Inferential Control

Prof. Dr. Arshad Ahmad

Process Control and Safety Group,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Lack of Measurement

*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Lack of Measurement
Control theory is quite matured
PID cascade feed forward MPC
Without accurate measurement, good control cannot
be established.
Weakness in measurement
lack of appropriate on-line instrumentation
reliability of on-line instruments
Long delay, fouling, drifts
Indirect approaches have been used.

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Indirect Control

Example
Control of conversion by fixing the resident time in a reactor
Level and flow control
Control of composition by fixing the tray temperature in
distillation column
Pressure and temperature control
Indirect strategy is good for normal condition
Any upsets or serious disturbance leads to control
degradation

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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Benefits
faster return of information
upsets can be detected quicker
remedial action can be taken before it is too late.
more consistent production
reducing human involvement
better process regulation
operator's time will be better spent

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Effect of Deadtime on Control

Performance
! p=0.5

! p=1.5

Time

Deadtime

-Inherent process behaviour

-Delay in sampling/or measurement
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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Traditional Practice: Indirect
Control

TT TC
Tray 10

RSP

FC
FT

Composition in Distillation Columns are indirectly controlled

By controlling selected tray temperatures

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Choosing a Proper Tray

Temperature Location

86

84 Tray 10
Temperature (C)

82

80

78 Tray 18
76

3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Mole Percent Propane

A tray temperature used for inferential

control should show strong sensitivity.
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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Feed Composition Affects
Composition/Temperature Correlation

95
Temperature (C)

90
Heavy
85

80 Light Feed
75

3 4 5
Mole Percent Light Key

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Feedback Correction for

Feed Composition Changes

RSP
TT TC AC
Tray 10

RSP

FC
FT
AT

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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Inferential Estimation

Measure other process variables

Relate these variables to the variable
of interest

Problems:
- lack of measurement Apply as inferential estimator
for product composition Use in control loop
- indirect control of product
purity subject to uncertainty

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Inferential Control
Uses easily measure process variables (T, P, F)
to infer more difficult to measure quantities
such as compositions and molecular weight.
Can substantially reduce analyzer delay.
Can be much less expensive in terms of capital
and operating costs.
Can provide measurements that are not
available any other way.

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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Overall Picture

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Better frequency

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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Example: Inferential Reactor Conversion Control
Macroscopic Energy Balance :
Tout
XA CAin ( !Hrxn ) = Cp (Tout ! Tin )
Cp
XA = (Tout ! Tin )
CAo ( !Hrxn )
Develop Linear Relationsh ip Based
on Plant Data
XA = a (Tout ! Tin ) + b
This is based on steady state relationships !
Tin Using Tout and Tin, knowing a and b, conversion
Can be estimated

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Example: Molecular Weight of a Polymer

FT TT

DPT (T ) = f1 (!P, F )
(T0 ) = f 2 [T , (T )]
M wt = f 3 [ (T0 )]

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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Available Techniques
First Principle Models
Regression Models
Linear Regression
Multiple Linear regression
Linear black-box model
E.g. ARX, FIR
Nonlinear models
e.g. neural networks

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Inferential Control 1: Soft Sensor

PID controllers still being employed.

Model serves as soft-sensor
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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Soft sensor

^
Estimates Filtering
M-M
algorithm Measurement
error
^
Simplified M -
model Predicted +
measurements
M
Process
Inputs Measurements

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Soft Sensors Based on Neural

Networks

Input
1

Input
Output
2

Input Weight
3
Node

Neural network (NN) provides nonlinear correlation.

Weights are adjusted until NN agrees with plant data
NN-based soft sensors are used to infer NOx levels
in the flue gas from power plants.

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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#

 Inferential Control (Block Diagram)

y4, set point

Process y1,y2,y3...
Controller Plant

Inferential
Process model Estimator
~
y4

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Summary of Inferential Control

Advantage
Enable the use of a desired control loop despite the lack of
measurement devices.
Free from dependence on delayed data (off-line analysis),
leading to better control.
Disadvantage
Knowledge on the process must be known.
Wrong estimation leads to wrong control action and hence
detrimental to process operation.
How to Improve?
Provide measured data periodically (off-line analysis etc.)
Better Model

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*[lnt 6peration by Dr AA, 2008 Page 2.2 -#