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BasicsofTimeDelayRelays(TDRs)
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HOME > TRAINING > THE BASICS OF TIME DELAY RELAYS

TheBasicsofTimeDelayRelays
Applicationrequirementsfortimedelayrelays(TDRs)
DavidBredhold,EatonCorp.|ElectricalConstructionandMaintenance
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Application requirements for time delay relays (TDRs)

Nomatterwhattheapplicationis,whenadefinitepurposesolutionisrequired,time
delayrelays(TDRs)canprovidesimple,reliable,andeconomicalcontrol.Adjustingthe
delaytimeisoftenassimpleasturningaknob.Providingtimedelayedswitchingtostart
amotor,controlaload,oraffectaprocess,TDRsaretypicallyusedinindustrial
applicationsandOEMequipment.Additionally,theyplayanimportantrolefortargeted
logicneeds,suchasinasmallpanelorinsubpanels.Theyhaveavarietyoffeaturesand
operatingcharacteristics,suchascompactness,economy,simplicity,andeaseofuse.
Inastandardcontrolrelay,contactscloseimmediatelywhenvoltageisappliedtothecoil,
andopenimmediatelywhenvoltageisremoved.Inavarietyofapplications,itsdesirable
tohavetheoperationofthecontactsdelayedfollowingapplicationorremovalofvoltage.
ATDRsolvestheproblemhandily.However,someTDRspostponeclosingofthecontacts
aftervoltageisappliedwhileothersclosethecontactsandthenreopenthemaftera
delay.
TDRsareavailableasplugindevices,muchlikeplugincontrolrelays.However,theyare
alsoavailableinarangeofotherforms,includingbasemounteddevicesanddirectIEC
DINmountedcontrols.Forinstance,aTDRcanbefixedonamotorstarter.Inthis
application,energizingthemotorstartercausesthetimingfunctiontobegincontacts
withinthedeviceoperatewhentimingiscomplete.Electronic,startermountedTDRsare
alsoavailable.SomeTDRshavesolidstateoutputsinsteadofrelayoutputs.
Traditionally,TDRswereavailableonlyassinglefunction,singletimerangedevices.
Thesedevicesarestillavailableandaretypicallyusedinapplicationswherethetiming
needstobelockedin.Today,manyTDRsarealsoavailablewithmultipletimingranges
andfunctions.Costinglittlemorethansinglefunctiondevices,theseTDRsalsohavewide
controlvoltageranges.Inaddition,newermultifunctionIECstyletimersallowfor
reducedinventories.LetstakeacloserlookatafewofthemorecommontypesofTDRs.

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lastreplybyThirupathiB.inPowerDistribution

Ondelaytimers

Withanondelaytimer,timingbeginswhenvoltageisapplied.Whenthetimehas
expired,thecontactscloseandremaincloseduntilvoltageisremovedfromthecoil.If
voltageisremovedbeforetimeout,thetimedelayresets(clickheretoseeFig.1).
Offdelaytimers

Whenusinganoffdelaytimer,nothinghappenswhenvoltageisapplied.Closingthe
controlinput(SW)causesthecontactstotransfer(clickheretoseeFig.2).Openingthe
controlinputcausestimingtobegin,andthecontactsremainclosed.Ontimeout,the
contactstransfer.Closingthecontrolinputpriortotimeoutcausestimingtoreset.
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BasicsofTimeDelayRelays(TDRs)

Removingvoltagepriortotimeoutresetsthetimingandopensthecontacts.Inaddition,
trueoffdelaytimersprovidethisfunctionality(keepingcontactsclosed)afterinput
voltageislost.Theyhavecapacitorstokeepcontactsclosedevenifthetimerlosespower.

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Therearespecialcontactsymbolsfortheondelayandoffdelaytimers.Infact,theyare
theonlyTDRsforwhichspecialcontactsymbolshavebeenassigned.OthertypesofTDRs
simplyusethesamecontactsymbolsasthoseforrelays.Often,anoteismadenearthe
relaysymboltodenotetheoperatingcondition.Thestateofrelaycontactsisalways
shownwithvoltageremoved.

