UNIT IV

ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS

Syllabus:
 Introduction to advanced control systems
 Cascade control
 Feed forward control
 Control of distillation towers
 Control of heat exchangers
 Introduction to microprocessors
 Computer control of chemical processes
 Introduction to Advanced control systems
 SISO (Single Input, Single Output) control systems.
 These systems are simple
 Involved single measured variable and a single manipulated variable.

 Feedback loops for SISO system, It is the most important and widely used control
strategy disturbance
comparator manipulated
ysp variable y
+– controller process
set-point error controlled
variable

transmitter

 MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) systems.

 In actual practice, we have more than one measured and/or manipulated variable
 In MIMO system, several types of loops are used along with the traditional feedback
loop
 Advanced control systems consists of several multi loops
 Examples for Advanced control systems
Continued…..

 First three advanced control systems found wide acceptance in industry.

 Smith predictor control is known for about thirty years, but it was considered
impractical until the modem microprocessor-based controllers provided the
simulation of transport lag.

 Internal model control, which is new and is based on a rigorous

mathematical foundation and an accurate model of the process, has been
the subject of intense research for the past ten years.

 The controller hardware and instrumentation for all of these systems are
readily available from manufacturers.
 As per the syllabus:
 Cascade control
 Feed forward control
 Continued…..
1. SISO (Single Input, Single Output) control systems.
1. These systems are simple
2. Involved single measured variable and a single manipulated variable.
2. Concentrated on the feedback loops for SISO system.
3. In actual practice, we have more than one measured and/or manipulated variable.
4. MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) systems.
5. In MIMO system, several types of loops are used along with the traditional feedback
loop
6. Advanced control systems consists of several multi loops
7. Examples for Advanced control systems
1. Cascade control,
2. Feed forward control,
3. Ratio control,
4. Smith predictor control
8. As per the syllabus:
1. Cascade control, Feed forward control,
 Cascade Control

1. The usual feedback control loop is too slow in action.

2. Consider for example, the control of a CSTR in which an exothermic reaction is
taking place.
3. The CSTR is provided with a jacket through which a coolant is circulated. The
coolant removes the exotherm.
4. The coolant flow rate is to be manipulated so as to control the temperature of the
exit stream from the CSTR (see Figure 1).
5. The temperature of the reactor contents is measured. This is fed to a controller
which then manipulates the coolant flow rate so as to keep To constant (see Figure
2).
6. The problem with this arrangement is that it results in a loop with a very slow
response when the coolant flow rate is changed as To changes.
7. The change in the coolant flow rate changes the rate of heat transfer. This results
in a change in the average coolant temperature.
8. This in turn, causes a change in the rate of heat transfer between the liquid in the
reactor and the coolant.
9. There are several resistances in series in the heat transfer path such as the
resistance on the reactor side, the resistance due to the wall, and the resistance on
the coolant side.
10. These contributors-the coolant side, the wall, and the reactor side, have large time
constants (the time constants are usually of the order of minutes).
11. Therefore, it takes a long 'time for a change in the coolant flow rate to bring about a
change in the reactor temperature.
12. This situation is not acceptable more so for a CSTR with an exothermic reaction,
as it can result in a run-away reaction.
13. The block diagram for the loop is shown in Figure 3 below.

14. One of the alternative arrangements is cascade control. In cascade control, we

have one rnanipulated variable and more than one measured variable.
15. Inner and outer control loops are formed each with an individual feedback
controller. The outer loop controller is also known as the master or primary
controller. The inner loop controller is called the slave or secondary controller.
16. The input to the master controller is the measured value of the variable to be
controlled, here To. The controller output is the set point for the inner control loop.
17. The slave or secondary controller measures a second variable (here coolant flow
rate) whose value affects the controlled variable To.
18. This arrangement is shown in Figure 4, and the block diagram is shown in Figure 5.

