Automation of Belt Conveyor System

International Journal of Emerging Technology in Computer Science & Electronics (IJETCSE)
ISSN: 0976-1353 Volume 23 Issue 6 –OCTOBER 2016 (SPECIAL ISSUE)
Automation of Belt Conveyor System

Sanjeev Kumar Patti S Nagendra Prasad
Final Year M.Tech (CAID) Student Associate Professor
Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering
The NIE, Mysuru-08 The NIE, Mysuru-08
(Autonomous Institute under VTU, Belagavi) (Autonomous Institute under VTU, Belagavi)
Abstract - In this paper, a multi load on a multiple belt A PLC is a microprocessor-based device, designed for
conveyor system (BCS) is considered for implementation of automating processes in industrial environments [1, 6-7]. It
automated control system using PLC to ensure proper belt uses a programmable memory for the internal storage of user-
conveyor for steady and safe operation. The closed loop orientated instructions for implementing specific functions
control system uses motor current as the feedback signal. such as arithmetic, counting, logic, sequencing, and timing. A
The current changes with the load and changes the control PLC can be programmed to sense, activate and control
signals for steady operation in real time. A control strategy is industrial equipment and therefore, incorporates a number of
implemented to control the speed of a motor-driven belt I/O pins, which allow electrical signals to be interfaced. Input
conveyor by maintaining v/f a constant. The use of variable devices and output devices of the process are connected to the
frequency drive improves performance and productivity. PLC and the control program is entered into the PLC memory
by PLC software.
Index Terms - Programmable Logic Control (PLC),
Variable Frequency Drive (VFD), Belt Conveyor System A. Literature Survey:
(BCS), Ladder Diagram (LD), Human Machine Interface
(HMI) • Maria G. Ioannides [1] has discussed the
implementation of a monitoring and control system for the
I. INTRODUCTION induction motor based on programmable logic controller
Since technology for motion control of electric drives is (PLC) technology is described. Also, the implementation
available, the use of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) of the hardware and software for speed control and
with power electronics in electric machine applications is used protection with the results obtained from tests on
in the manufacturing and automation [1], [5]-[7]. This offers induction motor performance is provided. The PLC
advantages such as lower voltage drop when turned on with correlates the operational parameters to the speed
near to unity power factor. PLC’s in automation are used to requested by the user and monitors the system during
reduce production cost and to increase quality and reliability. normal operation and under trip conditions. Tests of the
To develop industrial electric drive systems, it is necessary to induction motor system driven by inverter and controlled
use PLCs interfaced with power converters, personal by PLC prove a higher accuracy in speed regulation as
computers, and other electric equipment compared to a conventional V/f control system. The
efficiency of PLC control is increased at high speeds up to
Many applications of induction motors require besides the 95% of the synchronous speed. Thus, PLC proves
motor control functionality, the handling of several specific themselves as a very versatile and effective tool in
analog and digital I/O signals, to name a few: trip signals, industrial control of electric drives.
on/off/reverse commands etc. To make electric drive system
versatile PLC must be added to the system structure. This • D. Sowmiya [2] has discussed the implementation of
paper presents a PLC-based monitoring and control system for monitoring and control of a variable frequency drive
three-phase induction motors used in BCS. It describes the (VFD) fed three phase induction motor (IM) using
design and implementation of the configured hardware and programmable logic controller (PLC) technology for a
software. powder compacting hydraulic press (HP) machine is
described. The PLC co-ordinate the operational
The test results obtained on induction motor performance parameters such as ram down, ram dawdling, ram clasp
using PLC, show improved efficiency and increased accuracy and ram up in HP machine, during the operation. Typical
in variable-load constant-speed-controlled operation [2]. Thus, techniques for three phases IM are commonly provided by
the PLC correlates and controls the operational parameters mechanical and electrical equipment’s, but it has many
