Hanoi University of Mining and Geology

Advanced Program in Chemical Engineering

Process Dynamics and Control

Homework Problem Set # 2

Assigned: Tuesday, June 25, 2019.

Due: Monday, July 1, 2019.

Problem 1: A heated process used to heat a semiconductor wafer operates with first-order
dynamics, that is, the transfer function relating changes in temperature T to changes in the
heater input power level P is of the form:

T’(s)/ P'(s) = K/(s+1)

where K has units [C/Kw] and  has units [minutes]. The process is initially at steady state
when an engineer changes the power input stepwise from 1 to 1.5 Kw. She notes the
following:

(i) The process temperature initially is 80 °C.

(ii) Four minutes after changing the power input, the temperature is 230 °C.
(iii) Thirty minutes later the temperature is 280 °C.

(a) What are K and  in the process transfer function?

(b) If at another time the engineer changes the power input linearly at a rate of 0.5 kW/min,
what can you say about the maximum rate of change of process temperature? When will it
occur? How large will it be?

Problem 2: A liquid surge tank has a transfer function of the form:

H'(s)/Qi’(s) = 10/(50s+ 1)

where h is the tank level (m), qi is inlet the flow rate (m3/s). The system is operating at steady
state with qi = 0.4 m3/s and h = 4 m when a sinusoidal perturbation in inlet flow rate begins
with amplitude = 0.1 m3/s and a cyclic frequency of 0.002 cycles/s. What are the maximum
and minimum values of the tank level after the flow rate disturbance has occurred for 6
minutes or more? What are the largest level perturbations expected as a result of sinusoidal
variations in flow rate with this amplitude? What is the effect of high-frequency variations,
say, 0.2 cycles/s?

Problem 3: A step change from 15 to 31 psi in actual pressure results in the measured
response from a pressure-indicating element shown below. Assuming second-order
dynamics, calculate all important parameters and write an approximate transfer function in
the standard form.
Problem 4: A process consists of an integrating element operating in parallel with a first-
order element:

(a) What is the order of the overall transfer function, G(s) = Y(s)/U(s)?
(b) What is the gain of G(s)? Under what condition(s) is the process gain negative?
(c) What are the poles of G(s)? Where are they located in the complex s-plane?
(d) What are the zeros of G(s)? Where are they located? Under what condition(s) will one or
more of the zeros be located in the right-half s-plane?
(e) Under what conditions, if any, can this process exhibit both a negative gain and a right-
half plane zero?
(f) For any input change, what functions of time (response modes) will be included in the
response, y(t)?
(g) Is the output bounded for any bounded input change, for example, u(t) = M?