CHE3007S Block3

Lecture 8
Control loop diagrams
Overview
• How do we visualize control loops?
Additional Reading / Learning
Sections of textbook by Seborg et al. to study:
• Chapter 7 – 3rd Edition
• Chapter 8 – 4th Edition

Glossary:
• Block diagrams, Closed loop diagram, Open loop diagram, ISA
diagrams
Control Loops
Open Loop
(Input is not dependent on Output)

Plant
Input Output

Input has no way to compensate for changes in the output

Figure 3a: General open loop control system

Control Loops
Sprinkler System (Open Loop)
(Input is not dependent on Output)

10 min Soil Moisture

(input) (output)

Input has no way to compensate for changes in the output

Figure 3b: Sprinkler system example of open loop control system

Control Loops
Closed Loop
(Input can vary depending on Output)

Sensor

Plant
Input Output

Varies the input of a system with respect to the output of the system.

Figure 4a: General closed loop control system

Control Loops
Sprinkler system (Closed Loop)
(Input can vary depending on Output)

Sensor

X min Soil Moisture

(variable input) (output)

Varies the input of a system with respect to the output of the system.

Figure 4b: Sprinkler system example of closed loop control system

 Feedforward Control Loop
Disturbance Variable (DV)
Measuring device

e.g. thermocouple

Set Point (SP)

Desired value
for Controlled
Feed Forward Final control Controlled
variable Controller element (FCE) Process Variable (CV)

Automatically adjusts e.g. control valve e.g. tubular heat

FCE to account for which responds to exchanger
disturbances (DV) signal from controller
 Feedback Control Loop
Disturbance Variable (DV)

Set Point (SP)

Desired value
Controller Final control Controlled
for Controlled
variable element (FCE) Process Variable (CV)
+ Automatically adjusts
- FCE so that CV = SP. e.g. control valve e.g. tubular heat
Uses control which responds to exchanger
algorithm signal from controller

Measuring device

e.g. thermocouple
Control Loops
Feedback Control
• feeding back into the controller the measured value of CV and comparing CV to SP.
• When CV ≠ SP, we have an error defined as

Error = 𝑺𝑷 − 𝑪𝑽

• When the error ≠ 0, then a signal is sent from the controller to FCE to adjust a
manipulated variable so that CV = SP.

Feed Forward Control

• DV is measured before it affects the process and CV is brought back to the desired value
• Can be useful for systems with dead zones or systems that take long to respond
 Control Loops
Set Point (SP) 𝒀𝑺𝑷 − 𝒀𝐺𝑀 (𝒀𝑺𝑷 −𝒀𝐺𝑀 )𝐺𝐶 (𝒀𝑺𝑷 −𝒀𝐺𝑀 )𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑉 (𝒀𝑺𝑷 −𝒀𝐺𝑀 )𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑉 𝐺𝑃 Controlled
Variable (CV)

Final control
𝒀𝑺𝑷 Controller Process 𝒀
+ element (FCE)
-
𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑃
𝐺𝑉

𝒀𝐺𝑀 Measuring device 𝒀

𝐺𝑀

𝑌 = 𝑌𝑆𝑃 − 𝑌𝐺𝑀 𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑉 𝐺𝑃

𝑌 𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑉 𝐺𝑃
=
𝑌𝑆𝑃 1 + 𝐺𝑀 𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑉 𝐺𝑃
Control Loops

Controlled
Set Point (SP)
Variable (CV)
PLANT
𝒀𝑺𝑷 𝒀
𝑌 𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑉 𝐺𝑃
=
𝑌𝑆𝑃 1 + 𝐺𝑀 𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑉 𝐺𝑃

𝑌 𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑉 𝐺𝑃
=
𝑌𝑆𝑃 1 + 𝐺𝑀 𝐺𝐶 𝐺𝑉 𝐺𝑃
ISA notation
• Instrumentation, Systems and Automation (ISA) Society
• Used on P&IDs

