ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765

ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875

International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical,

Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
(An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization)

Vol. 4, Issue 5, May 2015

Internal Model Control of Distillation Column

With Optimal Pairing Technique
D.Sankaranarayanan, G.Deepakkumar
PG Student, Anna University Regional Centre, Coimbatore, India
PG Student, Anna University Regional Centre, Coimbatore, India

ABSTRACT : The RGA provides a quantitative approach to the analysis of the interactions between the controls and
the output, and thus provides a technique for pairing manipulated and controlled variables to generate a control scheme.
In this paper, bottom concentration and distillate concentration of (2x2) distillation column is maintained at desired
level in methanol and water separation process. Relative gain Array is applied to convert the MIMO system into
multiple SISO system. Based on the results obtained from the RGA, Internal Model Controller is designed for the best
pairs of manipulated and controlled variable in the separation process in the distillation column. Thus the desired
concentration of the bottom and distillate (top) in the distillation column is maintained.

KEYWORDS: Internal Model Controller, Relative gain array, Niederlinski index

I. INTRODUCTION

In SISO system, it consists of only one manipulated variable and one controlled variable. It is clear that, only one
variable affect the output of the system. Design a controller in SISO system is simple and accurate.

Control of multivariable systems requires more complex analysis then that of single variable system. Fortunately,
essentially all methods and results learned for single variable systems are applicable to multivariable systems. Thus,
aspects of a single variable system that make it easy or difficult to control have generally the same effects for
multivariable systems. However, in multivariable systems new characteristics due to interaction must be considered.
Interaction results from process relationship that causes a manipulated variable to affect more than one controlled
variable.

This is the major difference from single loop systems and has a profound effect on the steady state and dynamics
behavior of a multivariable system. Thus, it is not possible to
analyze each manipulated – controlled variable connection individually to determine its performance; the integrated
control system must be considered simultaneously.

A closely related new issue is the disturbance source, because multivariable responds differently to different
disturbances. For example, the chemical reactor responds differently to disturbances in feed composition and feed
temperature, and, as we shall see, these differences must be considered in designing a multivariable control system.
Another realistic issue is the number of controlled and manipulated variable, which may not be equal. In some of the
cases, four manipulated variables, this can be adjusted to control three measured variables.

There are two basic multivariable control approaches. The first is a straight forward extension of single-loop control
to many controlled variables in a process and this is termed multi-loop control has been applied with success for many
decades. The second main category is centralized control in which a calculated algorithm uses all measurements to
calculate all manipulated variables simultaneously. The multi-loop approach, using multiple single loop controllers,
was the first approach used for multivariable control in the process industries.

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 ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765
ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875

International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical,

Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
(An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization)

Vol. 4, Issue 5, May 2015

block diagram

Figure1. Block diagram

In MIMO system, process interaction is an important factor influencing the behaviour of the multivariable systems.
A quantitative measure of interaction is needed to proceed with multiloop analysis method, and the relative gain array,
which has proved useful in control system analysis, is introduced to meet this need.

The relative gain array is matrix composed of elements defined as ratios of open-loop to closed-loop gains. In this
distillation process, the manipulated variables are reflux and reboiler flow rates, and the controlled variables are
distillate and bottom composition. Other important variables, such as pressure and levels, are controlled tightly.
In this process, to find the best pair of manipulated and controlled variables. Relative gain array technique is employed,
after some computation works RGA gives results in which best pair of the manipulated and controlled variables are
found. Reflux flow rate and top distillate composition is the first best pair and reboiler flow rate and bottom
composition is the second best pair found from the results of relative gain array.

Thus, Internal model controller for each pair (i.e.) refluxes flow - distillate composition and reboiler flow – bottom
compositions are designed to control the composition of distillate and bottom of the distillation tower. Plant model is
derived from the fundamental rules and by various techniques Thus, two controller designed to each best pair obtained
from RGA and each controller tuned to control the process output.

MATLAB tool is used to simulate the methanol-water separation process in the distillation column. Plant model
and Internal model controller was connected in required fashion to simulate the process.