19. The major benefit of using cascade control is that disturbances arising within the
secondary loop are corrected by the secondary controller before they can affect
controlled output.
20. Cascade control is effective only if the inner loop is faster than the outer loop and if
the main disturbances affect the inner loop first.
Heat Exchanger Temperature Control:
The aim is to keep T2 constant by controlling the flow rate of the coolant.
1. In the majority of cascade control schemes, flow control is cascaded with
temperature, pressure, or composition loops.
2. Let us now analyse the behaviour of the cascaded loop and get the transfer
function for both the servo control and the regulator control schemes.
3. The cascade control loop can be drawn in a general form as shown in Figure b. For
the sake of simplicity, unity feedback is assumed.

We can reduce the inner loop for servo control (U = 0) as shown in Figure c, and get

(or)

C G1G ' G4
        (1) G1G2 G3G4
R 1  G1G ' G4
C 1  G 2 G3
(or)         (3)
R G1G2 G3G4
Where, 1
1  G 2 G3
G2 G3 C G1G2 G3G4
G'         (2)         (4)
1  G2 G3 R 1  G1G2 G3G4  G2 G3
The advantages of cascade control system are:
1. The inner loop is faster or the time constant is smaller. Hence, the corner frequency is
increased. This means that the crossover frequency of the inner loop will be higher. We
can employ a higher gain for the inner controller.
2. A proportional controller can be used for the inner loop, as the primary controller can
take care of the offset so produced.
3. In many cases, the overall stability is improved by the cascade action.
4. The disturbances entering the inner loop are corrected before they have any
significant effect on the control variable.
Feed forward control:
1. The usual control scheme employs feedback control.
2. In other words, the corrective action is taken only after the control variable changes
say because of a change in the load variable. This is called reactive action.
3. Since the time constants in chemical engineering equipment is of the order of
minutes, it takes an appreciable time to begin corrective action. In some cases, such
time delays may not be acceptable.
4. If we can measure the load variables then we can detect any changes taking place in
such variables.
5. We can then immediately take corrective action so that there is almost no effect of
such load variables on the control variable. This type of action is called pro-active
action and such type of control is called feed forward control.
6. Actually, we employ feed forward control action in everyday life also. When we see
obstacles in our path, we decrease the speed of the vehicle we drive before we
reach the obstacle.
7. To illustrate the feed forward control action, let us consider the case of a CSTR, in
which an exothermic reaction is taking place.
8. An undesired product gets formed at higher temperatures. So, the idea is to control
the reactor temperature so that formation of the undesired product is minimized.
9. The exotherm is removed by the coolant in the jacket.
10. The load variables are the inlet temperature Ti, and the inlet concentration CAi. So,
we measure Ti, and CAi and control the flow rate of the coolant based on these
values. The set up with Ti, as the load variable is shown in Figure 6.
11. The idea is to measure the value of T, and control the coolant flow rate to
compensate for any change in T; In feed forward control we do not measure the
control variable at all.
12. It is measured indirectly by measuring the parameters which affect the control
variable. The block diagram is shown in Figure 7.
Using G to represent the transfer functions, we get as shown in Figure 8 and 9.
 . We get an expression for C as
C  G p G f U  GuU  G p G f  Gu U

G G
p f  Gu 

For there to be no effect of the load variable on C,

must be zero.
Or
Gu
Gf  
Gp

13. Thus, we can specify the action of a feed forward controller if we have complete
knowledge of the system dynamics.
14. This means that we must know Gu and Gp precisely for the control action to be
effective.
15. Implementation of feed forward control act::m requires that we know the behavior
of the complete system.
Advantages of feed forward control:
1. Acts before the disturbance affects the control variable.
2. Good for slow systems.
3. No closed loop, hence no instability.
Disadvantages of feed forward control:
1. All load variables must be perfectly known.
2. All process parameters must be perfectly known.
3. Process parameters must not change with time.
Distillation column:
1. We take the case of a distillation column used to separate a binary mixture. To
decide the applicable strategy, we first write the material balances.
2. The diagram for a typical distillation column is shown in Figure 11
3. F is the feed to the column and the concentration of the more volatile component in
liquid is Xf. The distillate flow is D with overhead product concentration XD, and
the bottom product flow rate is W and concentration XB.
4. .For a binary column, the two independent overall balances are:
5. The total material balance F=D+W -----------------(1)
The component balance
F Xf = D XD + W Xw -------------------(2)
Eliminating either B or D from these equations, we get
D X f  Xw
        (3)
F XD  Xw

