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Monash University
Faculty Of Engineering
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AUTHORISED MATERIALS
CALCULATORS YES NO
Only calculators with ‘approved for use’ Faculty of Engineering or Faculty of Science stickers are permitted
Candidates must complete this section if required to write answers within this paper
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EXAM INSTRUCTIONS
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QUESTION 1 (15 marks):
You are interested in modelling a 10 m3 surge tank which holds the products exiting a plug flow
reactor, as shown below. One of the purposes of the tank is to heat the reactor products to the final
temperature T prior to the next stage of the process. The sides of the surge tank are surrounded by a
steam jacket which uses steam at temperature Ts. However, due to poor design, heat is lost from the
tank via heat transfer from the surface of the product liquid to the air above the tank. The inlet
temperature TIN also varies. The feed to the tank flows at 0.2 m3/s, and you can assume that the tank
is always full. You can assume that the following quantities are constant:
Condensed
steam
(a) [6 marks] Using an energy balance, prove that this system can be described by three
transfer functions T’/T’IN, T’/T’A, and T’/T’S
where T is the outlet temperature, TS is the steam temperature, TA is the air temperature, and
TIN is the inlet temperature.
(b) [3 marks] Draw a block diagram for T’ as a function of T’A, T’IN and T’S.
(c) [2 marks] Determine the steady state temperature in the surge tank if the air temperature
is 20oC, the steam temperature is 110oC and the inlet temperature is 60oC.
(d) [4 marks] If TIN suddenly increases to 65 °C, whilst the air and steam temperatures remain
constant, sketch the time domain response of T.
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QUESTION 2 (10 marks):
A gas furnace is used to heat the feed to a reactor. The temperature T is controlled by a PID
controller, which adjusts the gas flow F. The gas supply pressure P tends to fluctuate. To overcome
this, cascade control has been implemented to regulate the gas flow supplied to the burners. The
inner controller is a proportional-only controller.
Process dynamics tests were conducted by the operators. When the waste gas pressure P increased
by 0.5 kPa, the gas flow F increased to 0.63m3/min after 1 minute, before reaching a new steady
state value of 1m3/min.
The change in exit temperature T due to a change in gas flow F can be modelled as a second order
system, with a gain of 3 oC/(m3/min), a time constant of 240 seconds, damping coefficient of 0.5.
When a unit step change is applied to the gas flow control valve, the gas flow F achieves a steady
state value of +5 m3/min/% after 5 minutes.
Both the temperature sensor and the gas flow sensor are very fast.
(a) [5 marks] Draw the block diagram of the system, showing all the transfer functions.
(b) [3 marks] Calculate the offset in F after a unit increase in the gas pressure P, if the inner
control loop is proportional only with a gain of Kc2=15 %open/(kg/m3).
(c) [2 marks] Determine the overall closed loop transfer function T(s)/SP(s).
(Note: you do not need to rearrange into the standard form).
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QUESTION 3 (15 marks):
A multiloop control system
consisting of 4 PID
controllers is to be designed
for a pH neutralisation
process. The transfer
function matrix and relative
gain array for this system
are shown below.
(a) [4 marks] Recommend a pairing of manipulated and controlled variables based on steady state
considerations.
(b) [3 marks] Would you also recommend this pairing based on physical and/or dynamic
considerations?
(c) [3 marks] Suppose that only pH2 and h2 are to be controlled using Q4 and Q6 as the manipulated
variables (Q1 and Q3 will be held constant)
i. What is the RGA for this 2x2 control problem?
ii. What pairing of controlled and manipulated variables do you recommend?
(d) [3 marks] Design two dynamic decouplers for the loop pairing you recommended in part (c)
(e) [2 marks] Draw a block diagram for the decouplers you designed in part (d), showing all the
transfer functions on the diagram.
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QUESTION 4 (15 marks):
(c) [3 marks] If that the overall response CA2’/CAO’ can be approximated by the following
TF:
C A 2 ' 0.002e −2 s
= where τ and θ are in minutes.
C A0 ' 10 s + 1
Calculate the dynamic matrix [A] for this process for a prediction horizon p=5 and a
control horizon c=3, with a sampling interval of 10 minutes.
(a) [2 marks] Determine [CA2] (where [CA2 ]=[A][CA0] ) for a step change in the inlet
concentration CA0 of 3 mol/m3 which occurs at t=10 min
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QUESTION 5 (15 marks):
(c) [5 marks] Explain the action of (i) proportional, (ii) integral and (iii) derivative control.
(d) [3 marks] Briefly explain how cascade control works and when it is used.
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THIS PAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
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Y K
= 2 2
2nd order: X τ s + 2τξs + 1
− πξ
overshoot = exp ; decay ratio = overshoot2
1 − ξ2
2πτ
T=
1− ξ 2
; tr=T/4 tp=T/2
− (t − θ)
y (t ) = K 1 − exp
τ for t>0
K
AR =
(1 + τ 2ω 2 ) φ = tan −1 (− τω ) − θω
K1 K2 K3
AR =
1 + τ1 ω 2 1 + τ 2 ω2 1 + τ3 ω2
2 2 2
− 2ξτω AR =
K
φ = tan −1 2 2
1− τ ω (1 − τ ω ) + ( 2ξτω) 2
2 2 2
1
λ11 = , λ12 = 1 − λ11 = λ 21
K K
1 − 12 21
K11 K 22
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TUNING TABLES
t n −1 n!
