Controller software for an industrial heater
The original control application was written in LabVIEW 2012 a long time ago, without proper documentation, and the source code was partly lost.
Since I had no LabVIEW license at that time, I decided to try something else: Python 3 with the free nidaqmx package.
The finished control software has the following features:
- Two PID control loops running in parallel, one for the temperature, the other for the air flow.
- Overview of process values (Temperatures, flow, heating element status, etc.)
- Automation of control
- Event and temperature logging to external files
- Graphing of measured values and setpoints
Description
This is a project I completed in 2019 at Dinex A/S. We're using a custom built heater system to provide hot air to the test specimen during vibration tests. The machine consists of a blower and four high temperature heating elements. Control is realized by a National Instruments CompactDAQ system. The control software runs on a separate PC and communicates with the chassis via ethernet.
My contribution to the system was a complete rewrite of the control software.