Control of Simple Distillation Tower

CONTROL OF SIMPLE DISTilLATION TOWERS
DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 1 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Scope 6.3 Feedback Control, One Product

2. Purpose 6.4 Feedback Control, Both Products
3. Nomenclature and Symbols 6.5 Measurement Considerations
3.1 Nomenclature 7. Manipulating Material Balance
J 3.2 Symbols 7.1 Feed Flow
.Control Objectives and Controlled Variables 7.2 Distillate Flow
4.1 Control Objectives 7.3 Bottoms Flow
4.2 Product Specifications 7.4 Reflux Drum Level
4.3 Column Variables 7.5 Bottoms Level
4.4 Operating Strategy 8. Manipulating Energy Balance
5. Pressure Control 8.1 ReboiJer Heat Duty
5.1 Partial Condensing Systems 8.2 Reflux Rate
5.2 Total Condensing Systems 8.3 Feed Enthalpy
6. Composition Control 9. Special Control Techniques
6.1 Selecting Control Variables 9.1 Feedforward,Control
6.2 Pairing Manipulated with Controlled 9.2 Auxiliary Control Techniques
Variables Appendix -Steady-State Design Factors
1 .SCOPE 3. NOMENCLATURE AND SYMBOLS

Guide presents general requlirements for the The nomenclature for instrumentation and control
...esign of automatic control syS1:ems for simple used in this Guide is listed below. The symbols used
distillation towers. (Simple distiJIation, as used in describing various methods may indicate pneu-
herein, means continuous separation of one feed- matic or electronic hardware. However, this should
stream into two products.) Not included in this not be considered as an implementation limit. The
Guide are systems for such unit operations as diagrams used do not show whether controllers will
multifeed separations, multiprodudt separations, or be blind, indicating, or recording. Recorders are
both. Systems that require specialized engineering shown where they are deemed necessary for startup
design and application, such as corltrol of superfrac- or where the operator is required to make set point
tionators and details of model-base(j, inferential, and changes based on the recorded information. Hard-
decoupling (or multivariable) controls, are also ware may be pneumatic or electronic analog or digi-
excluded from this discussion. A blrief discussion of tal, as appropriate and available in each instance.
feedforward control use and requirements is pres-
ented in Paragraph 9.1. 3.1 Nomenclature
Instruments are des!gna!ed as follows:

2. PURPOSE
AC = analyzer controller.
This Guide is intended to assist the experienced
distillation controls engineer in designing system CC = composition controller.
control loops to meet process requirements. dPC = differential pressure controller.
~
?-'-~is
MOBIL ENGINEERING GUIDE
EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 2 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990
DT = density transmitter. 4. CONTROL OBJECTIVES AND CONTROLLED

FC = flow controller. VARIABLES
FA = flow recorder. 4.1 Control Objectives
FT = flow transmitter.
Objectives of the tower control system should be
HFC = feed enthalpy controller. clearly defined. Utility costs and product value differ-
lAC = internal reflux controller. entials are needed for estimating the justifiable extent
LAG = dynamic lead lag or lag unit. of the control system. Items to be considered
LAL = level alarm, low. include stream analyzers, feedforward control, over-
ride controls, set point limits, and computer control.
LC = level controller.
LG = level gage, glass. 4.2 Product Specifications
U = level indicator. Product quality specifications usually are classified
LA = level recorder. as follows:
LSL = level switch, low.
(a) Property specifications related to component
4tr = level transmitter. concentrations, such as Reid vapor pressure
PC = pressure controller. (RVP).
PA = pressure recorder.
(b) A fIXed maximum concentration of the heavy
PT = pressure transmitter. key component in the distillate or of the light key
ac = heat input controller. component in the bottoms.
TC = temperature controller.