II. DISTILLATION COLUMN

The liquid mixture that is to be processed is known as the feed and this is introduced usually somewhere near the
middle of the column to a tray known as the feed tray. The feed flows down the column where it is collected at the
bottom in the reboiler.

Heat is supplied to the reboiler to generate vapour. The source of heat input can be any suitable fluid, although in
most chemical plants this is normally steam. In refineries, the heating source may be the output streams of other
columns. The vapour raised in the reboiler is re-introduced into the unit at the bottom of the column. The
liquid removed from the reboiler is known as the bottoms product or simply, bottoms.

The vapour moves up the column, and as it exits the top of the unit, it is cooled by a condenser. The condensed
liquid is stored in a holding vessel known as the reflux drum. Some of this liquid is recycled back to the top of the
column and this is called the reflux. The condensed liquid that is removed from the system is known as the

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 ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765
ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875

International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical,

Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
(An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization)

Vol. 4, Issue 5, May 2015

distillate or top product. Thus, there are internal flows of vapour and liquid within the column as well as external
flows of feeds and product streams, into and out of the column.

A schematic of a typical distillation unit with a single feed and two product streams figure 2 is shown below:

Figure2. Distillation column

The plant model of (2x2) distillation column is given below,

 0.0747e 3s  0.0667e 2 s   0.70e 5 s 

 X D ( s)  12s  1 15s  1  R
  F ( s) 
14.4s  1

 X ( s)    3.3 s 2s    3 s
X F ( s)
 B   0.1173e  0.1253e   FV ( s) 1.3e 
 11.7 s  1 10.2s  1  12s  1 
(1)

III. RELATIVE GAIN ARRAY

Single variable Input or Single variable Output (SISO) control schemes are just one type of control scheme that
engineers in industry use to control their process. They may also use MIMO, which is a Multi-Input-Multi-Output
control scheme. In MIMO, one or more manipulated variables can affect the interactions of controlled variables in a
specific loop or all other control loops.

A MIMO control scheme is important in systems that have multiple dependencies and multiple interactions between
different variables, in a distillation column, where a manipulated variable such as the reflux ratio could directly or
indirectly affect the feed flow rate, the product composition, and the reboiler energy.
Thus, understanding the dependence of different manipulated and controlled variables in a MIMO control scheme
could be extremely helpful in designing and implementing a control scheme for a process. One method for designing
and analyzing a MIMO control scheme for a process in steady state is with a Relative Gain Array (RGA). RGA is
useful for MIMO systems that can be decoupled.

A good MIMO control scheme for a system that can be decoupled is one that can control a process variable without
greatly affecting the other process variables. It must also be stable with respect to dynamic situations, load changes, and
random disturbances. The RGA provides a quantitative approach to the analysis of the interactions between the controls
and the output, and thus provides a method of pairing manipulated and controlled variables to generate a control
scheme.

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International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical,

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Vol. 4, Issue 5, May 2015

Relative Gain Array is an analytical tool used to determine the optimal input-output variable pairings for a multi-
input-multi-output (MIMO) system. In other words, the RGA is a normalized form of the gain matrix that describes the
impact of each control variable on the output, relative to each control variable's impact on other variables.

The process interactions of open-loop and closed-loop control systems are measured for all possible input-output
variable pairings. A ratio of this open-loop 'gain' to this closed-loop 'gain' is determined and the results are displayed in
a matrix.

11 12 . . . .1n 

 
 21  22 . . .  2 n 
RGA    .  (2)
 
. 
 
 n1 . . . . .  nn 
The array will be a matrix with one column for each input variable and one row for each output variable in the
MIMO system. This format allows a process engineer to easily compare the relative gains associated with each input-
output variable pair, and ultimately to match the input and output variables that have the biggest effect on each other
while also minimizing undesired side effects.
The relative gain array can be evaluated from steady state gain matrix,

 6.09  5.09
RGA    
6.09
(3)
 5.09
From the result of relative gain array best pairs of manipulated and controlled variables are found. Since only
the pairing XD-FR and XB-FV has a positive relative gain value. Thus, reflux flow – distillate composition and reboiler
flow – bottom composition found to be best pairs.

