International Journal of Latest Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJLTET)

Automation of Instrument Air Dryer Control

Using PLC
N.Sangeetha
Assistant professor
Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
Saveetha Engineering College, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India

S.Hemalatha
UG student
Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
Saveetha Engineering College, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India

P.Kiruthiga
UG student
Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
Saveetha Engineering College, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India

C.Krithika Pandy
UG student
Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
Saveetha Engineering College, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
Abstract-The project Automation of instrument air dryer control system using PLC is designed to develop the technique
in order to modernize the instrument air dryer system which is implemented using PLC. The project is designed so that
the manual operation gets reduced. Automation of the process would provide regular time based drying of the instrument
air as well as the ability to initiate dry sequence automatically. In this project drying and regeneration operation is being
controlled on a regular time basis. Thermodynamics of adsorption is the principle underlying the drying operation. A
four way valve is provided to redirect the operation from dryer to regenerator after a specified time limit. Earlier
relay logic is employed in this type of operation. But relay logic brings in lot of problems during trip off conditions. The
case becomes even worse to detect a problem in complex conditions. Hence, a decision has been made to incorporate the
drying operation using ladder logic. Conditional logic is being used in PLC programming. It is based on developing
ladder diagram for a sequence of four outputs such as thermostat output, dryer/regenerator output and drain valve
output and controlling the operation using PLC.

Keywords Relay board, SMPS, Delta PLC, WPLSoft, Heater, Thermostat, DC Motor, Solenoid valve.

I. INTRODUCTION
The project Automation of Instrument Air Dryer Control System using PLC is developed by conducting a
complete analysis of the current system. The results of complete analysis of current system reveal that the current
system faces problems due to manual regeneration. The dryer system used in the power plants is desiccant dryer.
Desiccant dryer uses absorbing materials such as silica gel or activated alumina to remove moisture from the air.
The earlier system which exists now uses relay logic. The relay is a switch with multiple contacts that is operated
when the coil is energized. So, if there is a problem with dryer or if it trips off, the process becomes more tedious
and complex. Then the equipment is evaluated and the alternatives are designed. The PLC scans its inputs and
depending on the program, switches on or off for various combinations of inputs. The logic state of the output
depends on the input conditions and hence the term conditional logic is being used.

Vol. 5 Issue 2 March 2015

365

ISSN: 2278-621X

International Journal of Latest Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJLTET)

II. PROPOSED ALGORITHM

So the proposed method to overcome the disadvantages of relay logic is constructing ladder logic. The
ladder logic offers many advantages like it is easy to troubleshoot, cost effective and easy shutting off power without
a switch. Circuits created using relay logic are simple and more reliable. This increases the life of products that
incorporate them, from mechanical parts to electrical outlets. Ladder logic programming is also versatile. The actual
logic of the control system is established inside the PLC by means of computer program. This program dictates
which output gets energized under which input condition although the program itself appear to be a ladder logic
diagram, with the switch and relay symbols, there are no actual switch contacts or relay coils operating inside the
PLC to create the logic and relationship between input and output .
III. EXPERIMENT AND RESULT
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION

HARDWARE SECTION

THERMOSTAT
OUTPUT

CONTROL SECTION

MONITORING
SECTION

RELAY BOARD

DRYER/
REGENERATOR
VALVE

PLC

SOFTWARE
SMPS
WPLSOFT

DRAIN VALVE

Figure 1.Block Diagram

HARDWARE SECTION
The hardware section generally consists of real time outputs .It comprises of thermostat, heater, drain valve
control dryer and regenerator valve control.
The hardware components used are
Heater coils.
Thermostat s101
Dryer and regenerator cylinder.
Solenoid valve 24v/1.5A
Dc motor 12v for valve operations.
Pipes for connection
The hardware section each comprises of different operation
HEATER
The heater is used in order to activate the adsorbent element in the desiccant bed. The heater used is a coil
made up of mica which dissipates heat quickly.

