THE COPPERBELT UNIVERSITY

School of mines and minerals sciences

CE 560 / MT 580
Process control

Lecture 02
Motivation for process control

C. Botha (Mr.)
Contacts: Chemical Engineering Department
Email: clyde.botha@cbu.ac.zm
Alt. Email: bthclyde@gmail.com

January, 2022
 Optimizing performance of a process

o A batch reactor is considered to help explain optimisation function of a control system.

o Fig. 6 shows a batch reactor in which the following consecutive reactions take place.

Fig.6 Batch reactor with two consecutive reactions

 Optimizing the performance of a process

o Assuming both reactions to be endothermic with first order kinetics.

o Heat required for the reaction is supplied by steam which flows through the jacket around
the reaction vessel.
o Furthermore, B is the desired product and C is the unwanted waste.
o The economic objective for this process might be to maximize the profit Φ over a period
of time 𝒕𝑹 equal to the processing time i.e.
tR  Revenue from   Cost of steam 
 =  -   dt.......Eq.2.0
 the sales of product B   + Cost of purchasing reagent A 
0

o The only variable that can be manipulated freely to maximize the profit is the steam flow-
rate Q.
 Optimizing the performance of a process cont’d…

o Steam flow-rate can vary with time and this in turn can affect reaction rates for both
desired and undesired reactions.
o Therefore, how should the steam flow-rate Q (t) be varied with time so that the profit Φ
is maximized?
o To achieve this control objective, two control actions can be examined.
1) Keeping the steam flow-rate at the highest possible value for the entire duration 𝒕𝑹 of
the process.
o For this scenario, temperature of reacting mixture will assume the highest possible
value.
o During the initial stage of the process, the concentration of reagent A will be high,
hence, desired product B yield will likewise be high.
 Optimizing the performance of a process cont’d…

o Additionally, the cost of steam will be high.

o With the passage of time, the concentration of product B will increase and this will
result in fast conversion of B to the undesired waste C.
o Clearly, the temperature of the reacting mixture must be decreased by decreasing
steam flow-rate towards the end of the reaction.
o This will slow down the conversion of B to the unwanted waste C.
2) The second scenario would be to keep the steam flow-rate at its lowest value for the
entire duration of the process.
o This will mean no steam cost but also no production of B.
 Optimizing the performance of a process cont’d…

o Based on these two scenarios, the steam flow-rate Q (t) must be varied between two
extreme limits i.e. its maximum value and its lowest possible value.

o Fig. 7 illustrates how the steam flow-rate may be varied to maximize the profit from the
batch process.

Fig.7 Optimal steam flow-rate profile for profit maximization in a batch reactor
 Optimizing the performance of a process cont’d…

o Required control strategy will compute the deviation or error at every instant during
the processing time.

o The steam flow-rate will then be adjusted according to the computed deviation so
that its variation follows the prescribed trend as close as possible.

o Example provided here indicates that steam flow-rate is not used to ensure stability
of batch reactor or eliminate the effect of external disturbance but rather to optimize
economic performance.
 Other incentives for process control-Safety

o Safe operation of all industrial processes is required for the well-being of workers on
the plant, surrounding communities and for continued economic contribution.

o For plant operation, one of the important goals is to ensure that plant activities
(operations) have less risks associated with them.

o Therefore, operating conditions such as pressures, temperatures and concentration of

chemical species must always be within allowable limits.

o Furthermore, concentrations of toxic chemical species in effluent streams must also be

within allowable limits.
 Other incentives for process control-Safety cont’d…

o Similarly, a reaction vessel designed to operate at a temperature of 1200 oC requires a

control mechanism to ensure that the temperature is within the prescribed operating
range.

o Otherwise, exceeding the design temperature may result in melting of the vessel and
leakage of hot material which might cause injuries to plant personnel.

o Finally, an another example of safe practice, reaction mixtures must never be allowed to
form explosive mixtures.
 Other incentives for process control-product specification

o Industrial plants are designed to produce a desired amount and quality of the products.

o As an example, a concentrator might be designed to produce 2000 TPH of concentrate with

a grade (quality) of the target mineral of 70 %.

o A control mechanism is required to ensure that the required tonnage and grade of the
concentrate is achieved.

o Also, a plant may be required to produce 2 million tonnes ethylene per day with 99% purity.

o To ensure the production level (2 million TPD) and purity specification are sustained, a
control system is required.
 Other incentives for process control-Environmental regulations

o Various government and environmental protection agencies (i.e. ZEMA) may specify that the
temperature, concentration of chemicals and flow-rates of effluents from a plant be within certain
limits.

o For example, there are regulations in place on the amount of SO2 emissions from a plant.

o Similarly, the quality of water discharged into natural water bodies is also regulated.

o Such as regulations on the maximum permissible temperature for discharged into aquatic
environments.

o To ensure that such regulations are adhered to, some form of a control mechanism may be
implemented.
 Other incentives for process control-Operational constraints

o Different types of equipment used for various purposes on the plant have constraints inherent
to their operations.

o Such constraints should be satisfied throughout the operation of a process plant.

o For instance, pumps must maintain a certain net positive suction head (NPSH) to avoid
cavitation which may lead to damage of pump impellers.
* Cavitation involves formation of liquid bubbles at the pump inlet which subsequently collapses at the pump outlet resulting in cavities that may send shock waves
and cause intense vibrations in the pump and piping system. This may overtime damage the pump earlier than its designed life span.
 Other incentives for process control-Operational constraints cont’d…

o Similarly, tanks should never be allowed to overflow.

o This may results in loss of valuable chemicals from the process streams and may
cause slippery surfaces that maybe dangerous for plant personnel.

o Likewise, reaction vessels using catalysts must be operated at prescribed

temperatures.

o Excessive temperatures may cause damage to the catalyst and other unsafe conditions
for the plant personnel.
 Other incentives for process control-Operational constraints cont’d…

o Furthermore, product size from a grinding circuit should be maintained within a required
size range.

o Otherwise, the performance of downstream processes such as leaching, floatation may

be affected due to product variability.

o Also, mill circulating load must be maintained within a certain flow-rate to avoid
overloading of mill, pump and hydrocyclone. This may lead to over consumption of
energy, wear and damage.
 Other incentives for process control-Economics

o Plant operation must satisfy the market conditions, that is, availability of the raw
materials and demand for the final products.

o The plant must also be as economical as possible in its utilization of raw materials,
energy, capital and human labour.

o Therefore, control of the operating conditions at a given optimum level is required to

minimize operating costs, maximize profit etc.
 Other incentives for process control-Summary

o The incentives for process control listed above dictates the following:

1) Need for continuous monitoring of process plants.

2) External intervention or control to satisfy the operational objectives.

o All this may be achieved through rational arrangement of equipment (process,

measuring devices, valves, controllers, computers etc.) and human input.

o And together, these constitute a control system.