CONTROL

CONFIGURATIONS

Continuous
Cascade Control
Objective: T const.
Disturbance: Tc
Manpulated: FC

Master

2 control loops using

Slave 2 different measurements
but sharing one manipulated
variable FC
Consider the process consisting of two parts:
• Primary process (reaction in the tank) and has the output variable T we
want to control
•Secondary process ( Jacket) and has an output we are not interested in
controlling Tc but which affects the output we want to control

Disturbances arising within the secondary loop are

corrected by the secondary controller before they
can affect the value of the primary controlled output
(a) Heat Exchanger
Objective:
Tout of stream 2 const
Main disturbance:
Steam flow rate

(b) & (c )Distillation

column
Objective:
Cout & thus Tout const.
Main disturbance:
Reflux ration ®

(c ) Process Furnace
Objective:
Tout of steam const.
Main disturbance:
Fuel flow rate
Traditional Controller
• The temperature inside the tank
is measured and the steam valve
opening is manipulated to add
more or less heat as inflowing
water disturbs the tank
temperature.
• This arrangement works well
enough if the steam supply and
the steam valve are sufficiently
consistent to produce another X
% change in tank temperature
every time the controller calls for
another Y% change in the valve
opening.
 However, several factors could
alter the ratio of X to Y or the
time required for the tank
temperature to change after a
control effort.
• The pressure in the steam supply
line could drop while other tanks
are drawing down the steam
supply they share, in which case
the controller would have to
open the valve more than Y% in
order to achieve the same X%
change in tank temperature.
Cascade Control
• A cascade control system could
solve this problem as shown in
Figure where a second controller
has taken over responsibility for
manipulating the valve opening
based on measurements from a
second sensor monitoring the
steam flow rate.
• Instead of dictating how widely the
valve should be opened, the first
controller now tells the second
controller how much heat it wants
in terms of a desired steam flow
rate.
Cascade Control
• The second controller then
manipulates the valve opening
until the steam is flowing at the
requested rate. If that rate turns
out to be insufficient to produce
the desired tank temperature,
the first controller can call for a
higher flow rate, thereby
inducing the second controller
to provide more steam and
more heat (or vice versa).
• In the original single-controller arrangement, a drop in the steam supply
pressure would first have to lower the tank temperature before the
temperature sensor could even notice the disturbance.

• With the second controller and second sensor on the job, the steam flow rate
can be measured and maintained much more quickly and precisely
 Ratio control
Ratio control is a special type of feedforward control that has had widespread
application in the process industries. The objective is to maintain the ratio of two
process variables as a specified value. The two variables are usually flow rates, a
manipulated variable u, and a disturbance variable d. Thus, the ratio is controlled
rather than the individual variables. In Eq., u and d are physical variables, not
deviation variables.
 
=R
The main advantage of Method I is that the actual ratio R is calculated.

A key disadvantage is that a divider element must be included in the loop, and this
element makes the process gain vary in a nonlinear fashion. From Eq., the process
gain

is inversely related to the disturbance flow rate . Because of this significant

disadvantage, the preferred scheme for implementing ratio control is Method II,
which is shown in Fig..
Example of ratio control system A common example is when the ratio of two
reactants must be controlled is shown in the figure. One of the flow rates is measured
but allowed to float, that is, not regulated.

The outer flow rate is both measured and adjusted.

The outer flow rate is both measured and adjusted to
provide the specified control ratio. The flow rate of
reactant A is measured and added with appropriate
scaling, to the measurement of flow rate B. the
controller reacts to the resulting input signal by
adjustment of the control valve in the reactant B
the flow rate of one of the streams feeding the mixed flow, designated as the wild feed, can
change freely. Its flow rate might change based on product demand, maintenance
limitations, feedstock variations, energy availability, the actions of another controller in
the plant, or it may simply be that this is the stream we are least willing to manipulate
during normal operation.
The other stream shown feeding the mixed flow is designated as the controlled feed.
A final control element (FCE) in the controlled feed stream receives and reacts to the
controller output signal, COc, from the ratio control architecture. While the
conceptual diagrams in this article show a valve as the FCE, we note that other flow
manipulation devices such as variable speed pumps or compressors may also be used
in ratio control implementations.
Example of ratio control is the blending of an additive into a process stream. an octane
booster is blended with straight-run gasoline stream being produced by an atmospheric
distillation column. For any number of reasons, the production rate of straight-run gasoline
will vary over time in a refinery. Therefore, the amount of octane booster required to
produce the desired octane rating in the mixed product flow must also vary in a coordinated
fashion.
Rather than using a relay, we present an alternative ratio control architecture based on a
flow fraction controller (FFC). The FFC is essentially a “pure” ratio controller in that it
receives the wild feed and controlled feed signals directly as inputs. A ratio set point
value is entered into the FCC, along with tuning parameters and other values required
for any controller implementation.
 Example: A ratio control scheme is to be used to maintain a stoichoimetric
ratio of H2 and N2 as the feed to an ammonia synthesis reactor. Individual flow
controllers will be used for both the H2 and N2 streams.
A. Draw a schematic diagram for the ratio control scheme and
B. specify the appropriate gain for the ratio station, KR

Solution The stoichiometric equation for the ammonia synthesis reaction is

In order to introduce the feed mixture in stoichiometric proportions, the ratio of the
molar flow rates (H2/N2) should be 3:1. For the sake of simplicity, we assume that
the ratio of the molar flow rates is equal to the ratio of the volumetric flow rates.
But in general, the volumetric flow rates also depend on the temperature and
pressure of each stream (cf., the ideal gas law).
The schematic diagram for the ammonia synthesis reaction is shown in Fig. The H 2
flow rate is considered to be the disturbance variable, although this choice is
arbitary because both the H2 and N2 flow rates are controlled. Note that the ratio
station is merely a device with an adjustable gain. The input signal to the ratio
station is dm , the measured H2 flow rate. Its output signal usp serves as the set
point for the N2 flow control loop. It is calculated as usp = KR dm .

b) From the stoichiometric equation, it follows that the desired ratio is Rd = u /d =

1/3.
Application of ratio control system
• Air-fuel ratio control for a combustion process. In a simple air-fuel ratio control
system, the fuel flow may be controlled by a temperature or pressure controller. A
measure of the fuel flow is then used to determine the set point of the air-flow
controller.

• Maintaining a stoichiometric ratio of reactance of a reactor.

• Keeping a specified reflux ratio for a distillation column etc.

Source: http://instrumentationandcontrollers.blogspot.in/2011/06/ratio-controlsystem.html
Advantages
 Allows user to link two streams to produce and maintain a defined
ration between the streams.
 Simple to use.
 Does not require a complex model.
 
Disadvantages
 Often one of the flow rates is not measured directly and the controller
assumes that the flows have the correct ration through the control of
only the measured flow rate.
 Requires a ratio relationship between variables that needs to be
maintained.
 Not as useful for variables other than flow rate.