Fundamental of Process

Control
Chapter 1: Introduction
Dr. Nguyen Trong Tai
2 Contents
- The process, chemical processes
- An Industrial Perspective of a Typical Process Control Problem
- Variables of a Process
- The Concept of a Process Control System
- Overview of Control System Design

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3 Outcomes
- Understand about process and chemical processes
- Understand about operation of some typical industrial processes,
basically
- Identify roles of process control

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4 1. Process and chemical processes
 What is process?
 A Standard Definition of a Process: A process is a series of steps and
decisions involved in the way work is completed.
 Example: Preparing breakfast; Placing an order; Developing a
budget; Writing a work order; Triaging a patient; Changing oil in a car;
Strapping down a truck; Refueling an aircraft

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5 1. Process and chemical processes
 What is process?
 A New Definition: A process consists four major elements:
 Steps and decisions — the flowchart. A series of steps and decisions
describing the way work is completed.
 Variability of processing time and flow — the pattern of processing times.
 Timing and interdependence — when the arrivals happen, when people
work, etc.
 Assignment of resources — how many and where are they assigned

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6 1. Process and chemical processes
 The Industrial Process
 An industrial process can be defined as a set of operations that
transforms, with a predetermined objective, the properties of one or
more material, type of energy, or information
The transformation from raw materials to a product
requires the following:
•Energy
•Machines
•Tools
•Human work

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7 1. Process and chemical processes
 The Industrial Process
 An industrial process can be defined as a set of operations that
transforms, with a predetermined objective, the properties of one or
more material, type of energy, or information
 The industrial process is a sequential process. It can be split into a further
set of sequential production steps, transforming the raw materials into
the desired state along the way

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8 1. Process and chemical processes
 The Chemical Process
 A Chemical Process is a process in which chemicals or chemical
compounds are changed with the help of chemical reactions.
 The Chemical Process may occur itself when two compounds get in
touch with each other or it can take place with the help of any
chemical agent.
 The chemical composition of the chemicals or materials changes in a
chemical process.
 chemical change produces a new substance

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9 1. Process and chemical processes
 The Chemical Process

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10 2. Process control
 What is process control ?
 Process controls is a mixture between the statistics and engineering
discipline that deals with the mechanism, architectures, and algorithms for
controlling a process

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11 2. Process control
 What is process control ?
 Process controls is a mixture between the statistics and engineering
discipline that deals with the mechanism, architectures, and algorithms for
controlling a process

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12 2. Process control
 What is process control ?

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13 2. Process control
 What is process control ?

Vapor

Liquid

Liquid

Liquid

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14 2. Process control
 Process control objectives
 1. It is desirable to operate the processing units safely
 2. Specified production rates must be maintained

 3. Product quality specifications must be maintained

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15 2. Process control
 Process control objectives
 1. It is desirable to operate the processing units safely
 2. Specified production rates must be maintained

 3. Product quality specifications must be maintained

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 3. AN INDUSTRIAL PERSPECTIVE OF A TYPICAL
16 PROCESS CONTROL PROBLEM
 Problem

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 3. AN INDUSTRIAL PERSPECTIVE OF A TYPICAL
17 PROCESS CONTROL PROBLEM
 Problem
Requirement: maintain the
output temperature around
390 to 400 Celsius degree
regardless the input
temperature and flowrate

Air flowrate and Fuel

flowrate need to be
controlled

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 3. AN INDUSTRIAL PERSPECTIVE OF A TYPICAL
18 PROCESS CONTROL PROBLEM
 Solution
 The various phases in the evolution of an acceptable solution to typical
industrial control problems are between
 a plant engineer (PE), in charged with the responsibility of smooth operation
of the plant (in this case, the furnace), and
 the control engineer (CE), responsible for assisting in providing solutions to
control-related process operation problems.

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 3. AN INDUSTRIAL PERSPECTIVE OF A TYPICAL
19 PROCESS CONTROL PROBLEM
 Solution
 PE and CE work together to find a solution
 Some issues need to be solve:
 Operation objective – that include range of T and Fo
 What is main variable should be consider: T
 The duty the system work - every 2-3 days
 Which variables need to be control – ratio of air-to-fuel.
 Which variables are unknown – Input flowrate, input temperature, air
pressure,..
 What instrument will be used in process: Temperature sensor, pressure
sensor, …
 What type of controller and control strategies should be used.
…

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 3. AN INDUSTRIAL PERSPECTIVE OF A TYPICAL
20 PROCESS CONTROL PROBLEM
 Solution

Phase 1 Phase 2

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Phase 3 Phase 4 4/23/2020
21 4 VARIABLES OF A PROCESS
Finish section 3, To complete one process,
we have many stages:
from identifying objectives, to
select suitable devices and elements;
assembling,
programing,
selecting controller,
commissioning,. …

Process variables: quantities that may affect

to the process, such as: temperature,
flowrate, vessel size, pressure, composition,
volume, fluid property, etc…

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22 4 VARIABLES OF A PROCESS

Input variables are those that independently stimulate the

system and can thereby induce change in the internal conditions
of the process

Output variables are those by which one obtains information

about the internal state of the process

State variable is the minimum set of variables essential for

completely describing the internal state (or condition) of a
process.