IV. NIEDERLINSKI INDEX

NI, the Niederlinski Index, is a calculation used to analyse the stability of the control loop pairings using the result of
the RGA, evaluated at Steady State:

G
NI 

n
i 1
gii
(4)

A negative NI value indicates instability in the control loop. For a 2x2 matrix, a positive NI value indicates stability
in the pairings, but this is not necessarily true for larger matrices! For matrices larger than 2x2, a conclusion can only
be drawn from a negative NI, which indicates instability.

A negative value for NI, when all the control loops are closed, implies the system will be integrally unstable for all
possible values of controller parameters. In order to design a decentralized control system for a process, given the
transfer function, the RGA is used to obtain a tentative loop pairing, and then the NI is used to ascertain the stability of
the closed loop system using the recommended RGA pairing.

The Niederlinski index value for steady state gain matrix for the equation (1)

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International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical,

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(An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization)

Vol. 4, Issue 5, May 2015

NI=0.1643

Hence, the NI value is positive and it indicates that the stability in pairs obtained from RGA. Thus, optimal
pairing of control loop is obtained from Relative gain array and Niederlinski index stability analysis of pairing.

V. INTERNAL MODEL CONTROL DESIGN

The main advantage to IMC is that it provides a transparent framework for control-system design and tuning. The
IMC design procedure is exactly that of the open loop control design procedure. Remember that a factorization of the
process model was performed so that the resulting controller would be stable. If the controller is stable and the process
is stable, then the overall controlled system is stable. This is true simply because if two transfer functions are stable,
then the transfer functions cascaded together are stable. Although the IMC design procedure is identical to the open
loop control design procedure, the implementation of IMC results in feedback system. Thus, IMC is able to compensate
for disturbance and model uncertainty, while open-loop control is not. Note that the internal model controller must be
detuned to assure stability if there is model uncertainty.

A.IMC Structure

The IMC structure is shown in figure (3). The distinguishing characteristic of this structure is the process model,
which is parallel with the actual process (plant).

Figure3. The internal model control structure

B.IMC design procedure

The IMC design procedure for SISO system is identical to the design procedure that we developed for open loop
controller design earlier. Model uncertainty is handled by adjusting the filter factor for robustness and speed of
response.
The IMC design procedure consists of following four steps.
1. Factor the process model into invertible and non- invertible elements.
2. Form the idealized IMC controller. The ideal internal model controller is the inverse of the invertible portion
of the process model.
3. Add the filter to make the controller proper.
4. Adjust the filter-tuning parameter to vary the speed of the closed loop system.

Based on above procedure the Internal Model Controller is designed for process used in this paper
12s  1
For the process 1 the IMC controller is
0.0747s  0.0747

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International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical,

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Vol. 4, Issue 5, May 2015

10.2s  1
For the process 2 the IMC controller is
 0.1253s  0.1253
VI. SIMULATION RESULTS

The process is simulated using MATLAB simulink tool and the results of the paper are shown below in figure 3 and
figure 4.

Figure 3 gives the result for the control of best pair found from RGA technique, reflux flow and distillate
composition.

Figure3.Result for the control of top distillation composition

With feed disturbance and interaction of other process

Figure 4 gives the result for the control of best pair found from RGA technique, reboiler flow rate and bottom
composition.

Figure4.Result for the control of bottom composition

With feed diturbance and intreaction of other process

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International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical,

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Vol. 4, Issue 5, May 2015

VII. CONCLUSION

The best pairs of distillation column found using Relative gain array technique and Niederlinski index. Internal
model controller is designed for the best pair and it is properly tuned. The process is simulated using MATLAB
SIMULINK tool and results are obtained. Thus the top and bottom composition of distillation column is controlled and
desired performance is achieved.

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