(c) Ratio of the light key to the next-heavier com-
TA = temperature recorder. ponent. For example, the concentration of ethane
TT = temperature transmitter. to propane in de-ethanizer bottoms is often set by
VPC = valve position controller. the percentage of ethane permitted in propane
Lp-gas produced as distillate from a downstream
3.2 Symbols depropanizer.
cZ> Transmitter of the measurement (d) Specified concentrations for both the heavy
noted. key in distil/ate and the light key in bottoms.
II X Summing relay with adjustable
multiplier "bO. 4.3 Column VarIables
oK Diaphragm motor valve. Classifying column variables provides a basis for
designing the control systems. For a typical column, \..
18 ~ n Di~~ragm motor valve with system variables may be classified as follows:
~ posttloner. (a) Controlled Variables

~ Three-way
solenoid
valvle.
p = column pressure.
-~=~- Flowregulator. y = distillate quality.
x = bottoms quality.
@! Two-way solenoid valve.
BL = bottoms level.
.[ Square-rootextractor.
DL = reflux drum level.
> High select. (b) Manipulated Variables
<. Lowselect. 0 = distillate flow.
.6 Difference. L = reflux flow.
2:: Summation. B = bottoms product flow.

CW = condenser cooling water flow, or cooling required by an upstream process; and, finally, feed
medium flow. rate is increased until one of the following equipment
loading limits is reached:
Oc = condenser heat remov.al.
= reboiler heat duty. (a) Condenser capacity (fouling or design limo

Q
ited).
v = vapor flow (boilup)
(b) Reboiler capacity (higher tower temperatures
(c) Disturbance Variables will decrease the reboiler mean temperature differ-
z = feed composition. ence).
F = feed flow. (c) Downcomer capacity above the feed tray.
HF = feed enthalpy. (d) Downcomer capacity below the feed tray.

HL = reflux enthalpy. (e) Pressure requirements of a connecting pro-
cess.
Hr = reboiler heating mediurn enthalpy
(f) Tower design pressure.
4.4 Operating Strategy
Tower operating objectives determine the require- (9) Reboiler temperature difference or heat flux.
ments for controlling one or both ~)roduct composi-
tions. The selected strategy ma1' dictate adding (h) Tower vapor loading (liquid entrainment).
measurements of constraints, casl:ade loops, and 4.4.3 Maximizing Recovery
override controls for the primary col1trol loops. Sec-
~ion 9 cov:rs constraint ,cont~c~ls.,c~~,i4Pf~~~J~!!~~~-::¥ Maximum recovery of a key component at specified
mg o~ratmg methods.,.may be!-!~~ea to maximize purity (or impurity) in one product implies minimizing
profffi'c~ its concentration in the other product. This requires
operating the column at maximum boilup, but the
4.4.1 Minimizing Utility Costs
detailed method of control will depend upon whether
Utility costs are minimized bycbntr101ling botflprofJ;f1 the light or the heavy key component is involved. In
uct compositions close to specifications; either case, column pressure and vapor rate (reflux
and/or boil up) are adjusted until one of the maximum
The column must then operate at a minimum vapor- pressure constraints given in Paragraph 4.4.2 is
to-feed ratio (V/F) or reflux-to-feed ratio (I../F), which reached. Within these limits, as the feed rate is
requires operating against a minimum pressure reduced, the vapor rate may be raised, at least until
~onstraint in order to maximize the relative volatilities_)the the incremental utility cost exceeds the value of the
components. incremental recovered product. A high limit for a
As column pressure is lowered, Oru9 or more of the boil up/product ratio should be employed to reduce
following conditions will limit the pre~;sure decrease: reboil heat as the product rate declines.
(a) Condenser capacity (lower tower tempera- 5. PRESSURECONTROL

tures will decrease the condenser mean tempera-
ture difference). Tower pressure shall be closely controlled if column
temperature is used as a measure of product com-
(b) Entrainment constraint above!feed tray. position. In many columns using temperature con-
trol, the temperature fluctuations resulting from
(c) Entrainment constraint below feed tray.
pressure fluctuations (approximating one percent in
(d) Pressure requirements of a connecting pro- magnitude) are greater than those resulting from
cess. changes in composition. For these applications
where greater sensitivity is required, a narrow-span
4.4.2 Maximizing Throughput
pressure 1ransminer shouid be used for the sensor in
To maximize throughput. the minimum V/F or L/F is the pressure control system. Additionally, a full-span
achieved by controlling both products to specifica- pressure transmitter with indicator or recorder should
tions; column pressure is optimized to operate the be included for monitoring purposes during periods
column against its design pressure or the pressure of startup or process upset.
EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 4 OF 46 DECEMBEA1990
Tower pressure should be measured at the reflux' 5.1.3 Method C shows a system in which a liquid
drum when the vapor distillate composition is deter.;' distillate is desired, and where noncondensables are
mined by its dew point temperature. This tempera,} purged continuously to avoid blanketing the con-
and controlled at the condenser denser surface, but where the flowrate of noncon-
densables is insufficient for throttling to afford
adequate pressure control. This method controls
tower pressure by flooding the condenser surface by
means of a valve in the condenser outlet line.
nents in the distillate. The pressure transmitter shall
be located above the pressure tap. The connecting The valve, operated by a differential pressure con-
line should drain downward toward the tower to keep
troller, dPC. is used to release inerts from the con-
it free of condensate that might collec:t and produce
denser outlet covers or boxes to the receiver vapor
a false reading. If the product leaving this column is
space. As inerts build up in the condenser, the
to be of high purity. it is essential that the transmitter
pressure rises and the column pressure controller
be of the absolute pressure type in order to eliminate
fluctuations in quality as atmospheric pressure opens the condenser outlet valve to maintain the
proper rate of condensation. A second pressure
{~_.,ges. controller, measuring air-loading pressure to the out-
Valve motor hysteresis shall be at a minimum in the let valve, opens the inert purge valve when the con-
pressure control loop. The pressure controller shall denser outlet valve approaches a fully opened
reset a flow controller or output to a valve positioner position. When the purge valve opens, the dPC
having a dead band not exceeding 0.25 percent. opens the box purge line valve to restore pressure in
The type of control system chosen for pressure oper- the receiver. An air-cooled condenser installed for
ation depends primarily on the amount of noncon- flooding should have its tubes horizontal on triangu-
densables in the distillate. lar pitch, its tubesheets sloped, and its nozzles
=""'~'
arranged so that the tubes will fill progressively
S;1;'i; Partial Condensing Systems across the unit from one side to the other as flooding
Pressure control methods for partial condensing sys- increases. (For location of the vapor inlet and inert
tems are discussed in the paragraphs that follow; and liquid outlets, see Figure 3.)
see also Figure 1.
Cold liquid from the condenser is delivered through a
5.1.1 Method A shows a system suitable for a non- dip leg to the bottom of the receiver. and hot vapor
condensable distillate with pressure tap in the reflux enters the receiver above the liquid surface to avoid
drum. Cooling water. CW, recirculation should not unstable condensation in the vapor phase. The dPC
be used when excessive water temperature would maintains a constant pressure on the liquid surface
le"--' to fouling. An alternative approach to this in the receiver to ensure a constant net positive suc-
a~i'_1gement is to use air-cooled condensers. The
tion head (NPSH) at the overhead pump suction.
outlet temperature of these devices is controlled by
The dip leg should have four holes through its wall,
manipulation of the speed or variable pitch of a bank
just inside the receiver shell and equal in total area to
of air fan motors.
the pipe cross section, to allow noncondensables to
5.1.2 Method B shows a system in ~,hich a liquid escape.
distillate is desired and where there are sufficien(~
noncondensables so that throttling their rate of:,,:)t; 5.1.4 Method 0 shows a system for a distillate
release provides adequate pressure corrtrol. desired as a vapor, although partially or totally con-
densable. The pressure tap is located ahead of the
condenser. This method regulates vapor flow
through the condenser to satisfy reflux needs. The
may
be one-quarter of design at startup. Method C hot vapor is bypassed around the condenser to
should be adopted when the normal holdup time for rr.air.tain a constai'it piC'SSuTe in the receiver at the
gas and inerts in the condenser and reflux drum flowrate needed for distillate composition require-
exceeds 8 seconds. "",1"'- ments.