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23 4 VARIABLES OF A PROCESS

Input variables are classified into Manipulated variable and

Disturbance variable

Those input variables that are at our disposal to

manipulate freely as we choose are called
manipulated (or control) variables

Those over which we have no control (not be

considered into designing the controller) are called
disturbance variables.

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24 4 VARIABLES OF A PROCESS

Those process variables whose values are made

available by direct on-line measurement are
classified as measured variables; the others are
called unmeasured variables

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25 4 VARIABLES OF A PROCESS
Level 1: Inputs and Output;
Level 2: measurable and
unmeasurable;
Level 3: Manipulated variables
(MV), Controlled variables
(CV) and Disturbances
Variables (DV)

The variables of a process

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26 4 VARIABLES OF A PROCESS
Example 1: The stirred
heating tank process

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27 4 VARIABLES OF A PROCESS
Example 2: Preheating
furnaces

Manipulated variables
(MV): Air flowrate and Fuel
Flowrate,

Controlled variables (CV):

Outlet temperature T

Disturbances Variables
(DV): Others

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28 5 THE CONCEPT OF A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
 5.1 Process control system
 The process control system is the entity that charged with the
responsibility for:
 1 Monitoring process output variables by measurement
 2 Making rational decisions regarding what corrective action is needed
on the basis of the information about the current and desired state of
the process
 3 Effectively implementing these decisions on the process

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29 5 THE CONCEPT OF A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
5.2 Control system hardware elements
 The hardware elements required for the realization of the
control system's tasks of measurement, decision making, and
corrective action implementation typically fall into the
following categories:
 sensors,
 controllers,
 transmitters
 and final control elements

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30 5 THE CONCEPT OF A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
5.2 Control system hardware elements
 Sensors:
 are the devices that use to carry out the status of process variable
 In most process control applications, the sensors are usually
needed for pressure, temperature, liquid level, flow, and composition
measurements

 Controller:
 Is the decision maker, and hence the "heart" of the control system; it is the
hardware element with "built-in" capacity for performing the only task
requiring some form of "intelligence."
 The controller hardware may be pneumatic in nature, or it may be
electronic. Electronic controllers are more common in more modern
industrial process control applications.

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31 5 THE CONCEPT OF A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
5.2 Control system hardware elements
 Transmitters
 Are devices that responsible for:
 getting information acquired by sensor to controller;
 and getting controller decision back to the process.
 Measurement and control signals may be transmitted as air pressure
signals, or as electrical signals. Pneumatic transmitters are required for
the former, and electrical ones for the latter.

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32 5 THE CONCEPT OF A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
5.2 Control system hardware elements
 Final Control Elements
 Final control elements have the task of actually implementing, on the
process, the control command issued by the controller.
 Most final control elements are control valves, and they occur in various
shapes, sizes, and have several modes of specific operation.
 Some other examples of final control elements include: variable speed
fans, pumps, and compressors; conveyors; and relay switches.

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33 5 THE CONCEPT OF A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
5.2 Control system hardware elements


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34 5 THE CONCEPT OF A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
5.2 Control system hardware elements
 Example
Control
Calculation

Sensor

Final
Element
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35 5 THE CONCEPT OF A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
5.2 Control system hardware elements
 Example

Sensor and transmitter

Controller

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36 5 THE CONCEPT OF A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
5.2 Control system hardware elements
 Example

Sensor and transmitter

Controller

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37 6 Control System Configuration
6.1 Feedback Control
 The control system operates by feeding process output information
back to the controller

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38 6 Control System Configuration
6.2 Feedforward Control
 an incoming disturbance is directly communicated to the controller
instead of actual system output information.
 the controller decision is taken before the process is affected by the
incoming disturbance

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39 6 Control System Configuration
6.3 Open loop Control
 the controller decision is not based upon any measurement
information gathered from any part of the process, but upon some
sort of internally generated strategy
 the controller makes decisions without the advantage of
information of sensor.

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40 6 Control System Configuration
In summary
 The Open loop control is only implemented in some simple systems, which
do not require high accuracy
 The Closed loop control is popular in all process, this type of control help
system can adjust with variations.
 Feedforward Control help to give a control decision sooner by measuring
disturbance directly.

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41 Finish chapter
In summary, this chapter provides
 Definitions of process, chemical process, process control .
 Ideas of control system.
 Definitions and identification of process variables
 Definitions and identification of hardware elements in control system
 To Have idea of control loops.

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