W XD  X f
        (4)
F XD  Xw

6. These equations give the relationship between feed flow rate and the distillate, and
bottoms products for specific inlet and outlet concentrations.
7. It is clear that distillate flow rate D and bottoms flow rate Ware related to top and
bottom product compositions and constitute manipulated variables.
We also get
D = V – L ---------------(5)
and W=F+L-V --------------(6)
Hence. L and V will 'also affect the
product compositions.
8. So, the manipulated variables for product compositions are D, W, L and V.
9. The feed rate F and the feed composition Xf are clearly load variables.
10. Product purity must be maintained at specified levels. Hence, the top and the
bottom compositions XB and Xw are control variables.
11. These can be indirectly regulated through controlling the reflux as also the liquid
levels in the product tank.
12. Similarly, we need to control the vapour flow rate from the reboiler and also the
liquid level in the bottom of the column.
13. A change in pressure will affect relative volatility (α), the temperature difference
across the reboiler and condenser as well as process safety. So, the column
pressure also is a control variable.
Strategy for Pressure Control:
Figure 12 shows a strategy for controlling column pressure.
1. The scheme requires that the pressure be measured and fed to a pressure
controller.
2. The controller manipulates the coolant flow rate through valve V1.
3. Increasing or decreasing the coolant flow rate will change the temperature of the
condensing liquid, and hence, the amount of vapour in the column.
4. This, in turn, changes the pressure in the column. This will be a slow loop.
5. It may also be necessary to vent the column to the atmosphere in case excessive
pressure build up occurs.
6. This is done through ventilation of the space above the liquid in the product tank
through a quick opening valve V2.
Product Quality Control Strategy:
To control the concentrations of the top and bottom products, we control the reflux and
the boil up in the reboiler. This is shown in Figure 13.
Level control strategy:
1. There will be two level loops on a distillation column-one to maintain the column
base level at an acceptable value, and the second to maintain the liquid level in the
reflux drum. This is shown in Figure 14.
2. Level in the column bottom can also be controlled by manipulating the bottom
product flow rate W.
3. The level controller used in the reboiler is only to ensure that the heating surface
does not run dry. Hence, we do not show it here.
4. We can combine the two layouts and get a control strategy as shown below in
Figure 15.
Shell and tube exchangers:
1. The principle of operation of heat exchangers is simple. Two fluids of different
temperatures are brought into close contact but are prevented from mixing by a
physical barrier.
2. The temperature of the two fluids will tend to equalize. By arranging counter-current
flow, it is possible for the temperature at the outlet of each fluid to approach the
temperature at the inlet of the other.
3. The heat contents are simply exchanged from one fluid to the other and vice versa.
No energy is added or removed.
The equation describing the heat transfer is
mC T 
p hot
 mC p T cold        (7)

4. Since the heat demands of the process are not constant, and the heat content of
the two fluids is not constant either, the heat exchanger must be designed for the
worst case and must be controlled to make it operate at the particular rate required
by the process.
5. The heat exchanger characteristic change with time. The most common change is
a reduction in the heat transfer rate due to fouling of the surfaces.
6. Exchangers are initially oversized to allow for the fouling which gradually builds up
during use until the exchanger is no longer capable of performing its duty. Once it
has been cleaned, it is again oversized.
7. Here, there is only one variable that can be controlled-the amount of heat being
exchanged.
8. In practical situations, it is always the temperature of the process fluid or the cooling /
heating fluid which is measured and controlled.
9. It is not possible to control both since the heat added to one is extracted from the
other.
10. The manipulated variable is the flow rate of the streams. The problem here is which
stream is to be manipulated.
11. The complications arise from the fact that exchangers have four inlets/exits, and
involve two different fluids.
12. The flow rate and the inlet temperature of the process fluid are the load variables.
Variations in process flow, caused by some external influence, results in temperature
variation also.
13. In Figure 16, a typical shell and tube heat exchanger is shown.
14. There are a number of varieties of the basic shell and tube exchanger that can be
controlled along similar lines. Plate exchangers consist of thin sheets of corrugated
metal.
15. The corrugations are formed to produce passages so that the two fluids pass in
opposite directions on opposite sides of each sheet. The shell side and the tube
side are essentially interchangeable.
16. Air-cooled heat exchangers are similar to shell and tube exchangers except that we
have only tubes carrying the process fluid with air blowing over the tubes. The air
blowing past the tubes can be considered to be in an extremely large shell.
Various control strategies:
Bypassing the Process Fluid:
1. Exit temperature of the process fluid can be controlled by manipulating process
flow through a bypass. Assume that the process fluid is to be heated.
2. If the outlet temperature increases beyond the set point, more cold process fluid is
bypassed directly to the exit without being heated.
3. As the two streams are mixed again, the correct temperature is achieved.
Split-range control:
1. The bypass requires the use of a valve, since there is some pressure drop across a
valve as also across the exchanger. With a valve, we can either try to keep the
pressure drop at a minimum for all flow rates or we can try to keep the pressure
drop constant.
2. To minimize the pressure drop, we use a butterfly valve. However, even a wide
open butterfly has some pressure drop.
3. It may be greater than that of the heat exchanger itself. This means that even when
the valve is wide open only half the flow, or less, will bypass the exchanger.
4. To be able to regulate the flow of the process fluid, we need to put one more valve
in the pipe line carrying the process fluid into the exchanger.
5. We use a split-range control system here. When the bypass valve is fully open, the
line valve starts to close and vice versa.
6. The arrangement is shown in Figure 17.
7. The range of valve V1 should be 0-50% of the flow and it should be a fail-close
valve. The range of V2 should be 50-100% and it should be a fail-open type valve.
Controlling Medium Flow Rate:
1. We must avoid using a process side bypass valve with fluids which have a
tendency to break down or char on heating.
2. These include many food products and also, petroleum products or other chemicals
that may polymerize at high temperatures. The problem is that the outlet
temperature measured in the arrangement in Figure 17, is a mixture of the bypass
stream and the stream through the heater.
3. The peak temperature to which any part of the stream flowing through the
exchanger is exposed may be higher than that of the combined stream at outlet.
4. The extreme case is when the exchanger is on full bypass. The fluid trapped inside
the heater will then be at the temperature of the heating medium.
5. One way is to control the process exit temperature by manipulating the flow rate of
the heating medium.
6. This is shown in Figure l8
7. In this case, the valve is placed on the outlet of the exchanger. The valve is not
expected to handle a large pressure drop. Therefore, a butterfly valve can be
used.
8. Whether we manipulate the flow at the inlet or at the outlet matters little.
9. In general, it is a good idea to keep the pressure on a hot fluid side high to reduce
any chance of dissolved gases bubbling out.
10. Leaks are less likely as the medium fluid coming out will be more viscous than all
the hot side. Thus, it is best to regulate the heating medium on the outlet side.
Cascade Control:
1. In many cases, the usual feedback control loop may be too slow in action.
2. Consider for example, the control of a CSTR in which an exothermic reaction is
taking place.
3. The CSTR is provided with a jacket through which a coolant is circulated. The
coolant removes the exotherm.
4. The coolant flow rate is to be manipulated so as to control the temperature of the
exit stream from the CSTR (see Figure 1).
5. The temperature of the reactor contents is measured. This is fed to a controller
which then manipulates the coolant flow rate so as to keep To constant (see Figure
2).
6. The problem with this arrangement is that it results in a loop with a very slow
response when the coolant flow rate is changed as To changes.
7. The change in the coolant flow rate changes the rate of heat transfer. This results
in a change in the average coolant temperature.
8. This in turn, causes a change in the rate of heat transfer between the liquid in the
reactor and the coolant.
9. There are several resistances in series in the heat transfer path such as the
resistance on the reactor side, the resistance due to the wall, and the resistance on
the coolant side.
10. These contributors-the coolant side, the wall, and the reactor side, have large time
constants (the time constants are usually of the order of minutes).
11. Therefore, it takes a long 'time for a change in the coolant flow rate to bring about a
change in the reactor temperature.
12. This situation is not acceptable more so for a CSTR with an exothermic reaction,
as it can result in a run-away reaction.
13. The block diagram for the loop is shown in Figure 3 below.

