INVT TS621 PLC and GD270 VFD Solutions for Automatic Cooling Tower in Foundry Applications

Abstract: Cooling tower is used to cool the hot water and convert in to cool water. It’s is used in foundry’s. INVT Product is used in this application for suction and circulation pumping and its control functions.

Keywords: TS621, GD270, VS-QS HMI.

Project background

A foundry is a facility that produces metal castings by melting metal and pouring it into molds. The molten metal then cools and solidifies, taking the shape of the mold. Foundries are essential for creating a wide range of metal components used in various industries. 

Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron.
Core functions of a foundry industry are Melting process, molding, solidification, post-processing. These are the main process in a foundry.
A cooling tower is a heat removal device that uses water to transfer process waste heat into the atmosphere. Likewise, an industrial cooling tower operates on the principle of removing heat from water by evaporating a small portion of water that is recirculated through the unit.

Customer wants this whole cooling tower system as fully automatic. We used out INVT PLC, HMI, INVERTERS to make this system as fully automatic.

Challenges & Solutions

Systems have two motors for suction and feeding purpose. Both want to control by PID basis. One pump speed should control based on the water pressure. And another pump pressure should control based on the temperature of the cooling tower water.

All functions and controls are made as per the customer requirement and pumps controls also made by PID based.

MACHINE PROCEDURE:-
A.   Suction pump: This pump is used to suck the hot waters from the foundry areas. And this water will be very HOT. We need to cool it and send it again to the foundry area operation. First suction pump will suck the HOT water from the foundry.

B.   Circulating pump: This pump will used to circulate the hot waters in to the cooling tower. In this process we can reduce the water temperature and reuse it for process. 

C.  Cooling Fan motor: This motor will used to run the cooling fan. Once the fan starts to run, meantime hot water will circulate in to the cooling tower. So cooling fan will extract the heat from the hot water and it circulate the forced air on cooling circulating system. So hot water temperature will reduce.

D.  Reuse system: This motor will pump the cooled water in to the foundry area and it will reuse for the foundry application.

E. PLC control function: The whole functions are controlled by PLC & we can monitor by HMI. User will set the required pressure in HMI. Pumping lines are connected with pressure transmitter. So PLC will maintain the pressure with the set level based on the pressure transmitter feedback. Also cooling fan unit connected with temperature sensor. So fan motor running frequency can be control based on the temperature sensor feedback. Both pressure and temperature are running by PID control logics.

Project information and Solution

1.Project information

Site information: Cooling tower – Foundry area.

 Electrical panel photo

2. INVT solution

3. System commissioning

 Control panels

PLC Photo

GD270 VFD Photo 

Advantages and benefits

•    Reduce the power consumption of the overall system by using VFD.
•    Efficiency was high.
•    Smooth and noise free operation.

Conclusion 

Using VFD will reduce the system running noise and increase the efficiency also reduce the power consumption of the system.