Chapter # 6

INSTRUMENTATION &
CONTROL
 INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL:

OBJECTIVES:
The primary objective of designer when specifying instrumentation and
contorl scheme are:

1- Safe plant operation

2- Production rate
3- Product quality
4- Cost

1- SAFE PLANT OPERATION:

1- To help the process variables within known safe operating limits.

2- To detect dangerous situation as they develop and to provide alarms
and automatic shutdown systems.
3- To provide inter locks and alarms to prevent dangerous operating
procedures.

2- PRODUCTION RATE:

To achieve the design product out put.

3- PRODUCT QUALITY:

To maintain the product composition within specified quality standards.

4- COST:

To operate at the lowest production cost, comensurate with the other

objective. These are not separate objectives and must be considered
together. Measurement is a fundamental requisite of process control either
the control will be affected automatically, semi- automatically or manually.
The quality of the control obtainable is a function of the accuracy,
repeatable and reliability of the measuring devices employed.
The objective of an automatic proess control is to use the manipulated
variable to maintain the controlled variable at its set point inspite of
disturbances. Instruments are provided to monitor the key process
variables during plant operations. Instruments monitoring critical process
variables will be fitted with automatic alarms to alert, the operations to
critical and hazardous situation.
Pneumatic instruments are used in this plant. The main process parameters
are all indicated in the control room where automatic or remote control is
carried out centrally.
The process parameters e.g. temperature, pressure, flow, level liquid etc.
are converted to signals with transducers and the indicated, recorded and
controlled with secondary instruments.

TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL:

This is used to control the temperature of outlet and inlet streams in heat
exchanger, condenser, heater and column. Most temperature
measurements in the industrial processes is made by means of
thermocouples of facilitate bringing measurements to controlised location.
Usually where high measurement accuracy is required resistance
thermometer is used. For the control of temperature, pneumatic feedback
control is used. Outlet temperature of the system is measured with the
help of thermocouple. This temperature is fed to a comparator. The
differnce between the set point and the input signal is called error is fed to
the controller which controls diaphragm valve to adjust the flow of hot or
cooling medium.

PRESSURE MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL:

The temperature and pressure are valueable indications of material state

and composition. In fact these two measurements considered together are
the evaluating devices of industrial materials. In compressed gas systems,
pressure measurement is of primary importance; pumping equipments are
furnished with pressure measuring devices. Pressure measurement
becomes an indication of the energy increase or decrease. Most pressure
measurements in the industry are made through elastic devices, either
directly connected for local use or transmission type to a controlised
location.

FLOW MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL:

For instrumentation and control of different sections and equipments of

plants, following control loops are most often used.

1- Feed back control loop

2- Feed forward control loop
3- Ratio control loop
4- Auctioneering control loop
5- Split range control loop
6- Cascade control loop

Here is given a short outline of these control schemes, so that to justify our
selection of a control loop for specified equipment.
1- FEED BACK CONTROL LOOP:

A method of control in which a measured value of a process is compared

with the desired value of the process variable and any necessary action
is taken. Feed back control is considered as basic control loops system.
Its disadvantage lies in its operational procedure. For example if a
certain quantity is entering in a process, then a monitor will be there at
the process to note its value. Any changes from the set point will be sent
to the final control element through the controller so that to adjust the
incoming quantity according to desired value (set point). But infact
change has already occurred and only corrective action can be taken
while using feed back control system.

2- FEED FORWARD CONTROL LOOP:

A method of control in which the value of disturbance is measured

than action is taken to prevent disturbance by changing the value of a
process variable. This is a control method designed to prevent errors
from occuring in a process variable. This control syatem is better feed
back control because it anticipates the change in the process variable
before it enters the process and take the preventive action. While in
feed back control system action is taken after change has occurred.

3- RATIO CONTROL:

A control loop in which the controlling element maintains a

predetermined ratio of one variable to another. Usually this control loop
is attached to such a system where two different streams enter a vessel
for reaction that may be of any kind. To maintain the stichiometric
quantities of different streams this loop is used so that to ensure proper
process going in the process vessel.
4- AUCTIONEERING CONTROL LOOP:

This type of control loop is normally used for huge vessel where
readings of a single variable may be different at different locations. This
type of control loop ensures safe operation because it employs all the
readings of different locations simultaneously, and compares them with
the set point. If any of these readings is deviating from the set point
then the controller sends appropriate signal to final control element.

5- SPLIT RANGE LOOP:

In this loop controller is present with different values corresponding to

different actions to be taken at different conditions. The advantage of
this loop is to maintain the proper conditions and avoid abnormalities at
very differential levels.

6- CASCADE CONTROL LOOP:

This is a control in which two or more control loops are arranged so that
the out put of one controlling element adjusts the set point of another
controlling element. This control loop is used where proper and quick
control is difficult by simple feed forward or feed backward control.
Normally first loop is feed back control loop.
 CONTROL SCHEMES OF DISTILLATION COLUMN:

GENERAL CONSIDERATION:

OBJECTIVES:

In distillation column control os any of following may be the goals to

achieve,
1- Overhead composition.
2- Bottom composition.
3- Constant overhead product rate.
4- Constant bottom product rate.

MANIPULATED VARIABLES:
Any one or any combination of following may be manipulated variables,

1- Stream flow rate to reboiler.

2- Reflux ratio.
3- Overhead product withdrawn rate.
4- Bottom product withdrawn rate.
5- Water flow rate to condenser.

LOADS OR DISTURBANCES:
Following are typical disturbances,

1- Flow rate of feed.

2- Composition of feed.
3- Temperatue of feed.
4- Pressure drop of steam across reboiler.
 5- Inlet temperature of water for condenser.

CONTROL SCHEME:
Overhead product rate is fixed and any change in feed rate must be absorbed by
changing bottom product rate. The change in product rate is accomplished by
direct level control of the reboiler if the stream rate is fixed feed rate increases
then vapor rate is approxiamately constant and the internal reflux flows must
increase.