• Seborg et al. appendix D

Example 1
Two streams are mixed in a continuous stirred tank to produce an output of desired concentration
(CA Out). Steam 1 has a concentration (CA In) which comes from an earlier part of the process and can
be considered variable with time (Disturbance Variable). How can we manipulate the flowrate of
water into the tank to give us the desired concentration coming out of the tank?
Water
CA in

CA Out
 Example 1 – Feedback control
Units of kPa
Transducer
(I/P)
Water
CA in
Units of mA

Controller

Error

Unit
+ Conversion Set Point
- (maybe)

Measuring device
Control Variable: CA Out (Analyzer Transmitter) Units of mA
Manipulated Variable: Water CA Out
Disturbance Variable: CA in
 Example 1 – Feedback control (ISA)
Units of kPa
I/P

Water
CA in

AC Set Point

AT
Control Variable: CA Out Units of mA
Manipulated Variable: Water CA Out
Disturbance Variable: CA in
 Example 1 – Feedback control
Process

CA in GP2
Kg/m3

Controller Transducer Valve Process

CA set point CA Out

+
KM + GC GT GV GP1 +
Kg/m3 mA - mA mA kPa Kg/s Kg/m3 Kg/m3

Measurement
device

GM
mA
 Example 1 – Feedforward control

Feed
Measuring device Transducer
Forward
(Analyzer Transmitter) (I/P)
Controller

CA in Water

Control Variable: CA Out CA Out

Manipulated Variable: Water
Disturbance Variable: CA in
 Example 1 – Feedforward control (ISA)

AT FC I/P

CA in Water

Control Variable: CA Out CA Out

Manipulated Variable: Water
Disturbance Variable: CA in
 Example 1 – Feedforward control

Process

CA in GP2

FF Controller Transducer Valve Process

CA Out
+
GM GC GT GV GP1 +
mA mA kPa Kg/s Kg/m3 Kg/m3
 Example 1 – Feedback and Feedforward
Feed Units of kPa
Measuring device Transducer Transducer
Forward
(Analyzer Transmitter) (I/P) (I/P)
Controller

Water Units of mA
CA in
Controller

Error

Unit
+ Conversion Set Point
- (maybe)

Measuring device
Control Variable: CA Out (Analyzer Transmitter) Units of mA
Manipulated Variable: Water CA Out
Disturbance Variable: CA in
 Example 1 – Feedback and Feedforward (ISA)
Units of kPa
AT FC I/P I/P

Water
CA in
AC Set Point

AT
Control Variable: CA Out Units of mA
Manipulated Variable: Water CA Out
Disturbance Variable: CA in
 Example 1 – Feedback and Feedforward
Process

CA in GP2
FF Controller Transducer

GM2 GFFC GT + Kg/m3

mA mA +

Controller Transducer Process

CA set point CA Out

+
KM + GC GT GV GP1 +
Kg/m3 mA - mA mA Kg/s Kg/m3 Kg/m3
Valve

Measurement
device

GM1
mA
 Example 2
A stirred tank heater is being used to heat up a process stream. The temperature of
the process stream is being controlled by the flowrate of steam, which is passing
through a coil that enters a tank (No contact). The process stream comes from an
earlier part of the process and can be considered variable with time.
The system can be modeled using two energy balances, one for the process stream
and one for the steam giving the following relationships:

TP, in TP, out

FP FP
Coil: 𝑇′𝑠 = 𝐺1 𝑇′ + 𝐺2 𝐹′𝑠

Tank: 𝑇′ = 𝐺3 𝑇𝑠′ + 𝐺4 𝐹′𝑃 V

AT
T
QH
AC
TS
FS
 Example 2 TP, in
FP
TP, out
FP

Control Variable: T Coil: 𝑇′𝑠 = 𝐺1 𝑇′ + 𝐺2 𝐹′𝑠 V

AT
Manipulated Variable: FS T
QH
Disturbance Variable: FP Tank: 𝑇′ = 𝐺3 𝑇𝑠′ + 𝐺4 𝐹′𝑃
AC
TS
FS
FP G4

Tset point FS TS + T
KM + GC GV G2 + G3 +
- +

T
G1

T
GM