Due Date: 02/09/2022 CH 246: Homework 1 Total Marks: 100

Problem 1. (30 points) Refer to CSTR model description and parameters sheet

(a) (10 points) Write a program to determine the steady states and verify steady states for 3 cases.
(b) (20 points) Consider the parameter values for Case 1. The reactor is to be operated at 420 K and
0.20 kmole/m3. Can this condition be achieved for the range of inlet concentration (CA0 ) of 1.0 to
2.0 mole/m3 and coolant flow rate (Fc ) of 0 to 16 m3 /min? If not, which range(s) has to be expanded
and by how much?

Problem 2. (70 points) The dynamic behavior of a pilot scale absorption process has been approximated
by the transfer function model:
–0.025
Y(s) = U(s) (1)
1.5s + 1
where Y is the deviation of SO2 concentration from its nominal operating value of 100 ppm, measured
at the absorber’s outlet; and U is the absorber water flow rate, in deviation from its nominal operating
value of 250 gpm; time is in minutes.

(a) (15 points) It is desired to design a PI controller for this process (assuming for now that the dynamics
of the sensor as well as those of the valve are negligible) by assigning the closed-loop system poles
to the same location as the roots of the quadratic equation:

s2 + s + 1 = 0 (2)

Find the values of Kc and 1/τI required to achieve this pole assignment, and identify the location of
the resultant closed-loop zero which this technique is unable to place arbitrarily. [Hint: Pay attention
to the sign which Kc must have for the controller’s action to be reasonable.]
(b) (20 points) Implement this PI controller on the process and obtain a simulation of the closed- loop
response to a step change of -10 ppm in the set-point for the absorber’s outlet SO2 concentration.
Use the G(s) given in Eq. (1) above for the process model.
(c) (20 points) To investigate the effect of plant/model mismatch and unmodeled dynamics on control
system performance, consider now that

1. the "true" process model has the same first-order structure, but with a gain of -0.03, and a time
constant of 1.0 min;
2. the unmodeled dynamics ignored in part (a) are given by:

CompositionAnalyzerDynamics : e–0.2s
GM (s) = 0.2s+1
(3)
WaterLineValveDynamics : 1
GV (s) = 0.25s+1

Introduce this information into the feedback control loop, implement the controller of part (a) on
this as the "true" process, and compare the closed-loop response to the same -10 ppm set-point
change investigated in part (b). Comment briefly on whether or not the difference in performance is
significant enough to warrant a redesign of the controller.

(d) (15 points) Reduce the Kc value obtained in part (a) by a factor of 10, and implement this new con-
troller first on the process as indicated in part (b). and then implement it on the process as modified
in part (c). Compare these two closed-loop responses.
By evaluating this set of responses in light of the corresponding set of closed-loop responses ob-
tained in (b) and (c), comment briefly on what effect (if any) the use of a smaller controller gain has
on the control system’s "sensitivity" to tire effect of plant/model mismatch and unmodeled dynam-
ics.

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