q~
For towers where the distillate is noncondensable and its composi- For towers where the distillate is liquid except for inert gas, which
tion is determined by the dew point temperature and pressure at must be purged continuously. The inert gas rate is too low to
,_-the condenser outlet A valve position showirlg cooling water, CW, afford adequate control of tower pressure -below 8 actual vol-
(~;e at 95 percent indicates the condenser is rlearty loaded. umes per minute per volume of vapor in the condenser and
receiver. With a constant ditferential pressure bypass, a 95
percent open position of the condenser outlet valve indicates the
condenser is nearly loaded.
METHOD A METHOD C
'j:"or towers where the distillate composition i:s determined on the For towers where:
top tray and the noncondensable rate is adequate for control of
tower pressure -above 8 actual volumes per minute per volume The distillate is all vapor.
of vapor in the condenser and receiver. A 95 percent open signal The distillate composition is determined on the top tray.
to the vapor release valve indicates the c:ondenser is nearly The reflux only is condensed.
loaded.
Column pressure is controlled by adjusting the vapor rate to the
condenser. With a constant differential pressure bypass, a 95 per-
cent open position of the condenser inlet valve indicates the con-
denser is nearly loaded.
METHODB METHODD
FIGURE 1
PRESSURE CONTROL METHODS FOR PARTIAL CONDENSING SYSTEMS
1~1f\
A dip leg shall be used with this receiver on the With this method, the condenser is available for ser-
opposite end of the vessel from the liquid product vicing and structural support is reduced. To provide
takeoff. It shall be a maximum of 150 mm (6 in.) from a positive suction head on the pump, the bottom of
the bottom of the vessel, with the end notched. The the receiver usually is located 3 m to 4.5 m (10ft to
dip leg line from the condenser shall be vented near 15 ft) above the pump suction.
the inside top of the receiver, with the vent area
approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of In this installation, the control valve is placed in a
the leg. The hot gas bypass line shall enter the bypass from the vapor line to the drum. When the
same end of 1he drum as 1he dip leg and turn 90 valve opens, the vapor line and receiver pressures
degrees from ver1ical entry, pointing toward the adja- are equalized. Because of the 3 m to 4.5 m (10ft to
cent vessel head. 15 ft) of head that exists between the condensate
level in the receiver and that in the condenser, the
~l1otal Condensing SyStems condensing surface becomes flooded. This causes
Pressure control methods for total condensing sys- pressure buildup because of the decrease in the
tems (negligible amount of iner1s or noncondens- condensing rate. The liquid, which floods the con-
abies) are discussed in the paragraphs 1hat follow; densing surface, is returned from the receiver inde-
0 also Figure 2. pendently of the condensing rate; therefore, this
method has faster response than other flooded
5.2.1 Me1hod A shows the use of a pressure con- condenser systems. Under normal operating condi-
troller to operate a 1hrottling valve upstream of 1he tions, the subcooling that the condensate receives in
condenser and a hot vapor bypass valve in split the condenser is sufficient to reduce its vapor
range. The dP con1roller is used to maintain a con- pressure in the receiver. The decrease in pressure
stant NPSH on the reflux pump and to con1rol the permits the condensate to flow 3 m to 4.5 m (10ft to
buildup of iner1S through 1he use of a vent valve. A 15 It) up the pipe installed between the condenser
dP controller is usually used for columlns which have and receiver. An important feature of this sub-
liquid drawoffs because of the buildlJp of iner1s or merged condenser arrangement is an NPS 3/4* vent
when a small amount of vapor impurity must be line for inerts from the top outlet end of each
removed from 1he column, such as in a pasteurizing condenser shell piped to the top of the receiver to
column. A filter should be used on the differential prevent these inerts from blanketing the condenser
pressure measurement to slow down 1he action of surface. To permit drainage to shells or drum top,
1his loop in the presence of disturbances caused by these lines should be sloped a minimum of 45
upstream equipment. In a vapor product column, degrees. A valve in split range with the vapor bypass
the inerts are automatically removed from the system valve is required to vent inerts to reduce receiver
along with the vapor product drawoff and do not pressure when the bypass valve is closed. The hand
require this type of arrangement. valve on the condenser outlet can be used to pre-
vent the excessive liquid velocities that lead to oscil-
(- , Gas bypass requirements are contingent on
me heat transfer between the drum .and the atmo- latory process upsets.
