CEB2083 PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROL

MAY 2020 SEMESTER

Chapter 1:
Introduction to
Process Instrumentation & Control
BY
Assoc. Prof. Dr Marappagounder Ramasamy / Dr Serene Lock /
Dr Mohd Hilmi Noh / Dr Nurul Aini Amran

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS (UTP)

Chapter Objectives

End of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Understand the role of process dynamics and control in industry
2. Understand general concepts
3. Classify variables
4. Understand the purpose of process control
5. Understand control aspects of complete chemical plant
6. Understand hardware for process control system
Course learning outcomes

CLO1
Develop dynamic models of chemical processes

CLO2
Design feedback control systems using modern IT tools

CLO3
Select appropriate instruments for control systems
Introduction

➢ Process Control deals with the control of process variables at the

desired operating conditions in a process plant.
➢ The desired operating conditions are generally chosen to:

▪ maintain the plant capacity (throughput)maintain certain level of

▪ inventory inside the process equipment
▪ achieve maximum conversion in a reactor
▪ a certain degree of separation/product purity in separation
systems
▪ provide the required heating/cooling duties, etc.

➢ Process Control ensures operational efficiency and safety of process

plants
Need for Process Control
➢ Performance requirements for process plants have become
increasingly difficult to satisfy.

➢ Key factors for tightening product quality specifications:

- Stronger competition
- Rapidly changing economic conditions
- Tough environmental and safety regulations
- Modern plants are complex and highly integrated
- It is difficult to prevent disturbances from propagating from one
unit to other interconnected units.

➢ Process control has become increasingly important due to increased

importance on safe and efficient plant operation.
Objectives of Process Control

❑ The major objectives of Process Control are:

✓ Maintain a process at the desired operating conditions (level, flow,

temperature, pressure, composition) safely and efficiently

✓ Satisfy product quality and environmental requirements

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Process control applications

❑ Large-scale integrated processing plants such as oil refineries or

ethylene plants require thousands of process variables such as
temperature, pressure, flow, level and compositions are measured
and controlled.
❑ Large number of process variables, mainly flow rates, can be
manipulated.
❑ Feedback control systems compare measurements of the controlled
variable with their desired values and then adjust the manipulated
variables accordingly.
Representative process control problems

Foundation of process control is process understanding.

What is a process? 1 min

Answer:
The conversion of feed materials to useful products using chemical and
physical operations – PROCESS.

Common processes can be continuous, batch or semi-batch.

Continuous Processes
Tubular Heat Exchanger

Control problem:
The exit temperature of the process
fluid is controlled by manipulating the
cooling water flow rate.

Disturbances (unwanted input which

affect the control system output):
Variations in the inlet temperatures
and process fluid flow rate.
Continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR)

Control problem:
If the reaction is highly exothermic, it
is necessary to control the reactor
temperature by manipulating the
flow rate of the coolant in a jacket or
cooling coil.

Disturbances:
The feed conditions (composition,
flow rate, and temperature).
Thermal cracking furnace

Control Problem:
The furnace temperature and
amount of excess air in the flue gas
to be controlled by manipulating
the fuel flow rate and the fuel/air
ratio.

Disturbances:
The crude oil composition and the
heating quality of the fuel.
Multi-component distillation column

Control Problem:
Distillate composition can be
controlled by adjusting the reflux
flow rate or the distillate flow rate.

Disturbances:
The feed conditions
Batch and semi-batch processes
Batch or semi-batch reactor

Control Problem:
The reactor temperature is controlled by manipulating a coolant flow
rate.
Batch digester

Control Problem:
➢ The end point of the chemical
reaction is indicated by Kappa
number, a measure of lignin
content.
➢ It is controlled to a desired value by
adjusting the digester temperature,
pressure, and/or cycle time.
Plasma etcher

Control Problem:
➢ The unwanted material on a layer of
a microelectronics circuit is selectively
removed by chemical reactions.
➢ The temperature, pressure and flow
rates of etching gases to the reactor
are controlled by adjusting electrical
heaters and control valves.
Kidney dialysis unit

Control Problem:
The blood flow rate is maintained by a pump, and “ambient
conditions”, such as temperature of the unit, are controlled by
adjusting a flow rate.
Role of process dynamics and control in industry

Let us illustrate the role of process control in industry with a few

examples:
• Example 1 – a simple process where dynamic response is
important

• Example 2 – use of a single feedback controller

• Example 3 – simple but typical chemical engineering plant

 Example 1 – A gravity-flow tank

✓ Under steady state conditions, the flow

rate out of the tank must equal the
flow rate into the tank.
✓ What would happen dynamically if we
changed Fo?
✓ How will h(t) and F(t) vary will time?
✓ The term process dynamics refer to
unsteady state (or transient) behavior
→ Condition changes with time.
✓ Dynamic studies provide us the behavior
of the process under unsteady-state
conditions → Gain knowledge about the
process behavior.
Example 2 – Heat Exchanger

We want to control the temperature of oil leaving the heat exchanger.

(3)

(4)

(2)

(1)
Example 2 – Heat Exchanger

We want to control the temperature of oil leaving the heat exchanger.

How to control?
o A thermocouple (sensor) is inserted in a thermowell in the exit oil
pipe (1).
o Thermocouple wires are connected to a “temperature transmitter”
that converts the millivolt output into a 4- to 20 mA signal (2).
o This signal sent to a temperature controller (3).
o The temperature controller opens the steam valve if more steam is
needed or closes it a little if the temperature is too high (4).
Example 3 - A typical chemical plant

Note: Pneumatic
control signal uses air
pressure to produce
mechanical energy
(example mech.
energy to open/close a
valve)
Concepts of Process Control

Another simple example:

Compare set point

to measured value
(error) Temp. of water
at (1) (actual
(1) Tsp output)
Actuator

Controller Final control

element

Sensor /
Thermocouple
Components of control loop

Controller

Transmitter
Final control
element
Sensor
Note: Final control element is a
mechanical device that physically
changes a process in response to a
change in the control system
setpoint (example: valve)

Control Loop
Process variables
Three important types:

1 Controlled variables Quantify the performance or quality

of the final product, which are also
called output variables.
Process variables
Three important types:

The dynamically adjusted variables

2 Manipulated variables
to keep the controlled variables
at their set-points.
Process variables
Three important types:

Also called "load" variables and

represent input variables that can
3 Disturbance variables cause the controlled variables to
deviate from their respective set
FINANCIAL PLANNING
points.
Control Terminology

SET-POINT CHANGE
✓Implementing a change in the operating
conditions.

✓The set-point signal is changed and the

manipulated variable is adjusted
appropriately to achieve the new operating
conditions.

✓Also called servomechanism (or "servo")

control.
Control Terminology

DISTURBANCE CHANGES
✓The process transient behavior when a
disturbance enters, or load change.

✓A control system should be able to

return each controlled variable back to
its set-point, also called regulatory
control
Illustrative Example: Blending system

Notation:
• w1, w2 and w are mass flow
rates
• x1, x2 and x are mass fractions
of component A

Assumptions:
• w1 is constant
• x2 = const. = 1 (stream 2 is pure A)
• Perfect mixing in the tank
Control Objective:
Keep x at a desired value (or “set
point”) xsp, despite variations in
x1(t). Flow rate w2 can be adjusted
for this purpose.

Terminology:
•Controlled variable (or “output variable”): x
•Manipulated variable (or “input variable”): w2
•Disturbance variable (or “load variable”): x1

Design Question:
What value of w2 is required to have x = xsp ?
Overall balance:
0 = w1 + w2 − w (1-1)
Component A balance:
w1x1 + w2 x2 − wx = 0 (1-2)

(The overbars denote nominal steady-state design values)

At the design conditions, x = xsp.

