Manipal University

Department of Chemical Engineering

CE 1833- PROCESS DYNAMICS AND CONTROL LABORATORY

IV YEAR, VIIITH SEMESTER, 2019

EXPERIMENT No. #4
Interacting Tanks

INSTRUCTORS:
Dr. Abhishek Sharma
Dr. Anees Y. Khan

GROUP #A
Member name: Akriti Agarwal
Reg. number: 159110003

Experiment carried on: February 5, 2019

Report submitted on: February 12, 2019

PRELAB (10) ______

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (10) ______
INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES/SCOPE/PROCEDURE (30) ______
RESULTS & DISCUSSION (30) ______
a) Data analysis and interpretation of information
b) Presentation of relevant information (including results on graphical, tabular or equation forms)
CONCLUSIONS (5) ______
REFERENCES (5) ______
APPENDIX
a) Original data, sample calculations, Excel sheets (5) ______
GENERAL COMPLETENESS
a) Conciseness and neatness (5) ______
TOTAL (100) ______

1
2
Table of Contents
4.1 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 4
4.2 Objective ................................................................................................................................................. 5
4.3 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 5
4.4 Experimental Set-up................................................................................................................................ 6
4.5 Procedure .......................................................................................................................................... 7
(a) For a step change: ......................................................................................................................... 8
(b) For an impulse change: ................................................................................................................. 8
4.6 Result and Discussion ............................................................................................................................. 8
a) For a step change .................................................................................................................................. 8
b) For an impulse change .......................................................................................................................... 9
4.7 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 10
4.8 References ............................................................................................................................................. 10
4.9 Appendix A4 ......................................................................................................................................... 11

List of Figures
Figure 1: Two tank interacting system ......................................................................................................... 5
Figure 2: Experimental Set-up ...................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 3: Response observed for a step change ............................................................................................ 9
Figure 4: Response to an impulse change ................................................................................................... 10

List of Tables
Table 1: Observation Table for step change ............................................................................................... 11
Table 2: Observation for impulse change ................................................................................................... 14

3
4.1 Executive Summary
The objective of the experiment is to study the dynamic response of two interacting tank system
subjected to a step and impulse change. To achieve the objective two tanks each of area 66.4 cm2
was used. For a step change, the initial flowrate was set to 10LPH and the initial steady state
height of tank 3 and 2 were obtained at 23cm and 14cm respectively and then a step change of
50LPH was introduced. The time constant of tank 3 and 2 were found to be 500s and 435s
respectively. The observed and calculated height of tank 2 was found to be slightly different and
the reason for the same may be parallax error or the non-linearity of resistance. For an impulse
change the initial flowrate was set to 20LPH the initial steady state height of tank 3 and 2 were
obtained at 24cm and 18cm respectively and then 500ml of water was added to 3rd tank and it
was observed that the water level increases all of a sudden and then it starts to fall and reaches its
initial steady state value after sometime.

4
4.2 Objective
The objective of the experiment is to study the dynamic response of two interacting tank system
subjected to step and impulse change
4.3 Introduction
A physical system can be represented by several first-order processes connected in series [1]. One
possible example for such an arrangement is shown in Fig.1.It consists of two tanks connected in
an interacting manner in which two tanks are arranged such that the outlet flow from the first
tank is the inlet flow to the second tank. In such a system the outlet flow from tank 1 discharges
directly into tank 2, and the flow through R1 (flow resistance) depends on the difference between
h1 and h2 (liquid level in tank 1 and 2 respectively).

Figure 1: Two tank interacting system [1]

Let us assume the liquid to be of constant density (ρ), the tanks to have uniform cross-sectional
area (A1 and A2), and the flow resistances are R1 and R2. Using the notations mentioned on figure
1, we can write the following equations [1]:
For Tank 1:
𝑑ℎ1
𝑞 − 𝑞1 = 𝐴1 … … … … … … … … . . (4.1)
𝑑𝑡
ℎ1 − ℎ2
𝑅1 = … … … … … … … … … . (4.2)
𝑞1
For Tank 2:
𝑑ℎ2
𝑞1 − 𝑞2 = 𝐴2 … … … … … … … … . . (4.3)
𝑑𝑡

5
 ℎ2
𝑅2 = … … … … … … … … … . (4.4)
𝑞2
At steady state the above equations can be written as:
dh1s
q s − q1s = A1 … … … … … … … … . . (4.5)
dt
h1s − h2s
R1s = … … … … … … … … … . (4.6)
q1s
dh2s
q1s − q 2s = A2 … … … … … … … … . . (4.7)
dt
h2s
R 2s = … … … … … … … … … . (4.8)
q 2s
On subtracting (4.1-4.5), (4.2-4.6), (4.3-4.7), (4.4-4.8), introducing deviation variables and
taking Laplace Transforms we get:
Q(s) − Q1 (s) = A1 (s)sH1 (s) … … … … … … … (4.9)

Q1 (s) − Q2 (s) = A2 (s)sH2 (s) … … … … … … … (4.10)

R1 (s)Q1 (s) = H1 (s) − H2 (s) … … … … … … … . . (4.11)

