Process Instrumentation & Control

Introduction to
Process Instrumentation &
Control

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 Chapter Objectives
Process Instrumentation & Control

End of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Understand the role of process dynamics and
control in industry
2. Understand general concepts
3. Classify variables
4. Understand the purpose of process control
5. Understand control aspects of complete
chemical plant
6. Understand hardware for process control system

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 Role of process dynamics and control
in industry
Process Instrumentation & Control

Illustration with examples

• Example 1 – a simple process where
dynamic response is important

• Example 2 – use of a single feedback

controller

• Example 3 – simple but typical chemical

engineering plant

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 Example 1 – A gravity-flow tank
Process Instrumentation & Control

Under steady state conditions,

the flow rate out of the tank
must equal the flow rate into
the tank.

What would happen dynamically

if we changed Fo?

How will h(t) and F(t) vary

will time?

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 Example 2 – Heat Exchanger
Process Instrumentation & Control

We want to control the temperature of oil leaving the

heat exchanger.

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 How to control?
A thermocouple is inserted in a thermowell in
Process Instrumentation & Control

the exit oil pipe.

Thermocouple wires are connected to a

“temperature transmitter” that converts the
millivolt output into a 4- to 20 mA signal.

This signal sent to a temperature controller.

The temperature controller opens the steam

valve if more steam is needed or closes it a
little if the temperature is too high.

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 Components of control loop
Process Instrumentation & Control

• A sensor
• A transmitter
• A controller
• A final control element

Process control deal with:

• What type of controller to be used?
• How it should be “tuned”?

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 Example 3 - A typical chemical plant
Process Instrumentation & Control

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 Concepts of Process Control
Process Instrumentation & Control

Another simple
example:

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 Process Instrumentation & Control

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Block diagram

10
 Need for control
Process Instrumentation & Control

Performance requirements for process plants have become

increasingly difficult to satisfy.

Key factors for tightening product quality specifications:

• Stronger competition
• Rapidly changing economic conditions
• Tough environmental and safety regulations
• Modern plants are complex and highly integrated
• It is difficult to prevent disturbances from propagating from one
unit to other interconnected units.

Process control has become increasingly important due to

increased importance on safe and efficient plant operation.

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Process Instrumentation & Control

 The term process dynamics refer to unsteady

state (or transient) behavior.

 Dynamic studies provide us the behavior of

the process under unsteady-state conditions

Gain knowledge about the process

behavior.

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 Objectives of Process Control
Process Instrumentation & Control

• Maintain a process at the desired operating

conditions, safely and efficiently
• Satisfy product quality and environmental
requirements

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 Process control applications
Process Instrumentation & Control

• Large-scale integrated processing plants such

as oil refineries or ethylene plants require
thousands of process variables such as
temperature, pressure, flow, level and
compositions are measured and controlled.

• Large number of process variables, mainly flow

rates, can be manipulated.

• Feedback control systems compare

measurements with their desired values and
then adjust the manipulated variables
accordingly.

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 Representative process control problems
Process Instrumentation & Control

• Foundation of process control is process

understanding.

What is a process?

• The conversion of feed materials to useful products

using chemical and physical operations –
PROCESS.

• Common processes can be continuous, batch or

semi-batch.

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 Process Instrumentation & Control

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Continuous Processes

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 Tubular Heat Exchanger
Process Instrumentation & Control

Control problem: The exit temperature of the

process fluid is controlled by manipulating the
cooling water flow rate.
Disturbances: Variations in the inlet temperatures
and process fluid flow rate.

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 Continuous stirred tank reactor
(CSTR)
Process Instrumentation & Control

Control problem: If the reaction is highly exothermic, it is

necessary to control the reactor temperature by
manipulating the flow rate of the coolant in a jacket or
cooling coil.
Disturbances: The feed conditions (composition, flow
rate, and temperature).

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 Thermal cracking furnace
Process Instrumentation & Control

Control Problem: The furnace

temperature and amount of excess
air in the flue gas to be controlled by
manipulating the fuel flow rate and
the fuel/air ratio.
Disturbances: The crude oil
composition and the heating quality
of the fuel.

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 Multi-component distillation column
Process Instrumentation & Control

Control Problem: Distillate

composition can be controlled
by adjusting the reflux flow rate
or the distillate flow rate.
Disturbances: The feed
conditions

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 Process variables
Three important types: (Control Terminology)
Process Instrumentation & Control

1. Controlled variables - these are the variables which

quantify the performance or quality of the final
product, which are also called output variables.
2. Manipulated variables - these input variables are
adjusted dynamically to keep the controlled
variables at their set-points.
3. Disturbance variables - these are also called "load"
variables and represent input variables that can
cause the controlled variables to deviate from their
respective set points.

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 Process variables
Process Instrumentation & Control

• Specification of controlled variables,

manipulated variables and disturbance
variables is a critical step in developing a
control system

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 Batch and semi-batch processes
Process Instrumentation & Control

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 Control problems
• Batch or semi-batch reactor: The reactor temperature
Process Instrumentation & Control

is controlled by manipulating a coolant flow rate.

• Batch digester: The end point of the chemical reaction
is indicated by Kappa number, a measure of lignin
content. It is controlled to a desired value by adjusting
the digester temperature, pressure, and/or cycle time.
• Plasma etcher: The unwanted material on a layer of a
microelectronics circuit is selectively removed by
chemical reactions. The temperature, pressure and
flow rates of etching gases to the reactor are
controlled by adjusting electrical heaters and control
valves.

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 Control problems
Process Instrumentation & Control

• Kidney dialysis unit: The blood flow rate is

maintained by a pump, and “ambient
conditions”, such as temperature of the unit,
are controlled by adjusting a flow rate.

