1.

Introduction to Process
Control
 Module I- Syllabus
• Introduction to Process Control
• Block diagram of process control loop
• Definition of elements
• Sensor time response
• first and second order responses
• Review of Transducers
• Characteristics and Choice of transducer
• Factors influencing choice of transducer
 Process
• Physical or chemical change of matter or conversion of
energy; e.g.: change in pressure, temperature, speed,
electrical potential etc.
• Can be a chemical plant (a distillation column), or a
manufacturing system (an assembly shop), or a food
processing industry and so on.
• In chemical engineering point of view, a process is a
collection of vessels, pipes, fittings, gauges etc., built for the
purpose of producing a product or a group of products.
 Process
• In general, a process may have several input variables and
several output variables. But only one or two (at most few) of
the input variables are used to control the process.
• The inputs are classified as either manipulated or disturbance
variables and the outputs are classified as measured or
unmeasured.
• Those inputs, used for manipulating the process are called
manipulating variables. The other inputs those are left
uncontrolled are called disturbances.
• Few outputs are measured and fed back for comparison with
the desired set values.
 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.
 Requirements of Process
• A process must satisfy several requirements imposed by its
designers and the general technical, economic and social
conditions in the presence of ever changing external
influences (disturbances).
• Safety of men and machine
• Environmental regulations
• Production specifications
• Operational constraints and economics
 Examples of Process
• Unit process like an alkylation reactor
• Unit operation like evaporator, distillation column or storage
vessel.
• Manufacturing Industries
• Space heating/cooling
• Water temperature control
 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 25o C 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.
 Process Control
• The regulation or manipulation of variables influencing the
conduct of a process in such a way as to obtain a product of
desired quality and quantity in an efficient manner.
• Process Control System is the arrangement of Physical
Components and devices connected to regulate the Quantity of
interest at some desired value regardless of external Influences.
• 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.
• To regulate means to maintain that quantity at some desired value
(reference value or set point) regardless of external influences.
The Main Components of a
Control Loop
 Development of Process Control
• During the first industrial revolution the work done by
human muscle was gradually replaced by the power of
machine.
• During second industrial revaluation the routine functions of
human mind and need for continuous presence of human
observer was also taken care by Machine Process.
• Control made optimization and there by beginning of third
industrial revolution.
 Goal of Third Industrial
Revolution
Maximum quantity with
• Maximum quality
• Durability of product
Minimum consumption of
• Energy and raw materials
• Maximum recycling and reuse
 Advantages of Process Control
• Increase the productivity
• Improve the quality
• Improve the consistence product dimension
• Increase stability
• Optimize the performance
• Meet the environmental regulations
• Minimize the influence of External Disturbance
 Applications
• Process industries
• Goods manufacturing
• Transport system
• Power machines
 Process Industries
• Petroleum
• Chemical
• Steel
• Power
• Food
 Goods Manufacturing
• Automobile parts
• Refrigerators
• Electronic equipment like T.V and Radio
 Transport System
• Railways
• Airplanes
• Missiles
• Ships
• Spacecraft
• Satelites
 Power Machines
• Machine Tools
• Compressors and Pumps
• Prime movers
• Electrical power Supply Units
Self-Regulated Process
 Self-Regulated Process
• For some input flow rate, the liquid height will rise until it
reaches a height for which the output flow rate matches the
input flow rate.
• A self-regulating system does not provide regulation of a
variable to any particular reference value.
• The liquid level will adopt some value for which input and
output flow rates are the same, and there it will stay.
• If the input flow rate changes, then the level would change
also, so it is not regulated to a reference value.
• Suppose we want to maintain the level at some particular
value, H, regardless of the input flow rate. Then something
more than self-regulation is needed.
Human-Aided Control
 Human-Aided Control
• Artificial regulation of the level by a human.
• To regulate the level so that it maintains the value H, it will
be necessary to employ a sensor to measure the level.
• This has been provided via a “sight tube,” S, as shown in
Figure 2. The actual liquid level or height is called the
controlled variable.
• In addition, a valve has been added so that the output flow
rate can be changed by the human. The output flow rate is
called the manipulated variable or controlling variable.
• By a succession of incremental opening and closing of the
valve, the human can bring the level to the set-point value, H,
and maintain it there by continuous monitoring of the sight
tube and adjustment of the valve.
Automatic Control
 Automatic Control
• Machines, electronics, or computers replace the operations of
the human.
• A sensor is added that is able to measure the value of the
level and convert it into a proportional signal, s.
• This signal is provided as input to a machine, electronic
circuit, or computer called the controller.
• The controller performs the function of the human in
evaluating the measurement and providing an output signal,
u, to change the valve setting via an actuator connected to the
valve by a mechanical linkage.
 Process Control
Water Temperature Control
 Identification of Elements
Process:
• A process can consist of a complex assembly of phenomena
that relate to some manufacturing sequence.
• Many variables may be involved in such a process, and it
may be desirable to control all these variables at the same
time.
• There are single variable processes or multivariable
(Independent or Interrelated) processes.
• The process is often also called the plant.
• The flow of liquid in and out of the tank, the tank itself, and
the liquid all constitute a process to be placed under control
with respect to the fluid level.
 Identification of Elements
Measurement:
• To effect control of a variable in a process, we must have information
about the variable itself which is found by measuring the variable.
• In general, a measurement refers to the conversion of the variable into
some corresponding analog of the variable, such as a pneumatic pressure,
an electrical voltage or current, or a digitally encoded signal.
• A sensor is a device that performs the initial measurement and energy
conversion of a variable into analogous digital, electrical, or pneumatic
information.
• Further transformation or signal conditioning may be required to
complete the measurement function.
• The result of the measurement is a representation of the variable value in
some form required by the other elements in the process-control
operation.
 Identification of Elements
Error Detector:
• In human aided control, the human looked at the difference
between the actual level, h, and the set-point level, H, and
deduced an error.
• For the automatic control system, this same kind of error
determination must be made before any control action can be
taken by the controller.
• Although the error detector is often a physical part of the
controller device, it is important to keep a clear distinction
between the two.
 Identification of Elements
Controller:
• To examine the error and determine what action, if any, should be
taken.
• The evaluation may be performed by an operator (as in the
previous example), by electronic signal processing, by pneumatic
signal processing, or by a computer.
• In modern control systems, the operations of the controller are
typically performed by microprocessor-based computers.
• The controller requires an input of both a measured indication of
the controlled variable and a representation of the reference value
of the variable, expressed in the same terms as the measured value.
• The reference value of the variable is referred to as the set-point.
• Evaluation consists of determining the action required to drive the
controlled variable to the set-point value.
 Identification of Elements
Control Element:
• The device that exerts a direct influence on the process; that is, it
provides those required changes in the controlled variable to bring
it to the set-point.
• This element accepts an input from the controller, which is then
transformed into some proportional operation performed on the
process.
• Also referred to as the final control element.
• Often an intermediate operation is required between the controller
output and the final control element. This operation is referred to
as an actuator because it uses the controller signal to actuate the
final control element. The actuator translates the small energy
signal of the controller into a larger energy action on the process.
 Block Diagram
General Block Diagram
 Block Diagram
Physical Diagram of Process control loop
 Block Diagram
Block diagram of Process control loop
 Feedback
Caution: Common misunderstanding in terminology!
Common vernacular Engineering & Science

Negative feedback: “You are Negative feedback: Action

an idiot! to reduce the error from
desired.
Good!
Positive feedback: Action to
Positive feedback: That was increase the error from
a good idea. Thank you! desired.