sphere; thus, 1he drum and bypass line should be 5.2.3 Method C shows a flooded condenser system
L~stTeltered 10 minimize plant upse1s such as those with the tower pressure control valve located in the
resulting from sudden rainstorms. The shelter total overhead pump discharge line; the control valve
shall n01 interfere with 1he air cooling of the drum. could also be located in the reflux line. This scheme
can also be used to flood air-cooled condensers.
(b) Hot bypass vapor shall entt~r the drum
The low level alarm is provided to alert the operator
through a nozzle separate from the condensate to
to the need to vent inerts or noncondensables manu-
avoid possible unstable condensa1iorl.
ally. Alternatively, a level controller with proportional-
(c) Liquid shall enterthe drumnear the bottomto only action (to avoid reset windup) could be used to
avoid sudden condensationof the h01:vapor. . vent inerts when the level goes below 10 percent or
15 percent of range. A displacer level controller (not
5.2.2 Method B shows a system where the con- shown on diagram) is mounted on a top nozzle of
denser is located below the receiver. In this the receiver. The top end of the controller is con-
instance, the riser pipe should have openings for nected to an inert gas vent line containing a control
liquid release just above the receiver bottom or an valve that serves to vent the inert gas as it occurs.
impingement baffle should be located over the inlet
to the receiver to avoid rolling the liquid surface. *NPS = nominal pipe size. inches
For towers where the distillate is all liquid sind its composition is For towers where the distillate is all liquid and its composition is
._set on the top tray. This hot bypass methcod uses a large valve set on the top tray. Pressure adjusts a valve in the total overhead
( ~ead of the condenser and provides the f~lstest control. It sub- at the pump discharge to flood the condenser. Reflux rate adjusts
-'- .:>olsthe reflux very little. A 95 percent closed position of the hot
itself to offset subcooling. A 95 percent open position of the total
bypass valve indicates the condenser is nearly loaded. overhead liquid valve indicates the condenser is nearly loaded.
When Item D shows this method will be too sluggish. Method A
shall be used.
METHOD A METHOD C
Distillate composition is set on the top tray. 8S in Method A. The FLOODED CONDENSER TIME CONSTANT
liquid head in the condenser outlet leg is used to provide a known
pressure drop for the hot bypass valve. Controls to counteract The flooded condenser time constant, 1c, is used to determine
reflux subcooling are required. This method is preferred where whether the dynamic performance of Method C will be acceptable
condensers are submerged. A 95 percent closed position of the for a given column. Should the 1c for either fin-fan or shell-tube
hot bypass valve indicates the condenser.is nEtarlyloaded. condensers exceed 90 seconds, then Method A shall be used.
METHOD B ITEM D
FIGURE 2
PRESSURE COINTROL METHODS FOR TOTAL CONDENSING SYSTEMS
Although this scheme does not provide surge capac-

ity for feed to a downstream column, i1tdoes have the
following advantages: k = VI A = 5/200 = 0.025 m3 1m2
(a) Condensation occurs at maximum pressure, = 176.6/2IS3=O.O82ft3/ft2

requiring minimum condenser surfac;e.
(b) Internal reflux control is automcitic; that is, the

reflux flowrate decreases as subcoclling increases.
This type of control holds the interni31 reflux rate at
the value established by feed ancl reboiler heat
inputs.
