolean Case 1 checks the Error signal if it is less than +2oF. If TRUE, the True frame of Boolean

Case 3 outputs +5 V to keep the fan ON. And if FALSE then the False frame of Boolean Case 3

outputs 0v thus switching the fan OFF.

This operation is inside the While Loop which is enabled by the RUN/STOP switch in the Front

Panel. As long as the switch is in the RUN position, its terminal counterpart in the Block Diagram

outputs a TRUE to the condition terminal keeping the While Loop enabled; a FALSE disables the

While Loop. As long the While Loop is enabled, the code inside the loop is repeatedly executed.

This results in acquiring a temperature sample once a second. To stop the operation, the user must

click on the RUN/STOP switch.

The two Waveform Charts in the Front Panel show the error signal and the Controller Output . The

Wait Until Next ms Multiple function provides 1 s time delay between the data points.

2.4 CONCLUSION

The system described in this article is a prototype that mimics the operation of a large air

conditioning system. Within the constraints of the design and the limits of the physical

configuration, the system performed within the design limits. The dead band was set to ± 2oF which

makes the Controller switch at +2oF at the upper end, and -2oF at the lower end.

The rate of cooling achieved by this application was estimated to be approximately 1 minute to

cool the air around the temperature sensor from 76 to 72oF. Its accurate determination was not

done because it depends on many factors such as the volume to be cooled, enclosure and its

insulating properties and other factors.

CHAPTER 3

PROPORTIONAL AND PID

TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER

This chapter describes the functioning and operation of proportional and PID temperature

controllers.

3.1 SYSTEM OVERVIEW

To observe the working of the system a heating element which gives off constant heat was used.

The surface temperature of the heating element is controlled by varying the amount of cooling

received. A small electric fan is positioned directly in line with the heating element in such a way

that cool air is forced over it. The amount of heat transferred from the heating element is directly

proportional to the rate of air flowing over it. We monitor the surface temperature of the element

and control it by changing the speed of the cooling fan.

3.1.1 DAQ SYSTEM

The system uses a data acquisition system (DAQ) which is connected to a PC in the lab. It gains

input from the process and gives out output signals to the control element. A control algorithm is

implemented on the PC which is connected to the DAQ system. LabVIEW software from National

Instruments is used to design the custom data acquisition and control program. The program
measures the temperature from the process, compares it to a predefined set point, and

issues the desired control signal to the final control element. The signal controls the rotation speed

of the fan used. The fan rotation speed decides the air flow rate over the heating element.

Fig 3.1 System Block Diagram for PID control

The DAQ device joins together the SCXI chassis and modules to the PC. It performs the A to D

and D to A conversion required for interfacing the I/O signals to the PC. The card used is a NI

6040E PCI card. It has 16 analog inputs, two 24-bit counter/timers, 2 analog outputs and 8 digital

I/O lines.

3.1.2 SYSTEM CHASIS

The SCXI-1000 is a 4-slot chassis which can power and control up to four modules. It is

expandable and can allow more than one chassis to be chained as single system. The chassis gives

power to the modules and a communication bus which is connected to the PC.

3.1.3 ANALOG INPUT

The analog input is a SCXI-1102C 32-Channel Input Module. It is very convenient for measuring

small current and voltage inputs, and consists of a Cold Junction Compensation circuit which is

used with thermocouple sensors. Connected to the front of the SCXI-1102C is a terminal block.

This block provides the wiring terminals to which external signals are connected.

3.1.4 ANALOG OUTPUT

For analog output, a SCXI-1124 6-Channel Analog Output Module is used. It can provide up to

six channels of slowly changing DC voltage or current signals. The output voltage range is selected

using software with the maximum swing in between ±10 volts.

3.2 SYSTEM HARDWARE

3.2.1 SYSTEM POWER

To provide power to the electronics and fan, a 12-volt DC supply is used. A voltage regulator IC

can be used to provide the positive 12-volt supply that runs the fan and op-amp circuits. As a
result, only one external power connection is required. A connection to a 15-volt power supply is

what is needed to supply a regulated 12-volt supply to the entire circuit.