R 2 (s)Q2 (s) = H2 (s) … … … … … … … . . (4.12)

H2 (s) R2
= … … … … … (4.13)
Q(s) τ2 τ1 s 2 + (τ1 + τ2 + A1 R 2 )s + 1

The difference between the transfer function for the non-interacting system and that for the
interacting system is the presence of the cross product term A1R2 in the coefficient of s.
4.4 Experimental Set-up
The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is used to study the response of a two tank non-interacting tanks
in series. It consists of supply tank, pump for water circulation from the sump tank to either tank
1 or 3 depending upon the type of system to be studied, a rotameter for inlet flow measurement
and 3 graduated tanks which can be connected in interacting and non-interacting mode. The

6
graduations in the tank help to measure the level of water in the tank at a particular time. For this
experiment we use interacting mode i.e. tank 3 and tank 2.

Figure 2: Experimental Set-up

4.5 Procedure
 Ensure all drain valves are closed.
 Fill water in the sump tank.
 Switch on the pump and allow the water to flow to tank 3.
 Set the desired flowrate of water to Tank 3 using the rotameter provided.
 Adjust the valves so as to attain steady state in tank 3 and tank 2
 Once steady state is achieved record the initial flowrate and the steady state level of both
the tanks

7
 (a) For a step change:
 Once the steady state is achieved, apply step up change by increasing the inlet flowrate to
tank 3 using the rotameter.
 Record the water level in both tanks after every fixed interval of time till steady state is
reached.
 Once the steady state is achieved, record the final level of both the tanks.
(b) For an impulse change:
 Once the system reaches steady state apply impulse change by adding 500 ml of
water directly to Tank 3 and record the first data immediately.
 Record the water level in both tanks after every fixed interval of time till steady state
is reached.
 Once the steady state is achieved, record the final level of both the tanks.
4.6 Result and Discussion
a) For a step change
Two tanks each of diameter 9.2cm and area of 66.47cm2 was used in the experiment. The initial
flowrate to tank 3 was maintained at 10LPH. Initial steady state level of water in tank 3 (h1s) was
obtained at 22cm and initial steady state level of water in tank 2 (h2s) was found to be 14cm. A
step up change of magnitude 50 was applied i.e. the flowrate was changed to 60LPH. The change
in water level with respect to time, on applying step change, for both the tank is shown in Fig. 3.
It also shows the calculated value of H2 and the calculation is shown in Appendix A4. The final
water level obtained in tank 3 and tank 2 was 126 and 105 cm respectively. The values of τ1 and
τ2 were calculated to be 500s and 435s respectively. The calculation is shown in Appendix A4.
As it can be seen from Fig. 3 the observed and calculated value of H2(t) is not exactly same and
the calculated response reaches steady state after a very long time as compared to what is
observed. Deviations observed may be due to following factors:
• Non-linearity of valve resistance.
• Step change is not instantaneous.
• Visual errors in recording observations.
• Accuracy of rotameters.
In terms of transient response the interacting system is more sluggish than the non-interacting
system.

8
 120

100

80
Height(cm)

60 H1
H2 observed
40 H2 calculated

20

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
time(s)

Figure 3: Response observed for a step change

b) For an impulse change

Two tanks each of diameter 9.2cm and area of 66.47cm2 was used in the experiment. The initial
flowrate to tank 3 was maintained at 20LPH. Initial steady state level of water in tank 3 (h1s) was
obtained at 24cm and initial steady state level of water in tank 2 (h2s) was found to be 18cm. For
an impulse change 500cm3 of water was added to tank 3 quickly at the water level in tank 3 and
2 at t=0 was found to be 94cm and 42cm respectively. The change in water level with respect to
time, on applying impulse change, for both the tank is shown in Fig. 4. The final water level
obtained in tank 3 and tank 2 was 24cm and 18 cm respectively. It can be seen from Fig. 4 that
the output for an impulse change first increases as soon as the impulse is applied and then
decreases and reaches a value which is equal to the initial height. The curves obtained in Fig. 4
are not smooth. Deviations observed may be due to following factors:
• Non-linearity of valve resistance.
• Step change is not instantaneous.
• Visual errors in recording observations.
• Accuracy of rotameters.

9
 80

70

60

50
height(cm)

40
H1
30 H2
20

10

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
-10
time(s)

Figure 4: Response to an impulse change

4.7 Conclusion
The objective of the experiment was achieved by using two cylindrical tanks of equal areas (66.4
cm2). For a step change of 50LPH in the flowrate the values of τ1 and τ2 obtained were 500s and
435s respectively. For an interacting tank system the flow through R1 depends on the difference
in the water level in the two tanks. .For an impulse the water level first increases and then
decreases and comes back to its original after sometime. In terms of transient response the
interacting system is more sluggish than the non-interacting system. Any error that might have
occurred may be due to parallax or non-linearity of valve resistance. Hence, for more accurate
results, it is recommended that the experiment should be allowed to run for an hour before step
or impulse change is introduced. This would ensure that steady state is achieved and hence
would result in much more precise results.
4.8 References
1. D. Coughanowr and S. Le Blanc, Process System Analysis and Control, Mc-Graw Hill
(1991)(71-92).

