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CHAPTER 5: Enhancement of single-loop PID controller

3. Feed-Forward plus Feedback Control To combine the advantages of both Feed-forward and feedback controllers, one can consider the hybrid control system with Gm = Gv =1,

d ysp Gsp
_ +

Gc2 ysp
+ _ +

Gd u
+

Gc1

Gp

Figure 20: Feedback + Feed-Forward Control system

From the Block diagram:

y = G p u + Gd d

u = Gc1 ( y sp y ) + Gc 2 (Gsp y sp d )
Substituting for u and rearranging gives:

y=

G p (Gc1 + Gc 2Gsp ) 1 + G p Gc1

y sp +

Gd G p Gc 2 1 + G p Gc1

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We notice: 1. The stability of the overall system is still given by the same characteristic equation. The stability characteristic of a feedback system is not affected by the addition of a feed-forward loop. 2. The feed-forward controller is still given by the same law as before. Applying the hybrid FF and Feedback control system for the heated tank is shown in the figure:

Ti, Fi
_ Ti

Tsp

Gsp = s + 1

+ +

FiCp

G c 1 = K c (1 +

1 ) 1 s

T, F

Tsp
+

Figure 21: Hybrid Feed-Forward and Feedback control of Heated Tank

T
Feedforward control Feedforward-Feedback control

Deviation remaining from feedforward control only

time 0
Figure 22: Comparison between FF and FF+FB control systems

We notice: Offset may occur when FF alone is used with some modeling error occurs in the steady state gain of the FF controller.
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Remark:
If the dynamic of the disturbance is faster than that of the manipulated variable, i.e. d<p, then using Hybrid FF and FB leads to double correction, which may cause large overshoot and poor performance.

4. Ratio Control In some aspects ratio control can be considered as a special type of feedforward control where two loads are measured and held in a constant ratio to each other.
A Wild stream FA FT
+ Error Desired Ratio

Divider

_ Measured Ratio

GR

Ratio controller

FT FB Controlable stream Wild stream FA FT Valve

Desired Ratio + Ratio controller

FT FB Controlable stream

Error

GR

Valve Figure 23: Ratio Control Example

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4.1 Applications of Ratio Control Ratio control is used for a variety of applications including:
Keep constant the ratio between the feed flow rate and the steam in the reboiler of a distillation column, Hold constant the reflux ratio in a distillation column. Control the ratio of two reactants entering a reactor at a desired value. Hold the ratio of two blended streams constant in order to maintain the composition of the blend at the desired value. Hold the ratio of a purge stream to the recycle stream constant. Keep the ratio of fuel/air in a burner at its optimum value Maintain the ratio of the liquid flow rate to vapor flow rate in an absorption column constant.
Stack gas
FR FC FT

A stream

B stream

FT

FR

R Purge
FT FR

Air Fuel

Recycle R
FR FT

Distillate Reflux

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5. Split Range Control (MV > CV) This control configuration has one controlled variable and more than one manipulated variable. A single process output is controlled by coordinating the actions of several manipulated variables.

Remarks: This type of control configuration is not very common in chemical industry. The error signal is split into several parts, either equally or at specified ratio, to regulate several manipulated variables.

TC

TT

Cold water Steam

Figure 24: Example of Split Range Control

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6. Selective (override) control (MV<CV) If a process has fewer manipulated variables than controlled variables, a strategy is needed for sharing the manipulated variables among the controlled variables. A common strategy is to use selectors to choose the appropriate process variables among a number of available measurements. 6.1 Maintaining Safety of the Equipment Examples of these situations include:
Safeguard the operation of variable speed pumps. Safeguard the operation of high temperature or pressure reactors. Avoid flooding in distillation columns Safeguard the operation of furnace.

The selector compares signals P1 and P2 and chooses the highest one. This type of control is also called override control. If q < qmin switch from level control to Flow control
Slurry in

LT

LC

p2
HS

p1

FC

Holding Tank
FT

Slurry out

Figure 25: A selective control for sand-water slurry system

6.2 Improving Control Performance Plug flow reactor with moving hot spot. A control strategy that accomplishes this goal is shown in Fig 21. The high selector selects the transmitter with the highest output and the control is based on this temperature.

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Products

Reactants

SP
TT TT TT TT TC

HS

Cooling meduim

Figure 26: A plug flow reactor with selective control

6.3 Optimization of the process (See Corripio)

Consider the furnace of Figure 26, where fuel oil is used to provide heat to a number of process units. Each individual unit manipulates the flow of oil required to maintain its controlled variable at set point. A bypass control loop is also provided. A bad or inefficient operation of the process is the one for which the oil temperature is heated above the value that would satisfy the need of the users. In this case most of the valves would not be wide open and large quantity of fuel would be burned to reach the unnecessary high oil temperature.
Stack gas

Hot oil

T
Fuel
sp sp

T
sp

T
sp

h
sp

Figure 27: Hot oil system

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The effective operation that would save energy is the one that would maintain the oil leaving the furnace at a temperature just enough to provide the necessary energy to the users with hardly any flow through the bypass valve. In this case most of the temperature control valves would be open most of the time. To achieve this goal, the selective control strategy, shown in Figure 26, first selects the most open valve using a high selector. The valve position controller controls the selected valve position at large value i.e. 90 % open by manipulating the set point of the furnace temperature. This saves energy because it will maintain the temperature just hot enough to provide needed heat to the users.