3.2.2 HEAT CIRCUIT

A resistance heater circuit is used as the system heating element. It is made by wiring two 270Ω

resistors in parallel. These resistors are connected directly to the 12-volt DC power supply. When

the resistors heat up, they dissipate 1.2 Watts of power. Almost all of this is given up as heat . It is

a simple way to model a heat dissipating source that can reach 160° F.

3.2.3 TEMPERATURE SENSOR

A temperature sensor is connected to the surface of the heating element. This sensor provides

feedback to the control system. The temperature sensor used is a J-type thermocouple sensor which

is commonly used in industry. It can sense temperatures ranging from 32-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is suitably designed for use with the SCXI system as the signal conditioning system can take

care of the cold junction compensation and the scaling which is required to get an accurate

temperature measurement in degrees Fahrenheit.

3.2.4 FAN INTERFACE CIRCUIT

A custom interface circuit is required to control the DC fan. The easiest way would be to join the

fan directly to the SCXI-1124 output module. Unfortunately, this is not possible for a variety of

reasons. First, the module is not designed to hande the amount of current required for the fan to

operate. The fan is designed to function at 12 volts DC and around 60mA of current. When it is

used as a voltage source, the module can give at most 5mA of current. So, an interface circuit is

required for the fan to work properly. The circuit should be able to provide the power required by

the fan. Even if the module is able to deliver the current needed, the module’s voltage range is

different from that of the fan

Fig 3.2 Interface circuit for DC fan

The simplest method is to vary the input voltage provided to the fan in between its maximum and

minimum values. This means varying the voltage between 0-12 volts. The easiest method is to use

an adjustable voltage regulator. A typical regulator provides up to 1 Amp of current which is

enough to power the fan. But the problem associated with this method is that a large amount of
power is misspent in the form of heat dissipated by the regulator. The fan is also designed to

operate under its full supply of 12 volts. Running the fan at voltages below this shortens the life of

the DC motor.

3.3 SYSTEM SOFTWARE

The software integrates easily with the data acquisition software and measurement products from

NI. When used with the SCXI system, it results in very quick development of powerful control

applications.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of the LabVIEW system is that it contains hundreds of VI’s which

are ready to use in a custom program. In the designof this project we took full advantage of these

ready-made VI’s for acquistion, control, and analysis.

3.3.1 FRONT PANEL

The front panel allows us to control and monitor the process. It consists of software controls and

indicators that resemble physical controls such as LEDs, sliders, buttons, and charts. Shown below

as Figure 3.3 is a screenshot of the front panel of our project.

 Fig 3.3 Front Panel for PID control

The temperature of the process is shown in a thermometer-style indicator. It is also recorded on a

strip chart. The strip chart also consists of the set point value. By displaying both measured values

and set point on the strip chart, one can easily visualize how the system responds to any change in

the set point. This is very helpful when determining the correct PID constants. It also has a slider

for manually adjusting the fan speed and one to control the temperature set point required for

automatic control. A toggle switch is used to switch between automatic and manual control. There

is a dial control which sets the sampling rate. It controls the speed of the software loop. The PID

values can be inputted in a numerical control box. Below the PID control boxes are two push button

switches. The one marked Autotune begins an automatic tuning routine. The routine tries to find

the most optimum values for P, I, and D by using the Zeigler-Nichols ultimate gain method. After

this, the new PID values are then automatically entered into the control box.

3.3.2 BLOCK DIAGRAM

 Fig 3.4 Block Diagram for PID control

The block diagram shown above is a graphical representation of the software program.

It has several icons that show typical programming elements which include constants,

variables, subroutines, and loops.

4. VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTATION:
Standard virtual instrumentation software is structured effectively to perform both user -end and
process /machine level tasks. The user process takes care of all the front-end functions that graphical
programs can be developed, modified and redeployed to absorb maximum human flexibility as
required in a teaching or training environment. The graphical software creates virtual instruments
(VIs) developing block-diagrams using nodes, terminals and wires. With the icon/connector, a VI can
be used as a Sub VI in the block diagram of another VI. All advanced programming techniques with
add-on tools and libraries can be graphically represented with a minimum number of coding-hours in
this environment. The web interface and interactivity in the deployed VI modules has used Control
Design and Simulation module linked to LabVIEW.