10
4.9 Appendix A4
Table 1: Observation Table for step change

time h1 h2 H1 H2(observed) H2(calculated)

(s) (cm) (cm) (cm) (cm) (cm)
0 22 14 0 0 0
10 32 15 10 1 0.07377779
20 37 15 15 1 0.289038299
30 41 15 19 1 0.637043998
40 46 15 24 1 1.109531867
50 49 16 27 2 1.698688095
60 53 16 31 2 2.397124126
70 56 17 34 3 3.197853975
80 60 18 38 4 4.094272759
90 64 19 42 5 5.080136361
100 66 20 44 6 6.149542177
110 70 21 48 7 7.296910889
120 72 22 50 8 8.516969206
130 75 23 53 9 9.804733522
140 78 24 56 10 11.15549445
150 82 26 60 12 12.56480215
160 84 27 62 13 14.0284525
170 86 28 64 14 15.54247392
180 88 30 66 16 17.10311496
190 90 32 68 18 18.70683254
200 92 34 70 20 20.35028076
210 94 36 72 22 22.03030039
220 96 37 74 23 23.74390885
230 98 39 76 25 25.48829078
240 100 41 78 27 27.26078905

11
250 101 43 79 29 29.05889628
260 102 45 80 31 30.88024684
270 103 48 81 34 32.72260923
280 104 50 82 36 34.58387886
290 105 53 83 39 36.46207128
300 106 55 84 41 38.3553157
310 107 57 85 43 40.26184889
320 108 60 86 46 42.18000937
330 109 62 87 48 44.10823198
340 110 64 88 50 46.04504267
350 111 66 89 52 47.9890536
360 112 67 90 53 49.93895846
370 113 68 91 54 51.89352815
380 114 69 92 55 53.8516065
390 115 70 93 56 55.81210646
400 116 71 94 57 57.77400624
410 117 73 95 59 59.73634587
420 118 75 96 61 61.6982238
430 119 77 97 63 63.65879376
440 120 79 98 65 65.61726176
450 120 81 98 67 67.57288322
460 120 83 98 69 69.52496032
470 120 86 98 72 71.47283945
480 120 89 98 75 73.41590878
490 121 92 99 78 75.353596
500 121 94 99 80 77.28536614
510 121 95 99 81 79.21071958
520 121 96 99 82 81.12919003
530 122 97 100 83 83.04034277
540 122 98 100 84 84.94377291

12
550 123 99 101 85 86.83910371
560 123 100 101 86 88.72598505
570 124 101 102 87 90.60409197
580 124 103 102 89 92.47312328
590 125 103 103 89 94.3328002
600 125 104 103 90 96.18286518
610 126 104 104 90 98.02308067
620 126 104 104 90 99.85322801
630 126 105 104 91 101.6731064
640 126 105 104 91 103.4825319
650 126 105 104 91 105.2813364
660 126 105 104 91 107.0693668

Calculation:
For time constant of Tank 1
dQ1 = 60 - 10 = 50 LPH
dH1 = 126 - 22 = 104cm
R1 = dH1/ dQ1 = 7.488 s/cm2
τ1 = A1*R1 = 500s
For calculated height of tank 2:
1 1 𝐴1 𝑅2
𝑏= + + = 0.006302
𝜏1 𝜏2 𝜏1 𝜏2

𝑏 𝑏 1
𝛼 = (− ) + √( )2 − = −0.00084
2 2 𝜏1 𝜏2

𝑏 𝑏 1
𝛽 = (− ) − √( )2 − = −0.00546
2 2 𝜏1 𝜏2

1 1
[𝛼 𝑒 𝛼𝑡 ] − 𝑒 𝛽𝑡
𝛽
𝐻2 (𝑡)𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 = 𝐴𝑅2 {1 − }
1 1
𝛼−𝛽
At t=10 secs H2=0.074 cm.

13
Table 2: Observation for impulse change

time h1 h2 H1 H2
Steady 24 18 0 0
state
0 94 42 70 24
10 74 44 50 26
15 70 46 46 28
20 66 48 42 30
30 60 50 36 32
40 58 48 34 30
50 57 46 33 28
60 56 44 32 26
70 54 42 30 24
80 52 40 28 22
90 50 38 26 20
100 49 36 25 18
110 47 34 23 16
120 46 33 22 15
130 45 32 21 14
140 44 31 20 13
150 43 30 19 12
160 42 30 18 12
170 41 29 17 11
180 40 28 16 10
190 39 27 15 9
200 38 26 14 8
210 37 25 13 7
220 36 25 12 7
230 35 24 11 6
240 34 23 10 5

14
250 33 22 9 4
260 32 21 8 3
270 31 20 7 2
280 30 20 6 2
290 30 19 6 1
300 29 19 5 1
310 28 18 4 0
320 28 18 4 0
330 27 18 3 0
340 27 18 3 0
350 26 18 2 0
360 26 18 2 0
370 25 18 1 0
380 25 18 1 0
390 24 18 0 0
400 24 18 0 0
410 24 18 0 0
420 24 18 0 0

15