6.4 Protecting against sensor/transmitters failures

Selectors are also used to protect against transmitter failures by selecting a valid transmitter signal among several. Redundant transmitters monitor the process variable and the median selector chooses the right one for control. Redundant sensors are commonly used in a hostile environment of high temperature or corrosive where failures rate are high thus avoiding the shutdown of the process.

6.5 Other Override Control examples

Protection of Boiler system Protecting a compressor system

Boiler LT Water Hot gas

HS PC SC FC

PT

LC

HS

PC

Gas in

PT

FT

Gas out Motor Compressor

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7. Inferential Control In some case, the controlled variable can not be measured directly or continuously such as

Reid Vapor pressure Density Melt Index Molecular weight Gas composition

Therefore, inferential control makes use of a secondary measurement to estimate (infer) the unmeasured variable. Inferring the unmeasured output can be achieved through:
Using physical laws, (Relating T to C through thermodynamic) Using a model equation Using Empirical modeling

7.1 Inferential control through modeling Consider the block diagram of the process shown in Fig 28, with one unmeasured controlled output y and one secondary measured output z.
Process Unmeasured disturbance

d Gd1 u
Manipulated variable +

Gd2 y
+ Controlled output (unmeasured)

GP1

GP2

Secondary measurement

Figure 28: Process with need for inferential control

The open loop transfer function: y(s) = Gp1(s) u(s) + Gd1(s) d(s)
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(1)

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10

z(s) = Gp2(s) u(s) + Gd2(s) d(s)

(2)

We can solve for d(s) in the second equation to find the following estimate of the unmeasured disturbance
d (s) = G p2 (s) 1 z( s ) u( s ) Gd ( s ) Gd 2 ( s )

(3)

Substituting back in equation (1) yields,

G (s) G (s) y( s ) = G p1 ( s ) d 1 G p 2 u ( s ) + d 1 z( s ) G ( s ) G ( s ) d2 d2

(4)

This equation provides the estimator needed which relates the unmeasured controlled output to measured variables u(s) and z(s). Figure 29 shows the resulting block diagram for the inferential control.

ysp

Controller + _

Set point

Gc
G p1 =

y Process z

Gd 1 Gp2 Gd 2

+
Estimates of unmeasured output y

+ Estimator

Gd 1 Gd 2

Figure 29: Process under inferential control system

Remarks: Generally inferential control is used when composition is the desired controlled variable. Temperature is the most common secondary measurement. From Equation (4), the accuracy of the inferential control scheme depends on the good estimation, e.g. depends on the good knowledge of the process Gp1(s), Gp2(s), Gd1(s) and Gd2(s). Generally these process elements are not known perfectly and

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11

therefore the inferential control would provide control with varying quality. 7.2.1 Example: Inferential control of a distillation column
Consider a distillation column, which separates a mixture of propane-butane in two products. The reflux ratio is the manipulated variable. The feed and overhead compositions are unmeasured so there is need for inferential control. The secondary measurement to infer the overhead composition is the temperature at the top tray. The process inputs are the feed composition (disturbance) and reflux ratio (manipulated variable) while the outputs are the overhead propane composition (unmeasured controlled variable) and temperature of top tray (secondary measurement).

y( s ) =
z( s ) =

0.9e 2 s 1.2e s d (s) + u( s ) 70s + 1 30 s + 1

(5)

0.2e 0.2 s 1 d (s) + u( s ) 60 s + 1 20 s + 1

Unmeasured disturbance

(6)

Process

d
G d1 = 0.9 se 2s 70s + 1 Gd 2 = 0.2 se 2s 60s + 1

Manipulated variable

1.2 se 1s G p1 = 30s + 1

+ +

y
+

Overhead composition

1 G p2 = 20s + 1

z
(a)

Temperature of top tray

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Controller

12

ysp

+ _

Set point

Gc

u
1.2e s 4.5(60s + 1) 30s + 1 (70 s + 1)( 20s + 1)

y
Process

+
4 .5

Estimates of unmeasured output y

+
Estimator

60s + 1 70s + 1

(b)
Figure 30: (a) Block diagram of distillation column; (b) corresponding inferential

7.2 Nonlinear (Empirical) Inferential systems Recently, online estimation techniques such neural networks have been used to estimate unmeasured variables from available plant data. The output estimator is called soft sensor. Empirical inferential system is not limited to the use of NN. Any linear regression methods can be used to correlate the unmeasured variable to the measurements of secondary variable or other measured process variables.

7.3 Implementation issues Inferential control is appropriate when: Measurement of the true controlled variable is not available because: o An on-stream sensor is not possible o An on-stream sensor is too costly o Sensor has unfavorable dynamics (long time delay, lab analysis) A measured inferential variable is available.

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