Development and application of a distributed microprocessor control system for an air handling plant

The concept of modularization and system integration has been adopted in many control applications, due partly to the advent of powerful and yet inexpensive microcontrollers. Distributed control is an important method for controlling interconnected systems, where the approach adopted is that of decomposition and co-ordination. In this paper, the structure of a distributed microprocessor-based control system is first described. Then an integrated control development system is introduced. In this system, a pilot scale experimental rig, a computer simulation system and a production plant were used to provide a scenario for some particular applications especially for heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. It can be shown with this systems, many real-time problems associated with the air handling systems can be highlighted.