(n − 1)! s n +1
(a − τ ) as + 1
1+ e − t /τ
τ s (τ s + 1)
τ 1 − a − t /τ τ 2 − a − t /τ as + 1
1+ e − 1
e 2
τ 2 − τ1 τ 2 − τ1 s (τ 1s + 1)(τ 2 s + 1)
1 1− ξ 2 1
1− e −ξ t /τ sin t +φ
1− ξ 2 τ
s (τ s + 2ξτ s + 1)
2 2
1− ξ 2
φ = tan −1
ξ
where
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2012 EXAM SOLUTIONS
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Question 3 solution
(a) Which is the best pairing?
(i) Static considerations (RGA): Pair according to RGA elements closest to +1:
Each row represents each output - so row 1 represents h1, and row 2 represents pH1, and row 3 is h2 and
row 4 is pH2, which is reasonably clear from the RGA. The columns also represent the inputs in order - so
column 1 represents Q1 and column 2 represents Q3 and column 3 is Q4 and column 4 is Q6.
So during the pairing, each output needs to be matched with only one input. This means that there can only
be one selection in each row and each column. If there are two numbers circled in any column or row then its
incorrect. This matrix is 4x4 but the top right 2x2 and the bottom left 2x2 are all negative numbers, so you
should narrow in very quickly on the only possible options.
0.85 and 0.88 are in the same row (last two columns of bottom row). The represent the options of controlling
pH2 with either Q4 or Q6. If both were selected, then we would be trying to control Ph2 with Q4 AND
Q6. So, you pick 0.88, which is largest and closest to one which means control pH2 with Q6, and that
means the 0.85 cannot be chosen because you have already decided the best stream to control Ph2 was
Q6. So the next highest value is 0.7, which is h2 and Q4.
Similarly, 0.87 in the 1st column, second row is the highest value for Q1. So you use Q1 to control
pH1. Then, this means the 0.85 in the next column cannot be used because you have already assigned pH1
to be controlled by Q1, and this column (2nd column) represents Q3. Since the 0.85 option is eliminated,
then the only other positive number os 0.72, which means control h1 with Q3.
(ii) Dynamic considerations: The some pairing results in the smallest time constants for tank 1 (see
st
highlighted TF Ph1/Q1 in the 1 column).
It is also dynamically best for tank 2 because it avoids the long deadtime of
1.8 min (see crossed out TF)
Physical considerations: The proposed pairing makes sense because the controlled variables for
each tank are paired with the inlet flows for that same tank.
Alternatively - The RGA recommends pH1 to be controlled by Q1, based on the gains, but looking at
the entire TF, this has a deadtime of 1 minute (highlighted TF). If you used Q3 to control pH1
instead then the deadtime is only 0.5min which might be better in practice.
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b) Suppose that only pH2 and h2 are to be controlled using Q4 and Q6 as the manipulated variables (Q1
and Q3 will be held constant).
The new gain matrix for the 2⋅ 2 problem is
(1 mark)
( 1mark)
And the new RGA is :
c) Decoupler design:
Pair H2 – Q4 and pH2-Q6.
pH 2 = G21Q4 + G22T21Q4
pH 2
= 0 = G21 + G22T21
Q4
− G21
T21 =
G22
+ 0.32e −0.8 s 2.03s + 1 (2.03s + 1)e −0.4 s
T21 = =
2.36 s + 1 0.32e −0.4 s 2.36 s + 1
This is realisable so leave as is ( 1 mark)
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Question 4
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QUESTION 5: Note – marking of this section requires significant marker judgement, and these
answers are a guide of the kind of things we are looking for. We mark each answer on its merits.
(c) [5 marks] Explain the action of (i) proportional, (ii) integral and (iii) derivative control.
(i) Proportional control– takes action in proportion to the size of the error (or diff between
CV and SP). Simple and robust but produces Offset
(ii) Integral – looks at error between CV & SP over a time window and takes action to
eliminate this error. Removes offset but can add instability and oscillations
(iii) Derivative – reacts to rate of change of the error. Generally stabilises oscillations from PI
control although can make less stable. Can be sensitive to noise.
Basic answer – 1 mark each for P=proportional to error, I= eliminate offset by working on
sustained error (or error integral). And D = rate of change of error. Extra marks for more
information (but must be relevant! Not just a dump of memorised facts in the hope that at least
one of them will be correct!)
(i) [3 marks] Briefly explain how cascade control works and when it is used.
Cascade control is used when there is a disturbance to the manipulated variable (1 mark)
Adds a second inner loop around the valve to control the manipulated variable (1 mark)
Get 3/3 if mention these points plus something about how inner loop is usually high gain,
proportional only controller, or how inner loop needs to have faster response dynamics, or other
similar points.
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