(c) Extra condensation from rain or other condi- = 125 seconds or
tions merely floods the condenser until the
exposed surface matches the condelnsing rate. = (0.0821[3/1[2)(21531[2)
I
"'
c
(21.74 Mbld)(O.O6S It3 Isl Mbld
\..J) With the distillate rate controllecj from product
composition, a change in distillate rate causes an = 125 seconds
equal and opposite change in reflu)( rate, with no
intervening level lag. Thus, this condenser is probably not suitable for
flooded operation, since:
(e) When feed is lost, the column is driven to total
reflux and maintains this condition until feed is tc > 90 seconds.
restored. The control system graduraJIy increases
the volume of product withdrawn arId returns the 6. COMPOSITION CONTROL
column to its normal operating point. The ability to
control pressure at total reflux de~)ends on the Composition control of distillation columns is one of
valve being located in the total overhE~ad pump dis- the more difficult problems in process control. Accu-
charge or in the reflux line. rate, continuous measurement of the composition of
nearly pure streams can be complex and costly. The
(f) If surface for sufficient subcoolirlg is provided usual practice has been to control the temperature
in the condenser, condenser elevation required for several plates from one end of the column where
pump NPSH could be minimized and the reflux temperature changes from upsets are large enough
,drum could be eliminated. An inert vent release, a to be easily measured. Because boiling temperature
level gage, and a low level alarm would be installed(
depends on pressure and the amounts of other com-
the outlet of the condenser. Without the reflux
ponents, it is not an accurate measure of a key com-
drum, the distillate composition will stabilize faster
ponent concentration. Also, a constant composition
when distillate draw rate changes are made.
at some intermediate plate does not ensure a
constant composition at the top or bottom plate. In a
5.~~4 Item 0 shows how to calculate the flooded
number of installations, chromatographs and RVP
condenser time constant, tc, in the design stage.
analyzers have been used for direct control of prod-
The tc determines whether Method A or Method C
uct purity.
should be used for pressure control.
The following example shows how to calculate tc for Analytical instrument systems, however, generally
have a greater measurement lag (a minute or more)
a tvpicallarge condenser.
and are less reliable than temperature systems. A
Let: temperature controller may be used for composition
feedback when the measurement can be relied on to
A = condenser area exposed, 200 m2 (2153112). infer composition and the tower is at a constant pres-
sure, feed composition, and reflux ratio. Where this
v = condensate volume in shell, 5 m3 (176.6 ft3) practice is not feasible, direct analyzer control or
analyzer control cascaded to temperature control
W = condensate flow. 0.04 m3!s (21.74 Mb!d) should be used.
6.1 Selecting Control Variables To control product quality, four variables may
be manipulated: distillate flow, D; bottoms product
Distillate and bottoms streams uslJally are made up
flow, B; reboiler heat duty, a (boil up, V); and reflux
of several components. Composition control vari-
floW,L
ables selected should be based oln the components
the fractionator is attempting to separate. If the When the quality of only one product is specified, the
stream is an end product, controlling these key com- composition controller shall measure composition,
ponents also controls a product composition. If the either directly or by inference from temperature (or
stream is not an end product, the composition vapor pressure for a binary mixture), near the end of
control variable should be chosen to reflect the effect the column where this product leaves.
of downstream processing. For example, a de-
ethanizer has a bottoms product that contains C2. In some cases, product quality is related to a physi-
C3. and C4. The light key component in this stream, cal property (such as vapor pressure) rather than
which feeds the depropanizer. is C2. The overhead composition. In these cases, the traditional method
depropanizer stream is a final product that contains is to use a temperature controller measuring reboiler
~, C3. and a small amount of the heavy key compo- return or a tray temperature to manipulate boilup;
')ent, C4. The C2 to C3 ratio shall be used as the see Figure 3. The reflux rate is set manually; the dis-
Jomposition control variable for the de-ethanizer tillate rate is manipulated to control pressure or drum
bottoms stream to maintain the desired percentage level; and the bottoms rate is manipulated to control
of C2 in the depropanizer overhead stream. bottoms level. The traditional method has been
acceptable only when mild disturbances were
For composition control. variables for overhead and encountered or when penalties were not severe for
bottoms products should be selected as follows: less than optimum separation or utility consumption.
