HADHRAMOUT UNIVERSITY

Process Dynamics and Control

Instructor: Dr. Osamah A. Bin Dahman

Chap.8: The Control System

 The control system
 In previous lectures, the dynamic behavior of several basic systems was
examined.
 With this background, we can extend the discussion to a complete
control system and introduce the fundamental concept of feedback
control.
 To work with a familiar system, the treatment will be based on a
stirred-tank heater.
 A liquid stream at a temperature 𝑻𝒊 enters an insulated, well-stirred tank at a
constant flow rate w (mass/time). It is desired to maintain (or control) the
temperature in the tank at 𝑻𝑹 by means of the controller. If the indicated
(measured) tank temperature 𝑻𝒎 differs from the desired temperature 𝑻𝑹 ,
the controller senses the difference or error 𝜺 = 𝑻𝑹 − 𝑻𝒎 and changes the
heat input in such a way as to reduce the magnitude of 𝜺.
 The control system

 Components of a control system

The system shown in the previous slide may be divided into the
following components:

1) Process (stirred-tank heater).

2) Measuring element (thermometer or thermocouple).
3) Controller.
4) Final control element (control valve or variable transformer ).

 For computational purposes, it is convenient to represent the

control system by means of the block diagram.
 The set point is a synonym for the desired value of the controlled variable.
 The load (disturbance) refers to a change in any variable that may cause the
controlled variable of the process to change such as the inlet temperature 𝐓𝐢 .
 The control system shown above is called a closed-loop system or a feedback
system because the measured value of the controlled variable is returned or
“fed back” to a device called the comparator.
 The comparator compared the controlled variable with the set point. If there is
any difference between the measured variable and the set point, an error is
generated. This error enters a controller, which in turn adjusts the final control
element to return the controlled variable to the set point.
 Negative Feedback Versus Positive Feedback
 There are two types of the control system:
1) Negative feedback control system
 Negative feedback ensures that the difference between desired value
(𝐓𝐑 ) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 (𝐓𝐦 ) is used to adjust the
control element so that tendency is to reduce the error.
 The error is the difference between the set point and the measured
variable (this is usually the desired configuration).

𝜺 = 𝑻𝑹 − 𝑻𝒎
2) Positive feedback control system
 If the signal to the comparator were obtained by adding 𝑻𝑹 and 𝑻𝒎 ,
we would have a positive feedback system.
 The measured variable is added to the set point. (This is usually an
undesirable situation, and frequently it leads to instability.)
𝜺 = 𝑻𝑹 + 𝑻𝒎
 Servo control versus requlator control
 Servo control
 There is no change in load 𝑻𝒊 , and that we are interested in changing
the bath temperature according to some prescribed function of
time.
 The goal of a control system for this type of problem is to force the
system to “track” the requested set point changes.
 The variation of the temperature of a reactor according to a
prescribed time-temperature pattern is an example of the servo
problem.
 The majority of problems that may be described as the servo type
come from fields other than the chemical industry, the tracking of
missiles and aircraft is well-known example of the servo-type
problem.
 Regulator control
 In this case, the desired value 𝑻𝑹 is to remain fixed, and the
purpose of the control system is to maintain the controlled variable
at 𝑻𝑹 in spite of change in load 𝑻𝒊 (disturbance).
 This problem is very common in the chemical industry.
 Development of block diagram
 In block diagram representations of control systems, the variables
selected are deviation variables, and inside each block is placed the
transfer function relating the input-output pair of variables. Finally,
the blocks are combined to give the overall block diagram.

 Process
 The transfer function of heating process was determined in the
previous lectures. The last expression can be written as:

Where:
𝝆𝑽
𝝉=
𝒘
𝑻(𝐬) = controlled variable
Q(s) = manipulated variable
Heating Process
𝑻𝒊(𝐬) = disturbance variable
 (1)

 If there is a change in Q(t) only then 𝑻𝒊 𝒕 = 𝟎 and the transfer function

relating 𝑻 to Q is

 If there is a change in 𝑻𝒊 𝒕 only then Q(t)=0 and the transfer function

relating 𝑻 to 𝑻𝒊 is

 Equation (1) can be represented by the following block diagram:

Summing junction
Block Diagram for process
 Equation (1) can be rearranged as follows:

Or

 Block diagrams that are equivalent to the previous one can be

drown as following:
 Measuring Element
 The temperature measuring element, which senses the bath temperature T
and transmits a signal 𝑻𝒎 to the controller, may exhibit some dynamic lag.
From the discussion of the mercury thermometer, we observed this lag to be
first-order.

Block diagram of measuring element

 Controller and Final Control Element
 For convenience, the blocks representing the controller and the final control
element are combined into one block. In this way, we need be concerned
only with the overall response between the error in the temperature and
the heat input to the tank.
 Also, it is assumed that the controller is a proportional controller (P).
𝑄(𝑠)
= 𝐺𝑐(s)
𝜀(𝑠)

Block diagram of proportional controller

 Development of block diagram
 We have now completed the development of the separate blocks. If these are
combined , we obtain the block diagram for the complete control system.
 Problem 8.1
The two-tank heating process shown in Figure consists of two identical, well-stirred
tanks in series. A flow of heat can enter tank 2. At time t = 0, the flow rate of heat to
tank 2 suddenly increases according to a step function to 1,000 Btu/min, and the
temperature of the inlet water Ti drops from 60 to 52 oF according to a step function.
These changes in heat flow and inlet water temperature occur simultaneously.