14. One of the alternative arrangements is cascade control. In cascade control, we

have one rnanipulated variable and more than one measured variable.
15. Inner and outer control loops are formed each with an individual feedback
controller. The outer loop controller is also known as the master or primary
controller. The inner loop controller is called the slave or secondary controller.
16. The input to the master controller is the measured value of the variable to be
controlled, here To. The controller output is the set point for the inner control loop.
17. The slave or secondary controller measures a second variable (here coolant flow
rate) whose value affects the controlled variable To.
18. This arrangement is shown in Figure 4, and the block diagram is shown in Figure 5.

19. The major benefit of using cascade control is that disturbances arising within the
secondary loop are corrected by the secondary controller before they can affect
controlled output.
20. Cascade control is effective only if the inner loop is faster than the outer loop and if
the main disturbances affect the inner loop first.
Heat Exchanger Temperature Control:
The aim is to keep T2 constant by controlling the flow rate of the coolant.
1. In the majority of cascade control schemes, flow control is cascaded with
temperature, pressure, or composition loops.
2. Let us now analyse the behaviour of the cascaded loop and get the transfer
function for both the servo control and the regulator control schemes.
3. The cascade control loop can be drawn in a general form as shown in Figure b. For
the sake of simplicity, unity feedback is assumed.

We can reduce the inner loop for servo control (U = 0) as shown in Figure c, and get

(or)

C G1G ' G4
        (1) G1G2 G3G4
R 1  G1G ' G4
C 1  G 2 G3
(or)         (3)
R G1G2 G3G4
Where, 1
1  G 2 G3
G2 G3 C G1G2 G3G4
G'         (2)         (4)
1  G2 G3 R 1  G1G2 G3G4  G2 G3
The advantages of cascade control system are:
1. The inner loop is faster or the time constant is smaller. Hence, the corner frequency is
increased. This means that the crossover frequency of the inner loop will be higher. We
can employ a higher gain for the inner controller.
2. A proportional controller can be used for the inner loop, as the primary controller can
take care of the offset so produced.
3. In many cases, the overall stability is improved by the cascade action.
4. The disturbances entering the inner loop are corrected before they have any
significant effect on the control variable.
Feed forward control:
1. The usual control scheme employs feedback control.
2. In other words, the corrective action is taken only after the control variable changes
say because of a change in the load variable. This is called reactive action.
3. Since the time constants in chemical engineering equipment is of the order of
minutes, it takes an appreciable time to begin corrective action. In some cases, such
time delays may not be acceptable.
4. If we can measure the load variables then we can detect any changes taking place in
such variables.
5. We can then immediately take corrective action so that there is almost no effect of
such load variables on the control variable. This type of action is called pro-active
action and such type of control is called feed forward control.
6. Actually, we employ feed forward control action in everyday life also. When we see
obstacles in our path, we decrease the speed of the vehicle we drive before we
reach the obstacle.
7. To illustrate the feed forward control action, let us consider the case of a CSTR, in
which an exothermic reaction is taking place.
8. An undesired product gets formed at higher temperatures. So, the idea is to control
the reactor temperature so that formation of the undesired product is minimized.
9. The exotherm is removed by the coolant in the jacket.
10. The load variables are the inlet temperature Ti, and the inlet concentration CAi. So,
we measure Ti, and CAi and control the flow rate of the coolant based on these
values. The set up with Ti, as the load variable is shown in Figure 6.
11. The idea is to measure the value of T, and control the coolant flow rate to
compensate for any change in T; In feed forward control we do not measure the
control variable at all.
12. It is measured indirectly by measuring the parameters which affect the control
variable. The block diagram is shown in Figure 7.
Using G to represent the transfer functions, we get as shown in Figure 8 and 9.
 . We get an expression for C as
C  G p G f U  GuU  G p G f  Gu U