4.1 PROCESS:
Super heater coils is the highest temperature point used in a boiler to generate saturated steam and
also removes the moisture content present in the steam when temperature increases. Water wall tubes
are the steam generating tubes where the water gets evaporated into steam. Deaerators are used to
remove oxygen content present in feed water which causes erosion and corrosion. Economizer is a
heat recovery unit used downstream of the boiler bank to preheat the feed water absorbing heat from
the hot exhaust gas.
4.2 MODELING:
The most important aspect of any system is the theoretical analysis, which is a key for the prediction
of the system being developed. Keeping this in mind the boiler equations were formulated and toolkits
like Control, design and Simulation were used in order to study the dependencies of the input variables
to the output variables. LabVIEW platform provides ease of analysis at your desktop. The
mathematical equation for the analysis of the tube boiler type has been provided as follows:
Mass balance equation for the steam in the drum :
d/dt (ℓs.Vs) =Xr.q-qs
Mass balance equation for the water in the system:
d/dt (ℓw.Vw) = qfw – qs
Mass balance equation for the steam in the risers:
d/dt (ℓs.a. Vr) = P/hc –Xr.q
The circulation flow q is given by the momentum balance:
(ℓw -ℓs) =k.q2
where a-average steam quality in risers (volume ratio),hc-evaporation enthalpy of water (J/Kg),k-
friction coefficient in downcomer riser loop,q-circulation flow (Kg/s),qfw-feed water flow (Kg/s),qs-
steam flow (Kg/s),ℓs-steam density (Kg/m3 ),ℓw-water density (Kg/m3 ),Vr- volume of risers (m3
),Vs-volume of steam in drum (m3 ),Vw-volume of water in drum downcomers and risers (m3 ),P-
power supplied to water in riser from fuel (W),Xr-average steam quality at riser outlet (mass ratio).

BLOCK DIAGRAM:

Fig 4.2 Block Diagram

5. EXPLAN ABOUT THE TASK:
5.1 COMPONENTS OF BOILER CONTROLLER:
1.Induced draft fan -It pulls air through the boiler producing a negative pressure in the furnace, thus
creating draft control.
2.Forced draft fan-A fan is used to force air into the boiler to provide more air for combustion.It is
used basically for providing the required quantity of hot air to the furnace for smooth and uniform
combustion of fuel. FD fans will produce the positive pressure inside the system i.e. furnace.
3.Fuel control valve-Controls the flow of fuel to the boiler while it is running. This control has a
maximum and minimum allowed value while the boiler is running.
4.Fuel Level-Sensor on the boiler that indicates the flow of fuel to the boiler as a percentage of its
maximum.
5.Pilot decrement-Time (in milliseconds) for the pilot flame level to decrease by 1% while the boiler
is shutting down.
6.Primary Fan-Generates air flow during purge cycles. A sensor on the boiler that indicates when
the primary fan is on.
7.Proving the pilot-Process for ensuring that the pilot flame level reaches a predefined safety
threshold before turning on the forced draft fan and starting the flow of fuel to the boiler.
8.Purge cycle-A safety process for removing any combustible gasses that may have accumulated in
the combustion chamber. The purge cycle typically runs before starting the boiler and during
shutdown.
9.Purge Time-Duration of the purge cycle. During this time, the primary fan remains on.
10.Run interlock-A safety mechanism that ensures the boiler is in a safe state before beginning the
start-up sequence. A sensor on the boiler indicates when the run interlock requirements have been
satisfied.
➢ The user interacts with controls on the front panel to start up and shut down the boiler and
simulate conditions in the system.
➢ Indicators on the front panel display the status and the current step in the start-up and shutdown
process.
➢ The controller also logs events as they occur during the process.
➢ The boiler controller allows a user to start up and shut down a boiler.

