Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and Control
Alarms
Actuator
Controller
Process or
utility stream
Final control
element
Sensing
element
Control Valves
Actuator
Valve
Feed Forward
Manipulated
variable
Process
Controlled
output
Feedback Control
Set
point
Error
signal
Function
generator
Controller
Output
Input
Final control
element
Sensing
element
Measured variable
Manipulated variable
Process
SP
Controller output is proportional to error
The proportionality constant is called the controller gain
High gain gives fast response, but can lead to instability
Low gain can cause offsets
time
I: Integral
Output is proportional to integral of error
Eliminates offsets from P control, but makes response more sluggish
D: Derivative
Output is proportional to rate of change of error
Damps out instability and allows higher gain to be used
Controller Output = G e + (1 / T i) e dt - T d
where:
G=
e =
Ti =
Td =
de
dt
Controller gain
Error (set point minus measured variable)
Integral time constant
Derivative time constant
Ratio Control
One stream is controlled in
ratio to another
Often used for controlling
feed rates to try to maintain
stoichiometry
Also used in some types of
distillation column control
to set reflux or boil-up
ratios
Cascade Control
Example: reactor
temperature (primary
controller) cascades onto
coolant flow controller
(secondary) to control
reactor temperature
Difficult
Temperature
L/L level
Pressure
pH
Flow rate
Certain components
V/L Level
Pressure difference
Conductivity
Composition
Density
Voidage
Easy means cheap, reliable instrument with fast response time and
accurate measurement
Chemical Engineering Design
Temperature Measurement:
Thermocouples
When a junction between dissimilar wires is heated, an
EMF (voltage) is developed, which can be read by a
millivolt transmitter
The junction is usually housed in a thermowell
Typical
High T
Temperature Measurement:
Thermocouples
Response depends on thermowell location and heat
transfer
Instrument error is usually 3 to 4 F
There may be additional offsets if the thermowell is incorrectly
located
Pressure Measurement
Pressure instruments usually measure differential pressure
If one side is atmospheric pressure then the difference is the process
gauge pressure (usually written barg or psig), not absolute pressure
(bara, psia)
Several possible methods:
Orifice Meter
PD
Venturi Meter
Chemical Engineering Design
Level Measurement
Displacement
Differential Pressure
Displacer movement is
detected via mechanical or
magnetic linkage
Sensor element
PD
Composition Measurement
Some components can be detected at low concentrations using sensors
that have been designed to pick up that component
Examples: O2, CO, H2S, H2
Component sensors are often sensitive to other components, so check
carefully with vendor to make sure the device is rated for the application
The P&ID shows all the instruments and valves in the process
Not just control loops
Vents, drains, sample points, relief valves, steam traps, isolation valves,
etc.
The P&ID usually also indicates line sizes and pipe metallurgy
General
Three-way
Globe
Diaphragm
Actuators
Diaphragm or
unspecified actuator
Solenoid
Digital
Rotary motor
Fails open
Fails closed
Fails locked in
current position
Failure mode
indeterminate
or
or
Field mounted
Panel mounted in
primary location
Panel mounted in
auxiliary location
(local panel)
Dual function
instrument
Indicator
Controller
Analysis (composition)
Quantity
Flow
Radiation
FF Flow ratio
Temperature
Power
TD Temperature differential
Level
PD Pressure differential
Weight
TRC
AR
PAH
PAHH
LI
PC
TSH
FFY
PT
JIAL
Chemical Engineering Design
Restriction orifice
Pressure relief
or safety valve
Self-contained
backpressure
regulator
Gate valve or
isolation valve
Level Control
LT
LAH LIC
LAL
LV
Pressure Control
Pressure Control
If vapor has a high
loading of condensable
material, then pressure
control is on the vent
gas stream from the
condenser
Coolant
Process
PT
PV
PIC
Process
vapor
PT
PV
Coolant
Flow Control
Most common arrangement is a control valve
downstream of a pump or compressor
Using a variable speed drive is a more efficient method,
but higher capital cost
Distillation Control
Distillation control is a specialized subject in its own right
In addition to controlling condenser pressure and level in the
sump, a simple distillation column has two degrees of
freedom
Side streams, intermediate condensers & reboilers, pumparounds, etc. all add extra complexity and degrees of
freedom
There are several good books on this subject
Kister, H.Z., 1989, Distillation Operation, McGraw-Hill
Luyben, W.L. 2006, Distillation Design and Control Using Aspen Simulation, Wiley
TC
TC
LC
Steam
LC
TC
LC
FC
LC
TC
LC
FC
LC
FC
TC
LC
LC
FC
TC
LC
Batch Distillation
FV
FIC
FT
TE
TT
FIC
FT
FY
FV
Steam
Intermittent
charge
Trap
Intermittent
drain
Reactor Control
Control of flow is usually carried out on cold reactor feeds
Flows are often ratio controlled to get close to desired
stoichiometry or maintain desired excess of one feed
On feeds
On heating or cooling jacket
On recirculation through external heaters or cooler
By controlling flow of quench/reheat streams
Chemical Engineering Design
PT
To vent
system
M
FIC
FV
FT
Feed A
TIC
TT
FIC
LT
TE
FT
FV
LAH LIC
LAL
FV
FIC
FT
Feed B
Temperature
cascade control of
coolant flow
Coolant
Product
Independent flow
control of feeds
Chemical Engineering Design
Liquid feed is mixed with recycle gas, heat exchanged against reactor
effluent, heated to reactor temperature then passed over fixed bed of
catalyst. Product is cooled and liquid product is recovered. Unconverted gas
is recycled with purge to prevent accumulation of inerts
Chemical Engineering Design
Emergency Response
in Community
Emergency Response
in Process Unit
time
Availability
90 99%
99 99.9%
99.9 99.99%
System redudancy
Non-redundant
Partially redundant
Totally redundant
If there are too many alarms then they can become a distraction to
the operators
Increasing the chance of human error
Increasing the chance that the operator will ignore the alarm, switch it
off, or acknowledge it without taking action
Increased chance of an alarm flood
Plant-Wide Control
(Advanced Process Control, APC)
All new plants and most older plants have the instruments and controllers
connected to a plant-wide digital control system (DCS). Using the DCS:
FT
PT
TT
FIC
FV
Problems
No cable runs
Optimizer
Targets for KPIs
DCS
Set points
Controllers
Adjust manipulated
variables
Plant
User
User
Plant DCS
Off-line Optimization
Users take plant data and run the optimizer then send
instructions to the plant operators to update the DCS
settings
Labor intensive and difficult to update more than daily
Chemical Engineering Design
Optimizer
User
User
Plant DCS
User
User
Plant DCS
Off-line Optimization
Optimizer
User
User
Plant DCS
Off-line Optimization
Optimizer
User
User
User
Plant DCS
Plant DCS
Questions ?