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 Control Terminology(2)
Process Instrumentation & Control

• set-point change - implementing a change in the

operating conditions. The set-point signal is changed
and the manipulated variable is adjusted appropriately
to achieve the new operating conditions.
Also called servomechanism (or "servo") control.
• disturbance change - the process transient behavior
when a disturbance enters, also called regulatory
control or load change.
A control system should be able to return each
controlled variable back to its set-point.

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 Illustrative Example:
Blending system
Process Instrumentation & Control

Notation: Assumptions:
• w1, w2 and w are mass • w1 is constant
flow rates
• x2 = const. = 1 (stream 2 is pure A
• x1, x2 and x are mass
• Perfect mixing in the tank
fractions of component A

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 Blending system
Control Objective:
Process Instrumentation & Control

Keep x at a desired value (or “set point”) xsp, despite

variations in x1(t). Flow rate w2 can be adjusted for this
purpose.
Terminology:
• Controlled variable (or “output variable”): x
• Manipulated variable (or “input variable”): w2
• Disturbance variable (or “load variable”): x1
• Design Question
What value of w2 is required to have x  xsp ?
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 Overall balance:
0  w1  w2  w (1-1)
Process Instrumentation & Control

Component A balance:
w1x1  w2 x2  wx  0 (1-2)

(The overbars denote nominal steady-state design values)

At the design conditions, x  xsp .
Substitute in Eq.1-2, x  xsp and x2  1, then solve Eq. 1-2
for w2 :
xSP  x1
w2  w1 (1-3)
1  xSP
Equation 1-3 is the design equation for the blending
system.
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 • If our assumptions are correct, then this value of w2 will
keep x at xsp.
Process Instrumentation & Control

• But what if conditions change?

Control Question. Suppose that the inlet concentration

x1 changes with time. How can we ensure that x remains at
or near the set point xsp ?

As a specific example, if x1  x1 and w2  w2 , then x > xSP.

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 Some Possible Control Strategies
Process Instrumentation & Control

Method 1. Measure x and adjust w2.

• Intuitively, if x is too high, we should reduce w2;
• Manual control vs. automatic control
• Proportional feedback control law
w2  t   w2  Kc  xSP  x  t  (1-4)

• Kc is called the controller gain

• w2(t) and x(t) denote variables that change with time t
• The change in the flow rate, w2  t   w2 , is proportional to
the deviation from the set point, xSP – x(t).

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 Process Instrumentation & Control

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Control Method 1

32
 Method 2
Measure x1 and adjust w2
Process Instrumentation & Control

• Thus, if x1 is greater than x1 , we would decrease w2

so that w2  w2 .
• One approach: Consider Eq. (1-3) and replace x1 and
w2 with x1(t) and w2(t) to get a control law:
xSP  x1  t 
w2  t   w1 (1-5)
1  xSP

• Because Eq. (1-3) applies only at steady state, it is not

clear how effective the control law in (1-5) will be for
transient conditions.

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 Control Method 2
Process Instrumentation & Control

Method 3. Measure x1 and x, adjust w2.

• This approach is a combination of Methods 1
and 2.

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 Control Method 4
Process Instrumentation & Control

Use a larger tank.

• If a larger tank is used, fluctuations in x1 will
tend to be damped out due to the larger
capacitance of the tank contents.
• However, a larger tank means an increased
capital cost.

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 Classification of Control Strategies
Process Instrumentation & Control

Table. 1.1 Control Strategies for the Blending

System
Measured Manipulated
Method Variable Variable Category

1 x w2 FB
2 x1 w2 FF

3 x1 and x w2 FF/FB
4 - - Design
change

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 Feedback Control
• Distinguishing feature: measure the controlled
Process Instrumentation & Control

variable.
• It is important to make a distinction between
negative feedback and positive feedback.
Engineering Usage vs. Social Sciences
Advantages:
• Corrective action is taken regardless of the
source of the disturbances.
• Reduces sensitivity of the controlled variable
to disturbances and changes in the process.

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 Feedback Control
Process Instrumentation & Control

Disadvantages:
• No corrective action occurs until after the
disturbance has upset the process, that is,
until after x differs from xsp.

• Very oscillatory responses, or even

instability…

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 Feedforward Control
Process Instrumentation & Control

Distinguishing feature:
Measure a disturbance variable
Advantage:
• Correct for disturbance before it upsets the
process.
Disadvantage:
• Must be able to measure the disturbance
• No corrective action for unmeasured
disturbances

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 Justification of Process Control
Process Instrumentation & Control

Specific Objectives of Control

• Increased product throughput
• Increased yield of higher valued products
• Decreased energy consumption
• Decreased pollution
• Decreased off-spec product
• Increased Safety
• Extended life of equipment
• Improved Operability
• Decreased production labor

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 Economic Incentives - Advanced
Control
Process Instrumentation & Control

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 Hierarchy of process control activities
(da ys-months) 5. P l ann in g a nd
S ch edu li ng
Process Instrumentation & Control

(ho urs-day s) 4. Rea l-T ime

Opti mizati on

3b . Mu lti vari ab le
(min utes-ho urs) and Cons trai nt
Co ntro l

(se con ds-minu te s

) 3a . Re gul atory
Co ntro l

2. S afety, E nvi ro nmen t

(< 1 se con d) a nd E qui pmen t
P rotecti on

(< 1 se con d) 1. Mea suremen t

a nd A ctuatio n

P ro ces s

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 Major steps in control system development
Process Instrumentation & Control

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 Conclusions
Process Instrumentation & Control

You have been introduced to:

1. the role of process dynamics and control in
industry
2. general concepts of process control
3. classification of variables
4. the purpose of process control
5. control aspects of complete chemical plant
6. hardware for process control system

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