ENCH 442: Chemical
Process Control and Safety
Lecture 1
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Need for Process Automation
• The technological environment
• More complex and integrated plants
• Highly constrained operation
• Increased utilization of batch processing
• The economic environment
• International competition
• Rapidly changing economic conditions
• Tighter product quality specifications
• Demand for higher production rates
• Higher energy and raw material costs
• More stringent environmental and safety requirements
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Mike Henson, Univ of Massachusetts, Amherst
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Elements of Process Control
• Process modeling
• Knowledge embedded in mathematical description
• Model used for dynamic analysis and control system design
• A core competency of chemical engineers
• Process dynamics
• Study of unsteady-state (transient) behavior
• Startups/shutdowns, disturbance effects, production rate
changes
• Underemphasized in other ChE courses
• Process control
• Design and implementation of automatic control systems
• Flow control, temperature control, composition control, unit
operation control, plantwide control, etc.
• Essential background for any chemical engineer
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Mike Henson, Univ of Massachusetts, Amherst
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Economic Incentives - Advanced
Control
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition (Instructor Resources)
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Continuous and Batch or Semi-Batch Processes
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Control Terminology
• controlled variables - these are the variables which quantify
the performance or quality of the final product, which are also
called output variables.
Chapter 1
• manipulated variables - these input variables are adjusted
dynamically to keep the controlled variables at their set-points.
• disturbance variables - these are also called "load" variables
and represent input variables that can cause the controlled
variables to deviate from their respective set points.
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Blending system example
Notation:
• 𝑤𝑤1, 𝑤𝑤2 and 𝑤𝑤 are mass flow rates
• 𝑥𝑥1, 𝑥𝑥2 and 𝑥𝑥 are mass fractions of component A
Assumptions:
1. 𝑤𝑤1 is constant
2. 𝑥𝑥2 = constant = 1 (stream 2 is pure A)
3. Perfect mixing
Control Objective: Keep 𝑥𝑥 at a desired value (or “set point”) 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠, despite variations
in 𝑥𝑥1(𝑡𝑡).
Proposed solution: Solution: Adjust flow rate 𝑤𝑤2 for this purpose.
Terminology:
• Controlled variable (or “output variable”): 𝑥𝑥
• Manipulated variable (or “input variable”): 𝑤𝑤2
• Disturbance variable (or “load variable”): 𝑥𝑥1
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition
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Design Question. What value of 𝑤𝑤2 is required to have 𝑥𝑥̅ = 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 ?
Overall balance:
�2 = 0 (1)
�1 + 𝑤𝑤
𝑤𝑤
Component A balance:
�1 𝑥𝑥̅1 + 𝑤𝑤
𝑤𝑤 �2 𝑥𝑥̅2 − 𝑤𝑤
� 𝑥𝑥̅ = 0 (2)
(The overbars denote steady-state design values.)
At the design conditions, 𝑥𝑥̅ = 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 . Substituting (1) in (2), and
simplifying we get
𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 − 𝑥𝑥̅1
𝑤𝑤
�2 = 𝑤𝑤 �1
1 − 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition
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𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 − 𝑥𝑥̅1
𝑤𝑤
�2 = 𝑤𝑤
�1 (3)
1 − 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠
Equation 3 is the design equation for the blending system.
• If the assumptions are valid, this value of 𝑤𝑤
�2 that will keep
𝑥𝑥̅ at 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠
• But what if conditions change?
Control Question. Suppose that the inlet concentration 𝑥𝑥1
changes with time. How can we ensure that 𝑥𝑥 remains at or
near the set point 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 ?
For example, if 𝑥𝑥1 > 𝑥𝑥1̅ and 𝑤𝑤2 = 𝑤𝑤2 , then 𝑥𝑥 > 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 .
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition (Instructor Resources)
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Some Possible Control Strategies:
Method 1. Measure 𝑥𝑥 and adjust 𝑤𝑤2.
Intuitively, if 𝑥𝑥 is too high, we should reduce 𝑤𝑤2;
• Manual control vs. automatic control
• Proportional feedback control law: The change in the flow rate,
is proportional to the deviation from the set point
𝑤𝑤2 𝑡𝑡 = 𝑤𝑤
�2 + 𝐾𝐾𝑐𝑐 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 − 𝑥𝑥(𝑡𝑡)
𝐾𝐾𝑐𝑐 is called the controller gain.
𝑤𝑤2(𝑡𝑡) and 𝑥𝑥(𝑡𝑡) denote variables that change with time 𝑡𝑡.
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition (Instructor Resources)
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Feedback Control
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition (Instructor Resources)
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Method 2. Measure 𝑥𝑥1 and adjust 𝑤𝑤2.
•Thus, if 𝑥𝑥1 is greater than 𝑥𝑥1̅ , we would decrease 𝑤𝑤2 so that
𝑤𝑤2 < 𝑤𝑤�2
One approach: Consider Eq. (3) and make 𝑥𝑥1 and 𝑤𝑤1 a function
of time
𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 − 𝑥𝑥1 𝑡𝑡
𝑤𝑤2 (𝑡𝑡) = 𝑤𝑤
�1
1 − 𝑥𝑥𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠
Because Eq. (3) applies only at steady state, it is not clear how
effective the control law above will be for transient conditions.
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition (Instructor Resources)
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Feedforward Control
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition (Instructor Resources)
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Method 3. Measure 𝑥𝑥1 and 𝑥𝑥, adjust 𝑤𝑤2.
• This approach is a combination of Methods 1 and 2.
Method 4. Use a larger tank.
•If a larger tank is used, fluctuations in 𝑥𝑥1 will tend to be damped
out due to the larger capacitance of the tank contents.
•However, a larger tank means an increased capital cost.
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition (Instructor Resources)
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Classification of Control Strategies
Control Strategies for the Blending System
Method Measured Manipulated Category
Variable Variable
1 x w2 FB
2 x1 w2 FF
3 x1 and x w2 FF/FB
4 - - Design change
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition (Instructor Resources)
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Feedback vs Feedforward Control
Feedback Control: Feedforward Control:
Distinguishing feature: Distinguishing feature:
measure the controlled variable measure a disturbance
+ Corrective action is taken variable
regardless of the source of the + Correct for disturbance
disturbance before it upsets the process -
+ Reduces sensitivity of the Must be able to measure the
controlled variable to disturbance.
disturbances and changes in - No corrective action for
the process
unmeasured disturbances
- No corrective action occurs
until after the disturbance has
upset the process
Acknowledgment: Adapted from Seborg, Mellichamp, Edgar, Doyle: Process Dynamics and Control, 3rd Edition (Instructor Resources)
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