such as the speed set point requested by the user and monitors limitations of stator insulation failures and reduces the life
the induction motor for its operation. and efficiency of the system. In this proposed method,
109
new control method based on the PLC has been precision tools. Historically in applications requiring precise
introduced The HP machine Solenoid valves are speed control such as paper winding reels expensive direct
controlled using PLC as per the operation cycle. The current (DC) motors or hydraulic couplings are used to
efficiency of a PLC control is increased at variable speeds regulate the machine speed, whereas in other applications the
and thus increases the power consumption. Thus, the PLC processes have been controlled by opening and closing
proves as a resourceful and effective tool for controlling dampers and valves, or changing output speeds with gears,
industrial electric drives. pulleys, and similar devices whilst the motor works at constant
speed.
II. HARDWARE DESCRIPTION
In the 1980's and 1990's, variable frequency drives started
A. Variable Frequency Drive: appearing on the electric market offering an alternative method
Induction motors operate at fixed designed speeds and are of control. A variable frequency drive, also called as
ideally suited to applications where a constant output speed is adjustable speed drive. The basic working principle is to vary
required. However motor applications have some kind of the frequency and voltage to change the motor's speed and
varying speed demand and this includes processes such as torque output.
moving air and liquids (fans and pumps), winding reels and
Fig. 2 VFD block diagram
Variable frequency drives applied to AC motors are by far majority of VFDs currently in the marketplace use a
the most common [4]. Their basic design consists of four fixed-voltage DC link.
elements (Fig. 2): • Inverter: The inverter converts the rectified and
conditioned DC back into an AC supply of variable
• Converter: The working principle of rectifier is frequency and voltage. This is normally achieved by
changing the incoming alternating current (AC) generating a high frequency pulse width modulated
supply to direct current (DC). Different designs are signal of variable frequency and effective voltage.
available and these are selected according to the Semiconductor switches are used to create the output;
performance required of the variable frequency drive. different types are available, the most common being
The rectifier design will influence the extent to which the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT).
electrical harmonics are induced on the incoming • Control Logic: The control unit controls the whole
supply. It can also control the direction of power operation of the variable frequency drive; it monitors
flow. and controls the rectifier using PWM technique, the
• Intermediate circuit: The rectified DC supply is intermediate circuit and the inverter to deliver the
then conditioned in the intermediate circuit, normally correct output in response to an external control
by a combination of inductors and capacitors. The signal.
110
B. Belt Conveyor System (BCS): • For fixed speed or constant speed conveyors and
The belt is supported along its length by rotating idler conveyor systems: AC induction motors are ideal for
rolls and suspended between pulleys at either end (Fig. 3). A conveyor systems that operate continuously in one
drive pulley is powered to rotate the belt and move the direction while AC reversible motors are ideal for
materials on the belt forward. conveyors that must reverse or change directions
repeatedly.
Selection of motor For BCS Control:
Fig. 3 Cross section of belt conveyor
• For conveyors where the speed needs to controlled or ideal for applications requiring quick positioning over
vary during operation: AC Speed Control Motors as a short distance.
well as Brushless DC Motors (BLDC Motors) that
offer a wide speed control range and constant torque C. Proposed Block Diagram:
regardless of load. As shown in Fig. 4 PLC acts as interface between HMI
• For conveyors that require higher accuracy, and VFD. SMPS is used to convert 3-ϕ AC to 24V DC, which
positioning Stepper Motor and Servo Motor are used. is given as input to PLC. VFD is used for smooth speed
Stepper motors, with their ability to product high control of conveyor belt system. System consists of Conveyor
torque at a low speed while minimizing vibration, are Belt Forward. / Reverse motion and Bowl up / down motion,
which is controlled by VFD. Inputs can be given manually
using push buttons or directly through HMI.
111
Fig. 4 Proposed Block Diagram
D. List of Components: For Furnace outlet