Substitute in Eq. (1-2), x = xsp and x2 = 1, then solve Eq. (1-2) for w2 :

xSP − x1
w2 = w1 (1-3)
1 − xSP

Eqn. (1-3) is the design equation for the blending system.

➢ If our assumptions are correct, then this value of w2 will keep x
at xsp .
➢ But what if conditions change?

Control Question

Suppose that the inlet concentration x1 changes with time. How can
we ensure that x remains at or near the set point xsp ?

As a specific example, if x1  x1 and w2 = w2 , then x > xSP .

Some Possible Control Strategies – Control Method 1
Measure x and adjust w2
✓ Intuitively, if x is too high, we should reduce w2
Feedback
✓ Manual control vs. automatic control
control
✓ Proportional feedback control law

w2 ( t ) = w2 + K c  xSP − x ( t )  (1-4)

✓ Kc is called the controller gain (defines the strength

of controller response experienced in relation to a deviation
between the input and output signal)
✓ w2(t) and x(t) denote variables that change with time t

✓ The change in the flow rate, w2 ( t ) − w2 , is proportional to the

deviation from the set point, xSP – x(t).
Control Method 1
Control Method 2

Measure x1 and adjust w2 Feedforward control

✓ Thus, if x1 is greater than x1 , we would decrease w2 so that w2  w2
✓ One approach: Consider Eq. (1-3) and replace x1 and w2
with x1(t) and w2(t) to get a control law:

xSP − x1 ( t )
w2 ( t ) = w1 (1-5)
1 − xSP

✓ Because Eq. (1-3) applies only at steady state, it is not clear

how effective the control law in (1-5) will be for transient
conditions.
Control Method 2
Control Method 3

Measure x1 and x, adjust w2

This approach is a combination of
Methods 1 and 2.

Feedforward-
feedback control
Control Method 4

Use a larger tank

✓ If a larger tank is used, fluctuations in x1 will tend to be damped out

due to the larger capacitance of the tank contents.

✓ However, a larger tank means an increased capital cost.
Classification of Control Strategies

Table: Control Strategies for the Blending System

Measured Manipulated
Method Variable Variable Category
1 x w2 FB

2 x1 w2 FF

3 x1 and x w2 FF/FB

4 - - Design change
Feedback Control

✓ Distinguishing feature: measure the controlled variable.

✓ It is important to make a distinction between negative feedback and
positive feedback.
Engineering Usage vs. Social Sciences

Note: Negative feedback refers to the desirable situation where the

correction action taken by the controller forces the controlled variable
toward the set point.
Note: Positive feedback, the controllers makes thing worse by forcing
the controlled variables farther away from the set point.
Pros & Cons for Feedback Controller

Corrective action is taken

regardless of the source of the
disturbances
Reduces sensitivity of the
PROS
controlled variable to
disturbances and changes in the
process

No corrective action occurs

until after the disturbance has
upset the process, that is, until
CONS after x differs from xsp
Very oscillatory responses, or
even instable
Feedforward Control

✓ Distinguishing feature: measure a disturbance variable

Correct for disturbance

before it upsets the process PROS

Must be able to measure the

disturbance.
CONS
No corrective action for unmeasured
disturbances
 Justification of Process Control
Specific Objectives of Control

5 Increased Safety
Increased product
1
throughput
6 Decreased off-spec product
2 Increased yield of higher
valued products
7 Improved Operability
Decreased energy
3
consumption
8 Extended life of equipment

4 Decreased pollution
9 Decreased production labor
Economic Incentives - Advanced Control
Hierarchy of process control activities
Major steps in control system development
Conclusions

You have been introduced to the:

1. Role of process dynamics and control in industry

2. General concepts of process control

3. Classification of variables

4. Purpose of process control

5. Control aspects of complete chemical plant

6. Hardware for process control system