CN3121 AY2022/2023 Semester 1

Week 12 Tutorial (Chapter 12 Controller Design + Chapter 15 Feedforward Control)

Q1: (Textbook 12.1) A process has the transfer function:

𝐾𝐾
𝐺𝐺(𝑠𝑠) =
(10𝑠𝑠 + 1)(5𝑠𝑠 + 1)
where K has a nominal value of K = 1.
PID controller settings are to be calculated using the Direct Synthesis approach with 𝜏𝜏𝑐𝑐 = 5
min.
Suppose that these controller constants are employed and that K changes unexpectedly
from 1 to 1 + α.
(a) For what values of α will the closed-loop system be stable?
(b) Suppose that the PID controller constants are calculated using the nominal value of K
= 1 but it is desired that the resulting closed-loop system be stable for |α| ≤ 0.2.
What is the smallest value of 𝜏𝜏𝑐𝑐 that can be used?
(c) What conclusions can be made concerning the effect that the choice of 𝜏𝜏𝑐𝑐 has on the
robustness of the closed-loop system to changes in steady-state gain K?
 CN3121 AY2022/2023 Semester 1

Q2: The mixing and dilution of a reagent is done in 3 tanks in series as shown in figure
below:

The transfer function for the pre-conditioning tank is:

1
𝐺𝐺1 (𝑠𝑠) =
5𝑠𝑠 + 1
The transfer function for each of the 3 tanks (1, 2 and 3) are:
1
𝐺𝐺(𝑠𝑠) =
𝑠𝑠 + 1
(a) Sketch the Feedback, Feedforward, and Feedforward-Feedback control loop block
diagram for the above system.
Simulate the following:
(b) Response to step change in set-point with:
i. Ziegler Nichols PI settings (Kc=3.65, τI =3.0)
ii. Kc=2.84, τI =5.0 (improved settings)
(How do you tell the settings is improved?)

(c) Response to step change in disturbance/load with:

i. Kc=2.84, τI =5.0 (Feedback only)
1
ii. FFFB with Kc=2.84, τI =5.0 and 𝐺𝐺𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹 = − 5𝑠𝑠+1
iii. FFFB with Kc=2.84, τI =5.0 and 𝐺𝐺𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹 = −1
iv. FFFB with Kc=2.84, τI =5.0 and 𝐺𝐺𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹 = −0.5
 CN3121 AY2022/2023 Semester 1

Q3: (Textbook 15.5) The closed-loop system in figure below has the following transfer
functions:

(a) Design a feedforward controller based on a steady-state design (Only gains).

(b) Design a feedforward controller based on a dynamic analysis.

(c) Design a feedback controller based on direct synthesis and using τc = 3.
(d) Simulate the closed-loop response to a unit step change in the disturbance variable using
feedforward control only and the controllers of parts (a) and (b).
(e) Repeat part (d) for the feedforward–feedback control scheme of Fig. 15.11 and the
controllers of parts (a) and (c) as well as (b) and (c).