The traditional method is usually more satisfactory
(a) Overhead Controlled Variable
for fractionating towers operating at low boilup-to-
(1) Control heavy key component for an end feed (V/F) ratios. As shown in Table A-1 of Appen-
product. dix, the amount of light ends in the bottoms varies
rapidly with low VIF ratios; thus, manipulating V is
(2) Contro! the ratio of heavy key component effective in controlling vapor pressure.
to the components in that end product stream
that contains the heavy key component as an 6.2. General Rules
impurity.
(a) When one product quality must be controlled
(b) Bottoms Controlled Variable: to a component specification, one of the product
flowrates must be manipulated to fIX the material
(1) Control light key component for an end
balance. For an explanation of the material bal-
product ance control concept, see Section A-2 of Appen-
(2) Control ratio of light key component to the dix. If the material balance is fixed, separation has
components in that end procjuct stream that little effect on product quality, although it does
contains the light key component as an affect product recovery. Section A-3 of Appendix
illustrates this concept.
impurity.
6.2 Pairing Manipulated with Controlled Variables To control bottoms composition, x, or distillate
composition, y, either distillate rate, D, or bottoms
Pairing of manipulated variables and controlled vari- rate, 8, should be manipulated. The choice
ables requires consideration of the following factors: between 8 and D should be made on the basis of
(a) Relative accuracy of adjusting the material steady-state resolution or relative sensitivity when
there is a clear choice. For example, assume:
balance.
D = 0.2 F
(b) Sensitivity of the loops to energy
disturbances. B .: 0.8 F
(c) Control loop response speeds. If each flow could be regulated to an accuracy of
(d) Possible interaction when controlling both one percent, D could be controlled to within
oroduct Qualities. :to.OO2 F and B to within :to.OOB F.
EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 10 OF46 DECEMBER 1990
NOTE: In this method bo1toms composition adjusts reboiler heat; bottoms rate is level controlled; distillate rme is pressure controlled.
causing energy and material balance interactions to disturb product rates and composition.
FIGURE 3
TRADmONAL METHOD OF CONTROWNG ONE-PRODUCT aUAUTY
If D is selected for manipulation, more accurate in parallel with distillate flow. This is an ideal
control over the material balance will be obtained arrangement, since response of the internal mate-
because, in the steady state, the column level con- rial balance to changes in boilup is almost instanta-
troller will force B to hold its value within ::!:O.OO2F. neous -as more vapor is being delivered to the
condenser, more condensate is being removed as
l ,'r' When column dynamics are favorable, the
distillate. The dynamic response of bottoms com-
.taller of two product streams should be manipu-
lated to control product compositiort If the two position (temperature) to the output of the temper-
products' flowrates are approximately equal, the ature controller is as fast as in the traditional
choice for quality control depends on which quality method (Figure 3), without the sensitivity to
is to be controlled. Obviously, distillate flow will weather conditions caused by manipulating the
have the more rapid effect on distillate quality. distillate rate to control column pressure.
However, if the distillate stream is the smaller of the
two and the bottoms composition i~) to be con- The summing and multiplier relay unit in Figure 4
trolled, two awkward combinations can occur - permits optimizing by adjusting the amount of
distillate flow manipulation has steady-state steam used per kilogram (pound) of distillate with-
accuracy but slow response, and bottoms flow drawn. This system would be used only when bot-
manipulation has fast response but is less accu- toms composition, x, is controlled and distillate
rate. rate, 0, is smaller than bottoms rate, B. If feed rate
In this situation, steady-state accuracy is a funda- changes are significant, feedforward control
mental necessity, while dynamic responsiveness should be considered. A brief discussion on the
can be gained by coupling with other loops. As use and requirements for feedforward controls is
shown in Figure 4, heat input can be manipulated provided in Paragraph 9.1.
