Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T.

Bombay, India

Lectures 15 : Feedback Controller

Design
Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Issues in Feedback Controller Design

Choice of Sensors and Transmitters

These are the dynamic elements of the loop. Typically, they give out a
current (4-20mA signal) or a voltage (1-5V DC) signal. {Concept of a
live zero !}
Need a balance between the cost and accuracy of sensors. Precise
sensors are often used in cascade control schemes.

Smart transmitters – configure themselves to generate accurate

measurements. Intelligent sensors also manage the data
communication between themselves and the control room.
Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Control Valves / Actuators

Valve Action: Fail-open (Air-to-close) or Fail closed (Air-to-open) based

on safety considerations.
Valve Characteristics : relates to how the flow changes with respect to
valve stem. Could be linear or nonlinear. Inherent characteristics may
be linear but installed characteristics may be nonlinear.
Quick opening

Linear valve
% valve

Equal percentage

% stem position
Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Control Valves / Actuators

Application 1: Valve regulates steam flow in a reactor

heating coil

Reactor overheating is catastrophic. Hence a fail-close (FC)

valve is suitable

Application 2: Valve regulates flow of effluents from a

wastewater treatment holding tank into a
river

Flow of untreated wastewater is not acceptable, hence we

must select a valve that guards against this. Fail-close valve
is suitable.
Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Control Valves / Actuators

Application 3: Valve regulates cooling water flow to a

distillation condenser

The vapor coming out from the top of the column must be
condensed before it goes to the receiver.

If cooling water flow shuts off completely (due to

transmitter failure), the vapors would not be condensed.

Fail-open valve would be desirable.

Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Direct and Reverse Acting Controllers

Consider the use of a proportional controller with proportional gain Kc.

CO(t) = Kc e(t) = Kc { ysp(t) - y(t) } = Kc ysp(t) - Kc y(t)

If Kc is positive : CO(t)  as y(t)   CO(t)  as y(t) 

This is termed Reverse Acting Controller

If Kc is negative : CO(t)  as y(t)   CO(t)  as y(t) 

This is known as Direct Acting Controller

What kind of controller must you use for a given situation? - this
depends on the process and the valve!!
Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Direct and Reverse Acting Controllers

Consider the liquid level control system shown in the following
figure. The output from the level transmitter increases if the liquid
level increases.
(Direct Acting Transmitter). The valve is a AC(air-to-close) valve.
Should the proportional controller have direct or reverse action?

LT LC The transfer function

between the MV (exit
h flow) and the CV (h)
has negative gain

X
Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Direct and Reverse Acting Controllers

If the level in tank increases from its set point value, then the exit flow rate
(MV) should be increased.

This means the valve has to open more

We have a AC valve. Therefore, to open it more, the pressure signal to the

valve must be decreased

The controller output CO must decrease in order to reduce the pressure

signal sent to the valve.

If y  , we want the CO to . This means we would require a reverse

acting controller i.e. Kc must be positive.

What if the inlet flow rate was used as the MV?

Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Commercial Forms of PID Controllers

PD Controllers
 1 Ds 
g PD ( s)  K c  
 1   D s 

PID Controllers

 1  1   D s 
g PID ( s)  K c 1   
  I s  1   D s 
Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Controller Design Principles

Choose the controller type and parameters such that some objective
criteria of closed loop performance is satisfied.
Performance criteria would generally involve:
Stability criteria – closed loop response must be stable
Steady state criteria – offset must be zero
Dynamic response criteria – closed loop system must reject
disturbances and track setpoints in an acceptable manner.
Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Dynamic response criteria

Need smaller rise times,

settling times,overshoots etc.
Department of Chemical Engineering I.I.T. Bombay, India

Quantitative measures of response


• Integral Absolute error IAE   |  | dt
(IAE) 0

• Integral squared error
(ISE) ISE    2 (t )dt
0
• Integral time weighted 
absolute error (ITAE) ITAE   t | | dt
0
• Integral time weighted 
squared error (ITSE) ITSE   2
t | | dt
0