Chapter 7: Feedback Controllers

Lecturer: Mukta Bansal

Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (CBE)

Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
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FeedbackControl?

Inputs

Outputs

Plant

Controller
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LearningObjectives
Control Algorithms
Basic Control Modes
Proportional Control
Integral Control
Derivative Control

Features of PID Controllers

Typical Responses of Feedback Control Systems

RecallfromLecture1
A controller ensures that the process operates at its
design specifications in presence of disturbances
The most commonly used control structure is feedback,
which updates manipulated variables based on
measurements of controlled or output variables
Unlike feedforward control, feedback control does not
anticipate effect of disturbances on controlled
variables and is less sensitive to modeling errors (due
to direct use of measurements)
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RevisitingTheContinuousBlendingTank
Controller
ControlValve

Sensor

Process
5

RealLifeFeedbackControllers
Feedback Control only in Industries?
Control
calculation
Sensor

Finalcontrol
element
Drivingacar

Marathonrunning

SimpleExampleofFeedbackControl

Setpointysp

InputSignalym
(fromtransmitter)

Controller

OutputSignalp
(toControlValve)
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BasicControlModes
Proportional/Integral/Derivative
Proportional Control (P)
Objective is to reduce the error signal to zero
Error Signal,

(71)

Ysp = set point

Ym = measured value of the controlled variable (or
equivalent signal from transmitter)

1.ProportionalControl
Proportional Controller
Output is proportional to the error signal

(72)
p(t): Controller Output, Kc: Controller Gain, :steadystate
value

Transfer Function for Proportional Controller

Laplace Transform

ProportionalControl(Contd)

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ProportionalControl(Contd)
Proportional control is attractive because of its
simplicity
Disadvantage
Steadystate error (or offset) occurs after setpoint change
or a sustained disturbance

Example
Level Control Problem
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KeyConceptsforProportionalControl
Proportional Band (in %), PB

(73)

Reverse or Direct Acting Controller

can be either positive or negative

DirectActing (
)
output increases p(t) as input increases Ym(t)
)
ReverseActing (
output increases p(t) as input decreases Ym(t)
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Example
Flow Control Loop

Assume FT is directacting
Should the flow controller have direct or reverse action?
Airtoopen (fail close) valve ==> Flow rate through the valve
increases as the signal to the valve p(t) increases
Airtoclose (fail open) valve ==> ?

Extremely important that Controller action be specified correctly

General Guidelines: The overall product of the gains for all the
components in the feedback control should be positive

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Qualitativeeffectsofparameterson
Performance
PControl: Increasing Kc results in
Faster response
Reduced Offset
Increased Oscillations
instability

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2.IntegralControl
The controller output depends on the integral of the
error signals over time

(77)

I reset time (or integral time) units of time

Important Advantage: Elimination of offset

When e 0, p(t) changes with time until e(t) = 0, where p
reaches a steady state that caused error to be zero

Disadvantage
It tends to produce Oscillatory responses and reduces stability
(can be avoided by proper tuning or including derivative action)
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ProportionalIntegral(PI)Control
Integral Controller is seldom used by itself (as it acts
slow)
Integral control action is normally used in
conjunction with proportional control as PI
PI Controller

(78)

Transfer Function for PI

(79)

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PIController(Contd)
Response of PI controller to a unit step change in e(t)
Controller output change instantaneously due to P action
Integral action causes the ramp increase in p(t)
Integral Time: time the controller takes to repeat p action

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KeyConceptsforIntegralControl
Reset Windup or Integral windup
Inherent disadvantage of integral control
Integral mode causes the controller output to change as long as e(t)
0
When a sustained error occurs, the integral term becomes quite large
& controller output eventually saturates
Further build up of the integral term while the controller is saturated
is referred as reset windup or integral windup

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SummaryofPIControllers
Two parameters Kc and I
I action eliminates offset
Tends to produce Oscillatory response
Reduce the stability
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QualitativeeffectsofPIparameterson
Performance
Increasing integral time makes the controller more
conservative (sluggish)
Theoretically, offset will be eliminated for all positive values of
integral time

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3.DerivativeControl
Anticipatory Control
Anticipate the future behavior of the error signal by considering
its rate of change
Tends to stabilize the controlled process
Example: A reactor temperature increases by 10 degree in 3
mins
P Control? I control?
Controller output proportional to the rate of change of the error
signal
(710)

In presence of noise (high frequency random fluctuations),

derivative of the measured variable will change wildly and
derivative action will amplify the noise
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ProportionalIntegralDerivativeControl
Combination of the proportional, integral, and
derivative control modes as a PID controller
Many variations of PID control are used in practice
We consider the three most common forms
1. Parallel Form of PID Control
(713)

Corresponding Transfer Function

(714)
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1.ParallelFormofPIDControl

What if e(t) becomes constant?

P action?
D action?
I action?
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2.SeriesFormofPIDControl
PI and PD operated in series

Commercial versions of the seriesform controller

have a derivative filter
(715)

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3.ExpandedFormofPIDControl
Expanded form
(716)

Three Gains Kc, KI, KD

Expanded form of PID is used in MATLAB

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PIDController
Three tuning Parameters: Kc, I, D
Better response than PI controller
P, I, and D mode respectively depends on
The present error
Accumulation of past error
Prediction of future errors
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QualitativeeffectsofDerivativetimeon
Performance
Difficult to generalize the effects of derivative time D
For small values, increasing D tends to improve the
response by reducing the maximum deviation, response
time and degree of oscillation
However, if D is too large measurement noise is amplified
and response may become oscillatory
Intermediate value of D is desirable

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TypicalresponseofaFeedbackControl
Systems
A step change in a disturbance variable occurs

Actual Behavior would depends on the type of

controller, controller settings and process dynamics
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SummaryoftheCharacteristicsofthe
MostCommonlyUsedControllerModes
Proportional

Simple.
Inherently stable when properly tuned.
Easy to tune.
Experiences offset at steady state

Proportional plus integral

No offset
Better dynamic response than reset alone.
Possibilities exist for instability due to lag introduced

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Summary(Contd)
Proportional plus derivative
Stable
Less offset than proportional alone (use of higher gain possible)
Reduces lags, i.e., more rapid response

Proportional plus integral plus derivative

Most complex
Rapid response
No offset
Best control if properly tuned
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