1.

Motivation for Process Control

• Safety First:
– people, environment, equipment
Fundamental Principles of
Process Control • The Profit Motive:
– meeting final product specs
Class 2 – minimizing waste production
– minimizing environmental impact
– minimizing energy use
– maximizing overall production rate

“Loose” Control Costs Money Tight Control = Most Profitable Operation

Process: Gravity Drained Tank Controller: Manual Mode
Process: Gravity Drained Tank Controller: Manual Mode
4.4
70 operating constraint
4.2
70 operating constraint
OperationOperation

4.2
60

OperationOperation 4.0
60
More Profitable

4.0
50
tight control permits
More Profitable

poor control means 3.8

50
operation near the
More Profitable

3.8
40 large variability, so process variable
the process must be
constraint, which
means more profit
More Profitable

operated in a less 40
3.6
3.6
30 profitable region
process variable

Examples 60 80 100
Time (mins)
120 140 30
3.4

• It takes more material to make a product thicker, so greatest profit is 80 100 120
Time (mins)
140 160

to operate as close to the minimum thickness constraint as possible

without going under
• A well controlled process has less variability in the
• It takes more processing to remove impurities, so greatest profit is to measured process variable, so the process can be
operate as close to the maximum impurities constraint as you can operated close to the profitable constraint
without going over

Poorly Maintained Control Loops Profitability of the Process Can Be

Can Compromise Product Yield, Improved by
Quality, and Throughput Reducing Variability in the Control Loop
Cont rol loop performance

Ideal
cont rol
$

Opt imizat ion pot ent ial

Poorly t uned
Of f cont rol
cont rol

Time

Loop variabilit y Loop t uned Increased product ion

or qualit y

1
 Standard Deviation Provides a
Benchmark for Controller Performance

st dev = 0 .0 2 5

In-Class Activity

st dev = 0 .1

0 .6 0 .8 1 1 .2 1 .4 1 .6

-3 +3

set point

Terminology for Home

Heating Control
– Control Objective
– Measured Process Variable (PV)
– Set Point (SP)
Answers –
–
Controller Output (CO)
Manipulated Variable
– Disturbances (D) thermostat
controller
set point TC TT
(on board) temperature
sensor/transmitter
heat loss
(disturbance)

control
signal

fuel flow furnace

valve

Copyright © 2007 by Control Station, Inc. All Rights Reserved

10

Components of a Control Loop

Automatic Control is
Measurement Æ Computation Æ Action Home heating control block diagram
controller manipulated house
• Is house cooler than set point? ( TSetpoint − Thouse > 0 ) controller output fuel flow to temperature
error signal furnace

Action → open fuel valve

Set Point Home Heating
+ Thermostat Fuel Valve
- Process

• Is house warmer than set point? ( TSetpoint − THouse < 0 ) Heat Loss
house temperature Disturbance
Action → close fuel valve measurement
signal

Temperature
Sensor/Transmitter

2
General Control Loop Block Diagram Example: Heated Tank
manipulated measured
controller controller process process • Controlled variable:
error output variable variable Ti

wi
– To
Final
Set Point
+
-
Controller Control
Element
Process • Feedback
– Measure T0
Disturbance
– Control voltage to
feedback heater
To
signal Q
wo
Heater
Measurement TT
Sensor/Transmitter
VC

Example: Heated Tank Other Definitions

• Controlled variable: • Final Control Element
Ti

wi
– To – Usually a valve or pump
• Feedback – Electricity (to heat or cool)
– Measure T0
– Solenoid valve (open or shut)
– Control voltage to
TT
To
heater • SISO
Q
wo • Feedforward – Single input, single output
Heater
– Measure Ti • Nomenclature
VC
– Control voltage to
heater FC LT
Transmitted (or sensor)
Flow (to be Controller
Level (of liquid)
controlled)