Chapter 10

Control Loop Troubleshooting

Overall Course Objectives

Develop the skills necessary to function as
an industrial process control engineer.
Skills

Tuning loops
Control loop design
Control loop troubleshooting
Command of the terminology

Fundamental understanding
Process dynamics
Feedback control

Objectives for
Control Loop Troubleshooting
Be able to implement an overall
troubleshooting methodology
Be able to determine whether or not the
actuator, process, sensor, and controller are
functioning properly.
Recall the major failure modes for each of
the elements of a control loop.

Troubleshooting Loops in the

CPI

Control Diagram of a Typical

Control Loop
Actuator
System

F1

F2

T1

T2
Sensor
System

Controller

T
F

TC
TT

Components and Signals of a

Typical Control Loop

What is Control Loop

Troubleshooting?
Control loop is suspected of not
functioning properly.
Poor overall control performance
Erratic behavior
Control loop was removed from service.

Identify the source of the problem.

Correct the problem.
Retune the controller and monitor.

Overall Approach to
Troubleshooting Control Loops
Check subsystem separately.

Actuator system
Controller
Sensor
Process

Then check performance of the entire

control loop
Whats been changed lately?

Checking the Actuator System

Apply block sine wave input changes to the
setpoint for the flow controller.
Determine the deadband of the flow control loop
from a block sine wave test. Also, estimate the
time constant for the flow control loop from the
block sine wave test.
If the time constant is less than 2 seconds and the
deadband is less than 0.5%, there is no need to
evaluate the actuator system further

Block Sine Wave Test

Measured
Flow Rate

Setpoint to Flow Controller

Time

Common Problems with the

Actuator System

Excessive valve deadband

Improperly sized control valve
Valve packing is tightened too much
Improperly tuned valve positioner

Check the Sensor System

Evaluate the repeatability of the sensor
during steady-state operation.
Evaluate the sensor dynamics.
This may require an independent measurement
of the controlled variable.
Or check the elements that could contribute to a
slow responding sensor.

Most Common Sensor Failures

Transmitter
Improperly calibrated
Excessive signal filtering

Temperature sensor
Off calibration
Improperly located thermowell
Buildup of material on the thermowell

Pressure
Plugged line to pressure sensor

Most Common Sensor Failures

Sampling system for GC
Plugged line in sampling system

Flow indicator
Plugged line to differential pressure sensor

Level indicator
Plugged line to differential pressure sensor

Check the Controller

Check the filtering on the measured value
of the controlled variable.
Check the cycle time for the controller.
Check the tuning on the controller.

Factors that Affect the Closed-Loop

Performance of a Control Loop
The type and magnitude of disturbances
Primarily affects variability in CV
Can affect nonlinear behavior

The lag associated with the components of

the feedback control loop (actuator, process,
and sensor)
Results in slower disturbance rejection which
affects variability

Precision of the feedback components

Directly affects variability

Testing the Entire Control Loop

Closed-loop block sine wave test
Variability of the controlled variable over a
period of a week or more.

Closed-Loop Block Sine Wave

Test
Controlled
Variable

Setpoint
Time

Closed-Loop Block Sine Wave

Test
Closed-loop deadband
Indication of the effect of actuator deadband,
sensor noise, and resolution of A/D and D/A
converters

Closed-loop settling time

Indication of the combined lags of the control
loop components

A means of determining if all the major

problems with in a control loop have been
corrected.

SPC Chart
A Method for Evaluating the LongTerm Performance of a Controller
Product Composition

Upper Limit

Lower Limit
0

3
4
Time (days)

Long-Term Measurement of
Variability
Direct measure of control performance in
terms that relate to economic objectives
Takes longer to develop than closed-loop
block sine wave test

Troubleshooting Example
Symptom- The variability in the impurity level in
the overhead product of a distillation column is
greater than the specified limit.
Step 1 Check the actuator system
By applying a series of block sine wave tests, it was
determined that the deadband and time constant of the
flow control loop were 0.3% and 1.5 second which
indicates that the actuator system is functioning
properly.

Troubleshooting Example (cont)

Step 2 Check the controller
The filtering on the product analyzer reading
was found to be excessive
The controller was retuned
The control performance was improved but at
times it was still not meeting the product
variability specifications

Troubleshooting Example (cont)

Check the product analyzer
The repeatability was determined by observing steadystate periods and was found to be well within the
product variability specifications.
The cycle time of the controller was found to be
appropriate.
Excessive transport delay in the sample system was
identified and a new sample pump installed
The composition controller was retuned and control
performance met specifications.

Troubleshooting Exercise
Students pair up into groups of two.
One student represents the process and the
other, who is acting as the control engineer,
performs the troubleshooting.
The process student must choose a loop fault
and the control engineer requests the results
of certain tests from the process.
After the engineer identifies the problem and
fixes it, the students switch roles and repeat
the exercise.

Overview of CPI Troubleshooting

In order to ensure that a control loop is
functioning properly, the control engineer
must have a thorough knowledge of the
proper design and operation (Table 2.3) of
the various components that comprise the
control loop.

Troubleshooting in the Bio-Tech

Industries

Overall Approach
For the CPI, troubleshooting usually involves
evaluation of one control loop at a time.
For the bio-tech industries, it usually involves
evaluating the operation of a bio-reactor.
For the bio-tech industries, poor operation of a
bio-reactor can involve poorly performing
control loops or poorly performing sensors.
Therefore, troubleshooting is a global problem.

Expert Systems
Expert systems for troubleshooting a bioreactor are based on distilling the
experience of experts into a set of if-thenelse rules that guide the operator to the
root problem(s).
Expert systems can identify batches that can
be returned to a normal operating window.
Otherwise, the batch can result in offspecification products that are useless.

Actuator Systems
Block sine wave tests can be used to
determine the deadband and time constant
for the actuator system.
See Table 2.3 for desired performance
levels.

Sensor Systems
Coriolis flow meters- require periodic
calibration.
Ion-specific electrodes (DO, pH and Redox)require regular replacement and proper
location is important.
DO- membrane should be replaced regularly.
pH- calibration drift a problem requiring
calibration
Redox- regular calibration a problem

Sensor Systems
Turbidity sensor- cell can accumulated in
the measurement cell.
Mass spec- highly reliable due to regular
calibration with air samples.
HPLC- use guard columns to reduce
fouling of the HPLC column.
FIA- malfunctioning valves a major
problem.

Overview of Bio-Tech
Troubleshooting
Expert systems are used to guide the
troubleshooting activity.
Troubleshooting bio-reactors is a global
problem requiring a complete understanding
of the entire system.
Effective troubleshooting of bio-reactors
can greatly reduce the frequency of bad
batches and is, therefore, economically
important.