CHE

06405: Process Dynamics and Control

Exam #1: Practice Exam Problem

A pure liquid evaporator that generates vapor at the mass flow rate Fout by using a
steam-heated heat exchanger coil to vaporize a liquid stream (temperature Tin)
flowing in at mass flow rate Fin, is a classic example of how mass and energy interact
in process systems. If T is the temperature of the liquid in the vessel, typical
material and energy balances yield nonlinear mathematical model equations which,
when linearized around the nominal operating values T*, T*in, F*in, and F*out (as you
will learn to do in a few weeks), produce the following approximate transfer
function model:


3s +1
y(s) =
u(s)

& 1 3 ) 2 & 1 3 )

+s +1
(
+s + (
' *
' 2 *


(1)

deviation variables y and u are defined as follows:
where the



y = Fout F*out






(2)
*
u = Fin F in




(3)





and is the normalized nominal temperature load defined by


T * Tin*







(4)
=
*
T


The indicated parameters are related to the process physics at the nominal
operating
conditions around which the modeling equations have been linearized.

Specifically, 1 is the effective (material) residence time in the vessel; 2 is the

effective thermal time constant; 3 is the vessel thermal capacity relative to that of
the steam coil; is a dimensionless constant related to the pressure in the vessel.

1. What is the steady state gain for this process? Discuss succinctly why this
value makes sense from the physics of the problem.
2. For a process with specific parameter values 1 = 2.5 min; 2 = 1.25 min; 3 =
5 min; and = 0.5, sketch the system response to a unit step increase in inlet
flow rate for the following three values of the dimensionless parameter : 32,
8, and 2.

3. On the other hand, it can be shown that, under some special conditions, the
linearized model for a multi-phase separator (where the liquid mixture
contains more than one component) is given by:

Ks
y(s) =
u(s)
(C s +1)(T s +1)
(5)

where, in terms of deviations from their respective nominal steady state
values, y
is the bottom concentration of light material; u is the feed flow rate.
The parameters C and T are, respectively, the concentration and thermal
time constants, while K is a process parameter interaction between mass and
energy.

Derive an expression for the response, y(t) to a unit step change. Sketch this
response, showing all aspects that you consider to be important and
characteristic of this response.