G G
p f  Gu 

For there to be no effect of the load variable on C,

must be zero.
Or
Gu
Gf  
Gp

13. Thus, we can specify the action of a feed forward controller if we have complete
knowledge of the system dynamics.
14. This means that we must know Gu and Gp precisely for the control action to be
effective.
15. Implementation of feed forward control act::m requires that we know the behavior
of the complete system.
Advantages of feed forward control:
1. Acts before the disturbance affects the control variable.
2. Good for slow systems.
3. No closed loop, hence no instability.
Disadvantages of feed forward control:
1. All load variables must be perfectly known.
2. All process parameters must be perfectly known.
3. Process parameters must not change with time.
Distillation column:
1. We take the case of a distillation column used to separate a binary mixture. To
decide the applicable strategy, we first write the material balances.
2. The diagram for a typical distillation column is shown in Figure 11
3. F is the feed to the column and the concentration of the more volatile component in
liquid is Xf. The distillate flow is D with overhead product concentration XD, and
the bottom product flow rate is W and concentration XB.
4. .For a binary column, the two independent overall balances are:
5. The total material balance F=D+W -----------------(1)
The component balance
F Xf = D XD + W Xw -------------------(2)
Eliminating either B or D from these equations, we get
D X f  Xw
        (3)
F XD  Xw

W XD  X f
        (4)
F XD  Xw

6. These equations give the relationship between feed flow rate and the distillate, and
bottoms products for specific inlet and outlet concentrations.
7. It is clear that distillate flow rate D and bottoms flow rate Ware related to top and
bottom product compositions and constitute manipulated variables.
We also get
D = V – L ---------------(5)
and W=F+L-V --------------(6)
Hence. L and V will 'also affect the
product compositions.
8. So, the manipulated variables for product compositions are D, W, L and V.
9. The feed rate F and the feed composition Xf are clearly load variables.
10. Product purity must be maintained at specified levels. Hence, the top and the
bottom compositions XB and Xw are control variables.
11. These can be indirectly regulated through controlling the reflux as also the liquid
levels in the product tank.
12. Similarly, we need to control the vapour flow rate from the reboiler and also the
liquid level in the bottom of the column.
13. A change in pressure will affect relative volatility (α), the temperature difference
across the reboiler and condenser as well as process safety. So, the column
pressure also is a control variable.
Strategy for Pressure Control:
Figure 12 shows a strategy for controlling column pressure.
1. The scheme requires that the pressure be measured and fed to a pressure
controller.
2. The controller manipulates the coolant flow rate through valve V1.
3. Increasing or decreasing the coolant flow rate will change the temperature of the
condensing liquid, and hence, the amount of vapour in the column.
4. This, in turn, changes the pressure in the column. This will be a slow loop.
5. It may also be necessary to vent the column to the atmosphere in case excessive
pressure build up occurs.
6. This is done through ventilation of the space above the liquid in the product tank
through a quick opening valve V2.
Product Quality Control Strategy:
To control the concentrations of the top and bottom products, we control the reflux and
the boil up in the reboiler. This is shown in Figure 13.
Level control strategy:
1. There will be two level loops on a distillation column-one to maintain the column
base level at an acceptable value, and the second to maintain the liquid level in the
reflux drum. This is shown in Figure 14.
2. Level in the column bottom can also be controlled by manipulating the bottom
product flow rate W.
3. The level controller used in the reboiler is only to ensure that the heating surface
does not run dry. Hence, we do not show it here.
4. We can combine the two layouts and get a control strategy as shown below in
Figure 15.
Shell and tube exchangers:
1. The principle of operation of heat exchangers is simple. Two fluids of different
temperatures are brought into close contact but are prevented from mixing by a
physical barrier.
2. The temperature of the two fluids will tend to equalize. By arranging counter-current
flow, it is possible for the temperature at the outlet of each fluid to approach the
temperature at the inlet of the other.
3. The heat contents are simply exchanged from one fluid to the other and vice versa.
No energy is added or removed.
The equation describing the heat transfer is
mC T 
p hot
 mC p T cold        (7)

