Study Guide in ET 120 – INDUSTRIAL PROCESS CONTROL Module No.

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. ___

1

Unit I- Introduction Process and Control

MODULE OVERVIEW

Process control is used in continuous production – in manufacturing and in other

fields and industries where some kind of material is produced without any kind of
interruption – as well as in “batch processing.” It’s used to automatically control the
conditions in which a product is made – ensuring better quality and efficiency. This module
will you understand the process control concepts as well as the advantages/disadvantages
and used of process control system.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this module you will be expected to:

1. Define and state the need of process control system;

2. Recognize the importance of process control system.
3. Discuss the disadvantages and advantages of process control and its effect to human.

LEARNING CONTENT I- (Introduction to Process Control)

Define the process
• A process denotes an operation or series of operations on fluid or solid materials during
which the materials are placed in a more useful state.

Objectives of process
• The objective of a process is to convert certain raw materials (input feedstock) into
desired products (output) using available sources of energy in the most economical way. •
A process can be described either by an ordinary differential equation ( lumped parameter
system) or by partial differential equation (distributed parameter system).
• Unit process may involve either a change of chemical state or a change in physical state.
• Many external and internal conditions affect the performance of a process.
• These conditions may be expressed in terms of process variables such as temperature,
pressure, flow, liquid level, dimension, weight, volume etc.

Control
• The term control means methods to force parameters in the environment to have specific
values.
• This can be as simple as making the temperature in a room stay at 25 Degree Celsius or •
As complex as manufacturing an integrated circuit or guiding a spacecraft to Jupiter. • In
general, all of the elements necessary to accomplish the control objective are described by
the term control system.

WHAT IS PROCESS CONTROL?

Process control is the ability to monitor and adjust a process to give a desired output. It is
used in industry to maintain quality and improve performance.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1

Study Guide in ET 120 – INDUSTRIAL PROCESS CONTROL Module No. 1

The process may be controlled by measuring a variable representing the desired state of
the product and automatically adjusting one of the other variables of the process. • In
process control, the basic objective is to regulate the value of some quantity. • To regulate
means to maintain that quantity at some desired value (reference value or set point)
regardless of external influences.
An example of a simple process that is controlled is keeping the temperature of a room at a
certain temperature using a heater and a thermostat. When the temperature of the room is
too low, the thermostat will turn on a heating source until the temperature reaches the
desired level at which point the heater is turned off. As the room cools, this process repeats
itself to keep the room at the desired set point. In this example, the set point is the
temperature setting on the thermostat and the heater turns on and off to maintain
temperature. Hence, this simplest form of process control is called on/off or dead band
control. This type of process has a dead band which is the difference between the
temperature where the heater is turned on and when it reaches the set point. This dead
band is what keeps the heater from being turned on and off too often.

LEARNING ACTIVITY ( Study Questions)

REFERENCES

https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://che.utexas.edu/course/che360/lecture_notes/chapter_
1.ppt&ved=2ahUKEwjGnpTR6J3vAhXizIsBHVI5AW4QFjAAegQIAhAC&usg=AOvVaw09c5
o5Gtwp-B19gUK7FCkK

https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/process-
control&ved=2ahUKEwjGnpTR6J3vAhXizIsBHVI5AW4QFjAKegQIIhAC&usg=AOvVaw0DC
EUDKJPH_mnoCANQAGmS

https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.slideshare.net/SrinivasaRao110/process-control-
77356543&ved=2ahUKEwjGnpTR6J3vAhXizIsBHVI5AW4QFjAbegQIHBAC&usg=AOvVaw
2cuZtIqvmkDUmc0OfJaMaT

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2