5.3 PROCEDURE TO USE THE SIMULATION TOOL:

The Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) is a development
environment designed by National Instruments that creates graphic-based programs called virtual
instruments (VIs) that simulate actual laboratory instruments. A VI consists of two parts: a front panel
and a back panel.
● The front panel- allows the user to interact with the VI by displaying outputs and allows the
user to supply the program with inputs.The front panel is built using controls and indicators.
 ● The back panel- consists of the code used by the VI to obtain inputs from the front panel,
operate on the inputs, and display the results.The back panel, which is also known as the block
diagram, contains the graphic-based source code.
● Controls are inputs that allow a user to supply information to the VI.It can be switches, knobs,
dials, and buttons.
● Indicators are outputs that display the results based on the inputs given to the VI.It can be
meters, gauges, LEDs, and displays. These are located on the Controls palette and are placed
on the front panel.
The environment of the back panel is navigated using the Tools palette. The icons in colored boxed
will be used in this experiment. The operational tool changes the value of a control. The positional
tool positions, resizes, and selects objects. The labelling tool is used to create and edit all labels in the
VI, such as the name of a Boolean control. The wiring tool wires objects together on the back panel.
The scrolling tool allows scrolling the window by clicking and dragging. All of the objects placed on
the front panel will appear on the back panel as terminals. Terminals are the ports that exchange
information between the front panel and back panel, and appear with small triangles in the icons to
indicate that they can be used to process information A control terminal has the triangle to the right
to indicate that it sends data to be processed. An indicator terminal has the triangle to the left to
indicate that it receives data. The back panel also contains structures and functions that perform
operations on controls and supply data to indicators. Structures and functions are found on the
Functions palette and are placed on the back panel. Structures are process control elements, such as
while loops and for loops. The structure to be used in this experiment is the case structure which is
essentially multiple if-statements. A case structure contains multiple sub diagrams, and a case will be
executed depending on the input to the case structure. Item 1 is the selector label, which displays the
input value for which the associated case will execute. The black arrows on the side of the selector
label toggle between the different cases. Item 2 is the area for the code that executes for the specific
input in the selector label. When the selector label is toggled, the code in this area will also change.
Item 3 is the case selector, which gives the input value to the case structure. The data type that is
wired to the case selector will determine the possible cases. For example, if a Boolean data type is
wired to the case selector, the possible cases will only be true and false.
Functions are the fundamental operating elements of LabVIEW, and have input and output terminals
to pass data in and out. They are indicated by a pale-yellow background in the icon. Functions have a
certain number of inputs and outputs, depending on the type of function. For example, the addition
function has two inputs as it will add the two inputs together, and it will have one output, which is the
sum of the inputs. The inputs are wired to the left side of the function, and the outputs are wired to
the right side of the function. The number of inputs and outputs of a function can be observed by
hovering over the icon with the wiring tool and observing the terminals that appear. Collectively,
controls, indicators, structures, and functions are referred to as nodes. Nodes are connected to one
another using the wiring tool. For example, two controls and an indicator can be wired to the addition
function so that the indicator displays the sum of the two controls. The toolbar at the top of the front
panel is used to execute and stop the program. The run tool (white arrow) runs the program once. The
run continuously tool (two white arrows in a circle) keeps the program running continuously until the
program is paused or stopped. This tool should be used when executing programs in this experiment.
The abort execution tool (red stop sign) stops the VI immediately.
The pause button (two vertical black rectangles) pauses the program, and can be clicked again to
continue the program. National Instruments' Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation
Suite (NI ELVIS) board is one solution LabVIEW can utilize to physically interface with external
devices. It is a modular engineering device that includes a breadboard, power supply, ground,
thermocouple, oscilloscope, function analyser, and other common lab instruments. In this experiment,
an NI ELVIS board will be used to provide inputs and display outputs for the VIs that will be created.

6. OUTPUT OF THE TASK:

FRONT END:

Fig 6.1 Front End

BACK END:

Fig 6.2 Back End

CONCLUSION:

In this thesis, temperature control system is designed with different controller by using Circuit

Design and Simulation tool in LabVIEW. Different controllers used are On/Off, Proportional (P),

Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) to design the controller for boiler. Comparison between the

performances of different controllers is studied and as a result the response of PID controller is

more accurate than other controllers. So, this controller is selected for the temperature control

system.

Also, all types of controllers are designed in LabVIEW. There may be other softwares used for

designing control system but LabVIEW is the simplest of them all. It is because it uses the drag
and drop principle, it doesn’t need any code to run the software since it follows graphical coding.

e.g. for a while loop we simply make a box inside which the contents of the are taken.

REFERENCE

1. Basic Concepts of LabVIEW 4 by L. Sokoloff, Prentice Hall, 1997.

2. Analog and Digital Control Systems, by R. Gayakwad and L. Sokoloff, Prentice Hall, 1988.

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