11 Motor 3 3.7 KW, 3ф
control
TABLE 1: For Furnace outlet
LIST OF COMPONENTS 12 Motor 3 3.7 KW, 3ф
control
SL. COMPONENT III. SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

PURPOSE RATING
NO. NAME A. PLC Programming:
6A, 10A, The function of the CPU is to control the operation of
1 MCB Protection memory and I/O devices and to process data according to the
16A 3ф
To limit fluctuations 6A, 12.5A program. Each input and output connection point on a PLC has
2 Choke an address used to identify the I/O bit. The method for the
in the main supply 3ф
3 Contactor Protection 12A, 3ф direct representation of data associated with the inputs,
outputs, and memory is based on the fact that the PLC memory
Over load
4 OLR 10A, 3ф is organized into three regions: input image memory (I), output
protection
image memory (Q), and internal memory (M). Any memory
For smooth speed 0.75 KW, location is referenced directly using %I, %Q, and %M.
5 VFD
control of motor 3.7KW 3ф
To step down The programming used is the ladder diagram method. The
300VA,
6 Transformer supply voltage to PLC system provides a design environment in the form of
415/220V
24V DC software tools running on a host computer terminal which
To convert AC to allows ladder diagrams to be developed, verified, tested, and
7 SMPS DC for control 6.5A 1ф diagonised. First, the high-level program is written in ladder
circuit and PLC diagrams. Then, the ladder diagram is converted into binary
For monitoring and instruction codes so that they can be stored in random-access
8 PLC control of speed of 40 I/O’s memory (RAM) or erasable programmable read-only memory
motor (EPROM). Each successive instruction is decoded and
For conveyor belt executed by the CPU.
9 Motor 1 3.7 KW, 3ф
control
For Bowl speed 0.75 KW,
10 Motor 2
control 3ф
112
Fig. 5: Flowchart for main program
The PLC program uses a cyclic scan in the main program

loop such that periodic checks are made to the input variables
(Fig. 5). The program loop starts by scanning the inputs to the
system and storing their states in fixed memory locations
(input image memory I). The ladder program is then executed
rung-by-rung.
Fig. 6: Flowchart for speed control program
The software regulates the speed (Fig. 6) and monitors the
constant speed control regardless of torque variation. The
inverter being the power supply for the motor executes this Software used to write Ladder Program is CX-One Ver.
while, at the same time, it is controlled by PLC’s software. The 9.2, Cx Programmer of OMRON make. Ladder Program
inverter alone cannot keep the speed constant without the (LD )is written for two cases as shown in Fig. 7 & 8
control loop with feedback and PLC. From the control panel, CASE 1: WHEN CONVEYOR BELT IS STOPPED.
the operator selects the speed set point (nsp) and the CASE 2: WHEN CONVEYOR BELT IS MOVING.
forward/backward direction of rotation.
B. HMI Screen Development:
Human Machine Interface (HMI) screen developed using
Cx-Designer of OMRON make is shown in below Fig. 9 to
Fig. 12. Once the HMI screen is developed user can press to
enter the exact screen through which parameters can be
changed.
113
Fig. 8: Ladder Diagram for Case 2

• Screen 1 displays Main Screen (Fig. 9), which
Fig. 7: Ladder Diagram for Case 1
indicates Time, Alarm , Voltage, Current, Actual
Speed, Starting settings, Conveyor control screen,
Bowl control screen, emergency stop in case
system to be shut down during critical cases.
• Screen 2 displays conveyor control screen (Fig.

10), which indicates Time, Alarm, Reference and
Actual Speed of BCS, Forward / Reverse motion
of BCS. If Conveyor button is clicked it shows the
BCS of process. Also it contains options to go to
Main Screen, Bowl Screen, settings screen and an
Emergency Stop switch.
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Fig. 9: HMI Screen 1
• Screen 3 displays Bowl control screen (Fig. 11), which indicates Time, Alarm, Reference and Actual Speed of BCS,
Upward / Downward motion of BCS. If Bowl button is clicked it shows the BCS of process. Also it contains options
to go to Main Screen, Bowl Screen, settings screen and an Emergency Stop switch.
115
Fig.11: HMI Screen 3
• Screen 4 displays Start up Settings screen (Fig. 12), which can be used to enter Reference Speed value, Acceleration
time, Deceleration time. To start the main program and go to other screens directly.
116
IV. RESULTS ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS

The main objective of the project is to develop and
implement an automated control for a conventionally
(using gears & pulley) operating conveyor belt system
using VFD and PLC in order to increase the productivity
and accuracy. Fig. 13 & Fig. 14 show Hardware circuit.
Output of two cases is provided with Ladder diagram as
shown in Fig. 15 & Fig. 16.
Fig. 14: Front & Side View of Panel
Fig. 13: Inside View of Control Panel
117
Fig. 15: Output for Case 1
Fig. 16: Output for Case 2
• System is monitored continuously; the fault

CONCLUSION
occurrence if any can be cleared immediately
Successful experimental results were obtained from the without any delay.
previously described scheme indicating that the PLC can be • Since there is no human interference it leads to
used in automated conveyor belt systems. improved accuracy and productivity.
• Overall System efficiency is improved after
The monitoring control system of the induction motor automation.
driven by inverter and controlled by PLC proves its high
accuracy in speed regulation at constant-speed-variable-load Thus, the PLC has proved to be a versatile and
operation. efficient control and monitoring tool in industrial electric
drives applications.
Each rung of the program is executed and it will
energise the respective valves when the desired input is REFERENCES
true. Initially when the supply is on, the VFD will start and
the belt motor will be driven through the VFD. [1] Maria G. Ioannides “Design and Implementation of PLC-Based
Monitoring Control System for Induction Motor” in Proc. IEEE
Transactions on Energy Conversion, VOL. 19, NO. 3, Sep 2004.
The efficiency obtained by using PLC control is
increased as compared to the open-loop configuration of [2] D. Sowmiya “Monitoring and Control of a PLC Based VFD Fed Three
the induction motor fed by an inverter. Phase Induction Motor for Powder Compacting Press Machine” in
Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Intelligent Systems and
HIGHLIGHTS OF IMPLEMENTATION: Control (ISCO 2013)
• The system is running successfully through newly
[3] Yusong Pang, Handbook on “Intelligent Belt Conveyor Monitoring and
automated system. Control”.
• The high accuracy and high productivity rate is
achieved. [4] B.Jayant Baliga, “Power Semiconductor Devices for Variable Frequency
• Frequent maintenance is not required. Drives”, Invited Paper in IEEE, Vol. 82 No. 8, Aug 1994.
118
[5] Victor L. Kitts, William K. Stees, P.E, “The Application of Medium
Voltage VFD on Underground Mine Belt Conveyor System”, IEEE,2000
[6] G. Kaplan, “Technology 1992. Industrial electronics,” IEEE Spectr., vol.

29, pp. 47–48, Jan. 1992.
[7] A. Hossain and S. M. Suyut, “Monitoring and controlling of a real

timeindustrial process using dynamic model control technology,” in
Proc.IEEE Ind. Applicat. Soc. Workshop on Dynamic Modeling Control
Applications for Industry, 1997, pp. 20–25.G. Kaplan, “Technology
1992. Industrial electronics,” IEEE Spectr., vol.29, pp. 47–48, Jan. 1992.
119

Automation of Belt Conveyor System

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Automation of Belt Conveyor System

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International Journal of Emerging Technology in Computer Science & Electronics (IJETCSE)

ISSN: 0976-1353 Volume 23 Issue 6 –OCTOBER 2016 (SPECIAL ISSUE)

Automation of Belt Conveyor System

Fig. 2 VFD block diagram

Fig. 3 Cross section of belt conveyor

Fig. 4 Proposed Block Diagram

D. List of Components: For Furnace outlet

SL. COMPONENT III. SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

Fig. 5: Flowchart for main program

The PLC program uses a cyclic scan in the main program

Fig. 8: Ladder Diagram for Case 2

• Screen 2 displays conveyor control screen (Fig.

Fig. 10: HMI Screen 2

Fig.11: HMI Screen 3

Fig. 12: HMI Screen 4

IV. RESULTS ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS

Fig. 14: Front & Side View of Panel

Fig. 13: Inside View of Control Panel

Fig. 16: Output for Case 2

• System is monitored continuously; the fault

[6] G. Kaplan, “Technology 1992. Industrial electronics,” IEEE Spectr., vol.

[7] A. Hossain and S. M. Suyut, “Monitoring and controlling of a real

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