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Beyondthefewtypesoftimersalreadymentionedinthisarticle,additionaltypesare
available,suchas:
IntervalonoperateWhenvoltageisappliedtothecoil,contactstransfer,andtiming
begins.Attheendofthetiminginterval,thecontactstransfer.Powermustberemoved
andreappliedtorestart.
FlasherWhenvoltageisapplied,thecontactsenergizeanddeenergizealternately.
Timingactionishaltedbyremovingvoltagefromthecoil.Onandoffcycletimesarethe
samelengths.

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RepeatcycleOperationissimilartotheflasher,butthetimingcyclesareindependently
adjustable.

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Singleshottimers

AsingleshotTDRhasvoltageandcontrolinputssimilartotheoffdelayTDR.Nothing
happenswhenvoltageisapplied.Onclosureofthecontrolinput,thecontactstransfer
andtimingbegins.Whiletiming,thecontrolinputcanbeleftopen,closed,oropened
andclosedineachcase,timingcontinues,andthecontactsremainclosed.Onlyattime
outwillthecontactstransfer.TheTDRisresetatthistime,readyforanothercycle.The
onlymeanstointerrupttheoperationistoremovevoltage.

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Realworldapplications

LetsputourbasicTDRknowledgetopracticaluse.Inthethreeexamplesbelow,learn
howyoucanuseTDRseffectivelytomanageprocessesinvariousmanufacturingfacilities.
CrusherandconveyorlineFigure3(clickheretoseeFig.3)illustratesasimplecircuit
foracrusheranditsfeederconveyor.Thecircuitismeantpurelytoillustratethe
operationoftheTDRsdiscussedinthisarticleadditionalcircuitryisrequiredtocomplete
afunctioningcrushercircuit.Furthermore,familiarvoltagesarereferencedthroughoutto
lendanairoffamiliaritytothecircuitry.
Thefollowingsequenceofeventstakesplacetostartthecrusher:
Whenthestartbutton(line1)isdepressed,relayCRcloses.
CRscontactonline2sealsinacrossthestartbutton.Simultaneously,CRscontactonline
3closes,causing1TDtobegintiming.
CRscontactonline4closes,causingthewarninghorn(line5)tosoundthrough1TDs
NCTOcontact.
TheCRcontactonline6closes,causing2TDtoenergizeitsNOTOcontactonline8.
When1TDtimesoutafter10sec,itsNCTOcontactonline5opens,silencingthewarning
horn.
Simultaneously,1TDsNOTCcontactonline8closes,energizing2M,startingthecrusher,
andcausing3TDtobegintiming2Mscontactonline9sealsinacross1TDonline8.
When3TDtimesoutafter10sec,thefeederconveyorstarter,1M,energizes.3TDserves
todelaystartingofthefeederconveyoruntilthecrusherisoperatingatfullspeed.

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Itsimportanttonotethat3TDdoesnothaveacoilbutispneumaticandmountedontop
of2M.3TDstimingbeginswhen2Menergizes.

beinthehands...

Twomethodsforstoppingareavailable:normal(labeledcleanoutstop)andemergency
stop.Tostopthecrusherundernormalcircumstances,thebuttonlabeledcleanoutstop
isdepressedrelayCRdeenergizes,causingitssealincontactonline2toopen.
Additionally,CRscontactsopensimultaneouslyonalltheotherlines.Theconveyor
starter1M(line4)deenergizesandstopsthefeederconveyor.Online3,1TDde
energizes,opening1TDNOTConline8because2Missealedinacross1TDNOTC,2M

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BasicsofTimeDelayRelays(TDRs)

staysenergized.Timer2TDallowsthecrushertorununtilallmaterialisouttoprevent
cloggingthecrusher60secinthisexample.When2TDtimesout,itsNOTOcontacton
line8opens,deenergizing2Mandstoppingthecrusher.Notethat3TDsNOTCcontact
(line4)willalsostopthefeederconveyorifthecrusherstartersoverloadrelayde
energizes2Mtopreventoverfillingofthecrusher.
Whilethecleanoutstopisusedtoassurethatthecrusherisclearedofmaterialduring
normaloperation,theemergencystopisforrealemergencieswhenpersonnelarein
dangeroramalfunctionoccurs.Theemergencystopbuttonisalarge,palmoperated
device(hence,thespecialsymbol),shownasalatchingbutton.Whendepressed,itopens,
stoppingallmotorsimmediately,andremainslatchedintheopenposition.Torestartthe
system,theemergencystopbuttonmustfirstbepulledoutandthestartbutton
depressed.
WindowmanufacturingprocessAttimes,itsimperativetohaveamomentaryinput
triggerinanoperation.Forexample,apaintdryinglineforwindowsusesinfrared
heaterstodrythepaint.Becausethematerialflowisirregularandenergyconservationis
important,theownerwantstheheaterstoremainoffbetweenwindows.Amethodis
requiredtotriggertheheaterstoremainonaslongasawindowisintheoven.Forthis
example,assumethewindowsareofequallengthsbutofvaryingwidths.Becauselengths
arethesame,auniformdryingtimecanbeselectedforallwindows.
AsingleshotTDRcanbeusedinthismanufacturingprocessnicely(clickheretoseeFig.
4).Aphotosensor(line3)ispositionedtodetecttheleadingedgeofthewindow.When
thephotosensorsoutputcontactcloses(line4),ittriggerstimerTD.TDsoutputcontact
closes(line6),causingtheinfraredheaterscontactortoclose.TimedelayTDalsobegins
itstimingcycle.Althoughotherpartsofthewindow,suchasthemuntinstripsseparating
panes,mayretriggerTD,theoutputcontactsremainclosedandTDcontinuestotime.
OnlywhenTDhastimedoutdoesitsoutputcontactopen.Aftertimeout,thesingleshot
isreadytoberetriggeredforthenextcycle.TheMcontactsareinterlockedwithTDto
preventoverheatingthewindowshouldMtripoutduetoanoverload.
BeltconveyorsandbucketelevatorsManybucketelevatorshavebucketsattachedtoa
widerubberbelt,liftgrain,andothermaterialsverticallydepositingitontoother
conveyors.Drivemotorsforconveyorsarelocatedontheheadpulley(topullthebelt).
Conveyordrivesconsistofamotorcoupledtoagearreducer,whichdrivesthehead
pulley.Shouldtheheadpulleyslip,becausetheconveyorbeltisnottensionedproperly,
theheadpulleywillslipandburnthroughthebelt.Inthisevent,thebestcasescenariois
thatthebeltmaybreakandspillthecontents,requiringanoutageorworse,thebelt
anditscontentsmayeruptinflames.

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Awatchdogtimercanservetopreventsuchacalamity.Aninductive(metalsensing)
proximitysensordetectsametalprotrusion(likeakey)onthetailpulley.Aslongasthe
pulleyisrotating,thewatchdogtimerresets(retriggers)andallowsthestartertorun.
Whentheconveyorsmainbeltgoesslack,thetailpulleyfailstorotate,theproximity
switchfailstoretriggerthetimer,andthewatchdogtimertimesout,stoppingthe
conveyormotor.
AwatchdogtimerinconjunctionwithaconveyorstarterisillustratedinFig.5(clickhere
toseeFig.5).Again,notethatadditionalcircuitrymayberequiredinanoperational
system.Thestartbutton(line1)isdepressedandhelduntiltheconveyorreaches
sufficientvelocitytoallowTDscontactonline2tocloseandsealacrossthestartbutton
thecontactisnormallyopenandtimesopen(NOTO).Shouldthetailpulleyfailtorotate,
TDwilltimeout,causingthestartertodeenergize,stoppingtheconveyorbeforedamage
occurs.Inpractice,TDstimedelayissetforafewseconds.
Theexamplesdemonstratedabovearesimplymeanttoprovideanintroductionintothe
myriadofusesforTDRs.ActualapplicationsforTDRsarequiteexpansive.
BredholdisanapplicationengineerwithEatonCorp.,Louisville,Ky.Hecanbereached
atDavidBredhold@eaton.com.

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