Introduction to Process Control

Paloma de la Puente
Based on previous materials by P. Campoy, R. Saltarén, M. Ferre and F. Sastrón

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

 Systems Control

The goal is to keep one or more variables of interest in

the original system close to reference values
To this end, an additional subsystem, will be
connected to the original system

Example: controlling
the temperature

Control Systems and Automation 2

 What is a process?

An automated process is a dynamical system with an

industrial purpose. The goal may be:
– To obtain a product with a given temperature
– To obtain a certain flow of a product
– To store a product with a given height
– To generate electrical energy, etc.

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 Process Control

Example: heated water supply for a food process

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEnRRI7XXRs

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 Closed Loop Control

Question: what is the adequate input value to control

the output? I.e. what is the control law?
Answer: it depends on the system behavior
Conclusion: we need a system model to control and
analyze the system behavior
fi 1
fo
1+ 2 s

Tank

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 Systems Control

Automated control of systems and processes is usually

represented by means of Block Diagrams
– Each block represents a process component or
subsystem: valves, tanks, reactors, etc. Transfer
Functions are used as mathematical models.
– Each block has its own input and output variables,
depicted as arrows.
z Disturbance variable

u y
(sub)system
Input variable Output variable

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 Closed Loop Control

Open loop control

– Simple and cheap
– Not useful in the presence of important model errors or
disturbances
disturbance

yr u y
Controller
System
desired output (inverse model) input output

System
model model output
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 Closed Loop Control

Open loop control examples

https://es.mathworks.com/videos/understanding-control-systems-part-1-open-loop-control-systems-123419.html

More ideas?

Control Systems and Automation 8

 Closed Loop Control

Closed loop control

– Robust in the presence of model errors
– Robust in the presence of disturbances

yr error signal u y
Controller Actuator System
desired output input output
(set point)

Transmitter
measured output

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 Closed Loop Control

Closed loop control examples

https://es.mathworks.com/videos/understanding-control-systems-part-2-feedback-control-systems-123501.html

More ideas?
Control Systems and Automation 10
 Process Control

Main features of Process Control:

– System models are usually non-linear
– Processes are often stable and over-damped
– Delays play a vital role
– Improving the behavior in the presence of disturbances is
more important than dealing with set point changes

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 Closed Loop Process Control

●
Closed loop process control
Actuator
(valve) Process
Controller

yr error signal u y

Transmitter

Transmitter

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 Process Control methods

Control systems may present one single closed loop

(Basic Regulatory Control or BRC Control) or several
closed loops (Cascade-based Advanced Control)

Fast Slow

BRC Control (single loop)

Cascade Control with two loops

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 Process Control methods

Other advanced control schemes that we will see are:

Feed Forward Control and the Smith Predictor.

Feed forward control Smith Predictor control (for

large dead-time systems)
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 P&ID

P&ID Representation of Processes

– P&ID: Piping and Instrumentation Diagram
– International notation, essential to specify and deploy
correctly the industrial control systems layout

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 P&ID

Standard
symbols

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 P&ID

I/P 1st letter: 2nd letter:

type of variable type of instrument
qe qz F - Flow T - Transmitter
P- Pressure C - Controller
L - Level Y - Computer
T - Temperature R - Register
hr
LC LT A - Analysis I - Indicator
qs I - Intensity E – Primary Element
X – Not classified

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 P&ID

FC: Flow
controller

Pump
FT: Flow
transmitter FV: Valve

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 P&ID

Different types of valves have different P&ID

representations

https://realpars.com/control-valve/

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 P&ID

P&ID Representation of a closed loop controlled automated valve

– FT: Flow Transmitter.
– FIC: Flow Indicator Controller. It is located in a remote control room, since the circle symbol is depicted
inside a square.
– FY: Flow Computer. Field PID controller attached to the valve.
– FV: Flow Valve.
– Tag 1982 is an identifier of the circuit where the valve is placed.
– Dashed lines represent electrical connections, while solid lines with two crossing segments represent
pneumatic connections.

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 P&ID

Corresponding block diagrams

Valve (actuator)

Simple loop 1
TC: temperature
controller Process
(reactor)

TT: temperature
transmitter

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 P&ID

Corresponding block diagrams

Valve (actuator)
Simple loop 2
LC: height
controller Process
(reactor)

LT: height
transmitter

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 P&ID

Corresponding block diagrams

Cascade control
FC: flow controller

TC: temperature
controller

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 P&ID

Build the corresponding block diagram for the heater in

the figure below

1
2

Condensed fluid

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 P&ID

Build the corresponding block diagram for the heater in

the figure below
Pa Fe

SP2
1 SP1 Fv
2 TC FC Valve Heater

FT T

Condensed fluid
TT

SP1: Primary loop Set Point (temperature)

SP2: Secondary loop Set Point (flow)
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 P&ID

Distillation column
1)The distillation column receives, as input, a heated Feed mixture
2)The product is left at the bottom and then it is circulated across a steam heater
3)The component at the bottom evaporates and it is extracted at the top, where it goes through
a condenser that produces the distillate
4)There is a re-circulation of the bottom and distilled product so as to optimize the thermal cycle

Control Systems and Automation 26

 P&ID

Pre-heated reactor: cascade control

●
The goal is to control the composition of the final product

The primary loop controls the

product concentration CA by
setting a reference for a
temperature loop, Tr, which in
turn generates a set point for a
flow control loop, Fr

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 P&ID

Pre-heated reactor: cascade control

Tr Fr
CAr

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 P&ID

Pre-heated reactor: feed forward control

Valve

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 P&ID

Pre-heated reactor: feed forward control

Valve

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 P&ID

More examples

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