4. Since the heat demands of the process are not constant, and the heat content of
the two fluids is not constant either, the heat exchanger must be designed for the
worst case and must be controlled to make it operate at the particular rate required
by the process.
5. The heat exchanger characteristic change with time. The most common change is
a reduction in the heat transfer rate due to fouling of the surfaces.
6. Exchangers are initially oversized to allow for the fouling which gradually builds up
during use until the exchanger is no longer capable of performing its duty. Once it
has been cleaned, it is again oversized.
7. Here, there is only one variable that can be controlled-the amount of heat being
exchanged.
8. In practical situations, it is always the temperature of the process fluid or the cooling /
heating fluid which is measured and controlled.
9. It is not possible to control both since the heat added to one is extracted from the
other.
10. The manipulated variable is the flow rate of the streams. The problem here is which
stream is to be manipulated.
11. The complications arise from the fact that exchangers have four inlets/exits, and
involve two different fluids.
12. The flow rate and the inlet temperature of the process fluid are the load variables.
Variations in process flow, caused by some external influence, results in temperature
variation also.
13. In Figure 16, a typical shell and tube heat exchanger is shown.
14. There are a number of varieties of the basic shell and tube exchanger that can be
controlled along similar lines. Plate exchangers consist of thin sheets of corrugated
metal.
15. The corrugations are formed to produce passages so that the two fluids pass in
opposite directions on opposite sides of each sheet. The shell side and the tube
side are essentially interchangeable.
16. Air-cooled heat exchangers are similar to shell and tube exchangers except that we
have only tubes carrying the process fluid with air blowing over the tubes. The air
blowing past the tubes can be considered to be in an extremely large shell.
Various control strategies:
Bypassing the Process Fluid:
1. Exit temperature of the process fluid can be controlled by manipulating process
flow through a bypass. Assume that the process fluid is to be heated.
2. If the outlet temperature increases beyond the set point, more cold process fluid is
bypassed directly to the exit without being heated.
3. As the two streams are mixed again, the correct temperature is achieved.
Split-range control:
1. The bypass requires the use of a valve, since there is some pressure drop across a
valve as also across the exchanger. With a valve, we can either try to keep the
pressure drop at a minimum for all flow rates or we can try to keep the pressure
drop constant.
2. To minimize the pressure drop, we use a butterfly valve. However, even a wide
open butterfly has some pressure drop.
3. It may be greater than that of the heat exchanger itself. This means that even when
the valve is wide open only half the flow, or less, will bypass the exchanger.
4. To be able to regulate the flow of the process fluid, we need to put one more valve
in the pipe line carrying the process fluid into the exchanger.
5. We use a split-range control system here. When the bypass valve is fully open, the
line valve starts to close and vice versa.
6. The arrangement is shown in Figure 17.
7. The range of valve V1 should be 0-50% of the flow and it should be a fail-close
valve. The range of V2 should be 50-100% and it should be a fail-open type valve.
Controlling Medium Flow Rate:
1. We must avoid using a process side bypass valve with fluids which have a
tendency to break down or char on heating.
2. These include many food products and also, petroleum products or other chemicals
that may polymerize at high temperatures. The problem is that the outlet
temperature measured in the arrangement in Figure 17, is a mixture of the bypass
stream and the stream through the heater.
3. The peak temperature to which any part of the stream flowing through the
exchanger is exposed may be higher than that of the combined stream at outlet.
4. The extreme case is when the exchanger is on full bypass. The fluid trapped inside
the heater will then be at the temperature of the heating medium.
5. One way is to control the process exit temperature by manipulating the flow rate of
the heating medium.
6. This is shown in Figure l8
7. In this case, the valve is placed on the outlet of the exchanger. The valve is not
expected to handle a large pressure drop. Therefore, a butterfly valve can be
used.
8. Whether we manipulate the flow at the inlet or at the outlet matters little.
9. In general, it is a good idea to keep the pressure on a hot fluid side high to reduce
any chance of dissolved gases bubbling out.
10. Leaks are less likely as the medium fluid coming out will be more viscous than all
the hot side. Thus, it is best to regulate the heating medium on the outlet side.