Vol. 5 Issue 2 March 2015

366

ISSN: 2278-621X

International Journal of Latest Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJLTET)

THERMOSTAT
The thermostat is used to detect the heater output .It is a manual reset thermostat. The power supply ranges
about 12VAC/1A.
SOLENOID VALVE
The drain valve is controlled with the help of the solenoid valve for releasing moisture content in the bed.
DC MOTOR
The 12V DC motor is used in the closing and opening of the dryer and regenerator valve.
CONTROL SECTION
The control section helps in regulation of total dryer operation .It controls the operation with the help of
variations in power supply. The hardware components used are
Relay Board
Delta PLC
SMPS
RELAY BOARD
The relay board is used for protection purpose. It helps to trip the contact if there is back flow of current.
DELTA PLC
It is a 14 a pin PLC .It controls the overall dryer process. The delta PLC consists of 8 input pin and 6 output
pin.
SMPS
A switched-mode power supply is an electronic power supply that incorporates a switching regulator to
convert electrical power efficiently
.
MONITORING SECTION
The monitoring operation of air dryer and the changeover is designed using
WPL soft
DVP10-AB series

software

WPL soft
It is software which is used in developing the ladder diagram. It helps in loading the program as well as in
controlling the dryer operation.
DVP10-AB series
It is the monitoring section and it helps in viewing the operation in graphical display. They help in
identifying malfunction in operations during emergency.
IMPLEMENTATION OF LADDER LOGIC
Step 1: When the input X0 is given, two valves and one heater are energized. The two valves comprise mainly of
dryer and regenerator valve.

Vol. 5 Issue 2 March 2015

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ISSN: 2278-621X

International Journal of Latest Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJLTET)

Step 2: Dryer valve is made to open for duration of 8 hours when the coil is energized.The heater is ON for 4 hours
and it trips off after the time lapse
Step3: The switching ON of heater is done only when the required set point is reached and time limit is reached.
Step 4: The drain valve is opened and closed for every 45 minutes in order to remove the moisture content in the
desiccant bed.
Step5: At the end of 8 hours, dryer valve gets de-energized and the closing of dryer valve occurs simultaneously and
the energization of the regenerator valve occurs. The drying process takes place in the regenerator
Step6:.In the dryer, the saturated alumina is reused with the help of the hot air and the moisture content is collected
near the drain valve. The periodic release of the moisture is done using the drain valve.
Step 7: The process is repeated continuously
RESULT
The instrument air dryer is controlled based on the instructions given and trouble shooting is simple and
easy. Thus the results obtained appear fairly satisfactorily, considering the small data sets that it was possible to
operate in power plants.
WHEN THE INPUT COIL IS ENERGISED

Figure 2 Input Coil Energised

When the input x0 is energized the Y0 the dryer valve output is energized. The Y0 is energized up to 1200ms.The
heater output Y2 and drain valve output Y3 is energized simultaneously.

DRYER/REGENERATOR VALVE OPERATION

Vol. 5 Issue 2 March 2015

368

ISSN: 2278-621X

International Journal of Latest Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJLTET)

Figure 3 Drying operation

Figure 4 Regenerative Operation

After a Delay of 1200ms .The regenerator valve gets energized. The operation occurs for 600ms .The drain valve
operation of energizing and reenergizing occurs for every 600ms. The heater ON and OFF occurs for every 600ms.
IV.CONCLUSION
Thus this project provides an efficient way to operate an air dryer control system. It reduces manual
regeneration and enhances better productivity. Thus the automation in air dryer systems provides better throughput.
It provides improved quality and also paves way for increased predictability of quality. It provides increased
robustness or consistency of the process. It also increases consistency of the output. It reduces human labor cost and
expenses. The frequent tripping problems are avoided. It reduces operation time and work handling time
significantly. It frees up workers to take on other roles. It replaces humans task done in dangerous environments. It
also replaces human operators in tasks involving heavy and monotonous work.

Vol. 5 Issue 2 March 2015

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ISSN: 2278-621X

International Journal of Latest Trends in Engineering and Technology (IJLTET)

The project can be further developed by controlling the dryer process based on dew point level. This
reduces the fuel consumption and also improves the efficiency of drying process.
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ISSN: 2278-621X