CT 2 : Open Loop Experiments

(Non-Interacting Tanks)

Report


Date of experiment: 10
th
August, 2012
Date of presentation : 13
th
August, 2012





Batch A12(a)
Group members:
Saurabh Gupta (09002034)
Anurag Ravi Sharma
Ashish Kumar



OBJECTIVES
1. To develop transfer function models with respect to manipulated input and disturbance
variables for the system of two non interacting tanks using open loop step test data.
2. To use the transfer function model for tuning PI and P controllers using method of direct
synthesis.
3. Using process and controller transfer functions, predict the expected closed loop
behaviour for step change in the set point (servo problem) and disturbance variable
(regulatory problem).

THEORY
The system under consideration is a two non-interacting tanks in series as shown in figure 1












Figure 1: Non interacting tank setup
The dynamic model for the above system of two non-interacting tanks is given by the
following equations:

h
2
h
1
F
i
F
d
... Equation 1

Where, h
1
is the level of water in the first tank, h
2
is the level of water in the second tank, F
i

is the flow rate of water into the first tank, F
d
is the flow rate of water into the second tank
and A is the cross-sectional area of each tank.
State variables : h
1
and h
2

Manipulated input: F
i

Disturbance variable: F
d

Measured output: h
2

Parameteres: A, k
1
, k
2

Design of PI controller by Direct Synthesis
The closed loop transfer function relating the set point and the measured output is given as
follows

Where G
c
(s) is the transfer function for the controller, G(s) is the transfer function obtained
from the process, y(s) is the deviation in measured output and r(s) is the deviation in the
setpoint.
By the direct synthesis approach, we are required to specify the desired closed loop
behaviour V(s) between the set point and the output. To realize the desired closed loop
behaviour, the controller can be obtained as follows using equation 3:

Let the desired transfer function be of the form:
V(s) =

where
cl
=

/ 2
Let the transfer function obtained from the process be a first order plus time delay model of
the form:
... Equation 2
... Equation 3
... Equation 4
... Equation 5

Where is the time delay.
Using equation 4, 5 and 6, we get the PI tuning rules as follows:

Development of transfer function model from noisy data
The time domain expression for a second order system that has been approximated as a
first order with time delay (for a step response) is given by:

Hence the optimization problem can be formulated as:

The above optimization problem can be solved using fmincon function in MATLAB to obtain
the valued of k
p
, and .


PROCEDURE
Set the value of both the manipulated variable (F
i
) and disturbance variable (F
d
) to a nominal
value of 10 mA and allow the system to reach a steady state. Now give a positive step
change of 2 mA in F
i
and record the response of the system till a new steady state is
reached. Then give a negative step change in F
i
of same magnitude i.e. 2 mA and again
record the response until a new steady state is reached. Similarly, give a positive and
negative step change in the disturbed variable (F
d
) and record the response. The software
used for data acquisition is LabVIEW.

... Equation 6
... Equation 7
... Equation 8
... Equation 9
OBSERVATIONS
Diameter of each tank = 0.15 m
Open loop step test response:
The system under consideration is approximated using a first order plus time delay transfer
function which is given by equation 6. The parameters for the transfer function were
estimated using a least square estimation using the function fmincon in MATLAB after
obtaining the step responses for the positive and negative step change in the manipulated
and the disturbance variable.
The manipulated variable (F
i
) was a given a positive step change of 4 mA i.e. from 10 mA to
14 mA and response of the system is shown in figure 2. F
d
is kept constant at its steady state
value of 6 mA.

Figure 2: Open loop step response to a positive step change in the manipulated variable (F
i
)
The manipulated variable (F
i
) was a given a negative step change of 4 mA i.e. from 14 mA to
10 mA and the response of the system is shown in figure 3. F
d
is kept constant at its steady
state value of 6 mA.

Figure 3: Open loop step response to a negative step change in the manipulated variable (F
i
)

Table 1: Transfer function model parameters obtained by step change in F
i

K
p

p
(s)
p
(s)
Positive step change .4310 35.2927 5.29
Negative step
change
.4528 31.2868 5.44
Average values 0.4419 33.28 5.365

Hence, from equation 6, we get the transfer function as:
G
p
=

()


G
p
=
()



The disturbance variable (F
d
) was a given a positive step change of 4 mA i.e. from 10 mA to
14 mA and response of the system is shown in figure 4. F
i
was kept constant at its steady
state value of 10 mA.

Figure 4: Open loop step response to a positive step change in the disturbance variable (F
d
)

The disturbance variable (F
d
) was a given a negative step change of 4 mA i.e. from 14 mA to
10 mA and the response of the system is shown in figure 5. F
i
is kept constant at its steady
state value of 10 mA.


Figure 5: Open loop step response to a negative step change in the disturbance variable (F
d
)



Table 2: Transfer function model parameters obtained by step change in F
d

K
d

d
(s)
d
(s)
Positive step change .5086 19.19 1.0334
Negative step
change
.5014 17.80 1.258
Average values 0.505 18.495 1.1457

Hence, from equation 6, we get
G
d
=

()


G
d
=
()



CLOSED LOOP SIMULATIONS
Please refer to figure 14 in appendix for the model used in Simulink to obtain servo and
regulatory responses.
Design of PI controller:
From table 1, we get K
p
= 0.4419, = 33.28 and = 5.365
Hence using the method of direct synthesis (equation 7), we get:
K
c
= 3.4225

i
= 33.28 s
The above values of K
c
and
i
were used to generate the following controllers:
P Controllers
P-1 : K
c1
= K
c
= 3.4225
P-2 : K
c1
= 3 x K
c
= 10.2675

PI Controllers
PI-1 : K
c1
= K
c
= 3.4225,
i1
=
I
= 33.28
PI-2 : K
c1
= 3 x K
c
= 10.2675,
i1
=
i
/3 = 11.09

Direct Synthesis
In the direct synthesis method, controller design is based on a process model and a desired
closed loop transfer function.
V(s) =

(14)
Here, V(s) is the desired closed loop transfer function, G
p
is the manipulated variable
transfer function and G
c
is the controller transfer function.
Rearranging equation 14,
G
c
(s) =

()
()
()
(15)
G
p
(s) is a first order transfer function with time delay. The choice of the desired closed loop
transfer function is
V(s) =

(16)

c
is typically between /2 and /3. Substituting this V(s) into equation 15:
G
c
(s) =

()

(17)
Approximating the exponential in the denominator as e
-s
= 1 s, the equation becomes:
G
c
(s) =

()

)
(18)
On substituting G
p
(s), which is a first order transfer function with a time delay , a PI
controller is obtained.
G
c
(s) =

(19)
Where
K
c
=

and
I
= (20)
For PI-1, K
c1
= K
c
= 3.4225,
i1
=
I
= 33.28
G
c
(s) = 3.4225

(21)


For PI-2, K
c2
= 3 x K
c
= 10.2675,
i1
=
i
/3 = 11.09
G
c2
(s) = 10.2675

(22)

To study the effect of change in the disturbance variable, we use a proportional controller.
For a proportional controller, G
c
(s) = K
c
.
For the controller P1,
K
c1
= K
c
= 3.4225
For the controller P2,
K
c2
= 3*K
c
= 10.2675



RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: