CHEE3367 – Process Control

© M. Nikolaou, University of Houston

Design Aspects of Control Systems

Control system design questions

Q1. What are the control objectives?
Q2. What measurements to use?
Q3. What manipulations to use?
Q4. How to interconnect measurements and manipulations?
Q5. What is the control law?

Some answers
A1. Disturbance rejection; Stabilization of unstable processes; Real-time optimization
A2. Variables of interest = primary measurements. If unmeasureable, then Variables of interest = f(secondary variables).
A3. Select among inputs that affect controlled outputs.
A4. Feedback & feedforward. SISO vs. MIMO control. Interconnections between controlled outputs and manipulated
inputs for multiple SISO control loops.
A5. Subject of majority of remaining lectures.

Example 1 – Q1
Level control in a tank. Maintain h at desired value (setpoint): h = hSP .

hSP h

Level control at the bottom of a distillation column. Maintain h between bounds: hmin ≤ h ≤ hmax .

hmax
Reboiler hmin

Minimize the heat load of the reboiler in a distillation column (see above).

CHEE 3367, M. Nikolaou, page 1

Example 2 – Q2, Q3
Distillation column control (see textbook examples).

Example 3 – Q1, Q2, Q3

Quality control of a potato-chip fryer.

Objective: Produce potato chips of consistent quality Î ???

Measurements: Potato chip surface temperature, oil content, moisture content, color
Manipulations: Submerger speed, hot oil temperature, hot oil flowrate.

Take-out conveyor
Raw Exhaust
potato
slices
Submerger 1 Submerger 2 Fried chips

Free-frying zone Submerged frying zone

Oil Oil
inlet inlet
#1 #2

Example 4 – Q2, Q3, Q4

Feedback control of liquid level in a tank.

CHEE 3367, M. Nikolaou, page 2

 Fi

Process (tank)
LC
Outlet flowrate, F Height, h

h hSP
Controller

Note that the outlet flowrate F is an input variable for the controlled system (tank).

Example 5 – Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4

Temperature and level control in a tank heater

Feedforward path Feedforward path

Process
LC (tank heater)
Outlet flowrate

Inlet temperature
Steam flowrate

Temperature
TC

Level
T

Level Controller
Steam
Temp. Controller
F

Feedback path
Feedback path

Would it be a good idea to control temperature by manipulating the outlet flowrate?

Example 6 – Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4
Multivariable temperature and level control in tank heater

CHEE 3367, M. Nikolaou, page 3

 Multivariable feedback/feedforward controller

Inlet
Feedforward path
tempearture

Outlet flowrate
Temperature
Level
Steam flowrate

Process
(tank heater)

Outlet flowrate

Inlet temperature
Steam flowrate

Temperature
Level
T

Multivariable
Steam feedback/feedfor
ward controller
F

Feedback path

Example 7 – Q5
Level control in a tank.

Fi
Inlet flowrate, Fi

Process (tank)
Outlet flowrate, Fo Height, h
h hSP

Fo

Objective: Maintain level h at setpoint hSP

Measured output: h
Manipulated input: Fo (note that it is an outlet stream!)
Disturbance: Fi

Steady-state conditions:
hs = 2 m
Fis = 2.8 m3/min
Fos = 2.8 m3/min

CHEE 3367, M. Nikolaou, page 4

 • Effect of disturbance Fi jumping from 2.8 m3/min to 4 m3/min (step disturbance) on output h without controller:

Surge tank response to step disturbance. No control

5
4
3
h(t)

2
1
0
0 10 20 30 40
t

5
4
3
Fo(t)

2
1
0
0 10 20 30 40
t

Fi Inlet flowrate, Fi

LC
Process (tank)

h hSP Outlet flowrate, Fo Height, h

Controller
Fo

• Effect of disturbance Fi jumping from 2.8 m3/min to 4 m3/min (step disturbance) on output h under proportional
feedback control law for (P controller):

Fo (t ) − Fos = K c ( hSP − h(t ) ) (1)

where Fos is the steady-state value of F.
Rationale for control law: Large deviations of h from setpoint hSP should be countered by large control action,
namely large movement of the manipulated variable.

CHEE 3367, M. Nikolaou, page 5

 How will the P controller perform?

Tank response to step disturbance. P controller

5
4
3
h(t) 2
1
0
0 10 20 30 40
t

5
4
Fo(t))

3
2
1
0
0 10 20 30 40
t

• Control law for proportional-integral (PI) controller:

-
⎛ ⎞
Fo (t ) − Fos = K c ⎜ hSP − h(t ) + ∫ ( hSP − h(θ ) ) dθ ⎟
1 t
(2)
⎝ τI 0
⎠
where Fos is the steady-state value of F and τ I is a constant.
Rationale for control law: Proportional control alone (eqn. (1)) is not adequate. It will result in offset, namely
permanent discrepancy between controlled output and setpoint, when a step disturbance enters the system. Because, to reject
a step disturbance Fi the manipulated input Fo has to remain permanently away from it steady-state value. But because the
deviation of Fo from Fos is determined as Fo (t ) − Fos = K c ( hSP − h(t ) ) , the value of hSP − h(t ) must be permanently non-zero,
hence h(t ) ≠ hSP , namely offset.

How will the PI controller perform?

CHEE 3367, M. Nikolaou, page 6

 Tank response to step disturbance, PI control

5
4
3

h(t)
2
1
0
0 10 20 30 40
t

5
4
3
Fo(t)

2
1
0
0 10 20 30 40
t

Can you explain why the PI controller eliminates offset?

CHEE 3367, M. Nikolaou, page 7