~
L
\
J=~
~FC
F
---,:-*--~
D
FC
r~-
,
I FC
LC, Q
I
B IFC
NOTE: To remove interactions, add distillate rate adjustment to the bottoms composition control loop and relocate pressure control
valve to total condensate. Use this method only when distillate rate, D, is smaller than bottoms rate,B.
FIGURE 4
IMPROVED METHOD OF CONTROWNG ONE-PRODUCT QUAUTY
With material balance control of product rates, latter may be set manually or by a distillate quality
these rate changes must be promptly enforced on controller. When a flooded condenser is used, the
the column through reflux rate, or vapor rate reflux will be subcooled. When an air cooler is used,
changes, to ensure that product flow at the other the cooling rate can vary rapidly with the weather.
end of the column responds with minimum delay. For these cases, an internal reflux computer shall be
employed. The energy balance is closed by using
~12.2 Manipulating Bottoms Product for Quality the bottoms level controller to manipulate boilup.
Control
Fire<j reboilers often have significant dead time and
When the product quality controller maniplJlates bot- sub!.1antial time corlstants; thus, distillate flow, D,
toms product rate, the bottoms level controller shall rather than bottoms flow, B, should be manipulated
manipulate reboiler heat. The level mec!Surement to avoid including the fired reboiler lag in the bottoms
signal shall be dcimpened and designed I~asin Fig- level loop. However, when B is less than half of D,
ure 9) to avoid hydraulic resonance. The level con- the steady-state error in flow regulation of D
troller shall have proportional-derivative (P-D) modes becomes excessive. Consult MRDC for feedforward
and shall be tightly tuned. The reboiler heating methods to overcome this problem.
medium shall be flow controlled to protect against an
intoleratlle limit cycle often caused by valve-motor 6.2.3 Manipulating Distillate Flowrate for Quality
hysteresis. The level controller shall be cascaded to Control
the flow ,controller.
When the product quality controller manjpJJiates a
The distillate rate shall be manipulated to control liquid distillate rate, the tower pressure or drum level
tower pressure or reflux drum level. Column separa- manipulates a valve in the total condensate pump
tion factors (vapor/liquid traffic) shall be established discharge. This method, shown in Figure 4, places
by fixing feed enthalpy and internal reflux rate. The the condenser and reflux drum outside the material
-
balance loop. A change in distillate rate immediately (f) Smaller Operating Margins -Heat input and,
causes an equal and opposite change in reflux rate consequently. the internal vapor and liquid rates
to the tower. Reboiler and feed heat inputs establish usually are held nearly constant. Therefore, the
the internal reflux rate at the top tray. Without affect- column may be operated safely much closer to
ing distillate flow, more efficient cooling is countered flooding conditions at a greater feed rate or an
by reducing external reflux rate. Intemal reflux enhanced recovery of product.
control is automatic.
(g) Simplicity -The relationship between prod-
When the product quality controller manipulates a uct rate and feed rate/composition is easily deter-
vapor distillate rate, the drum level controller manipu- mined from material balance equations and it
lates the reflux rate. This loop always introduces a simplifies feedforward control.
receiver inventory lag in the composition control
loop. This lag can be avoided by manipulating reflux (h) Fewer Interactions .-Flow control of a prod-
rate from the quality controller in parallel with the dis- uct r;~e is a direct enforcement of material balance.
To influence material balance, reflux or boilup
tillate rate, although in the opposite direction. Details
of this arrangement are given in Paragraph 8.2. control must change the energy balance.
(~ Heat Input Self-Regulation -Composition

~nen the distillate rate is manipulated from a quality
control of bottoms rate with level control of the
controller, the bottoms product rate is controlled by
heating medium rate causes variations in heating
bottoms level. Column separation factors (vapor/li-
conditions that produce counteracting changes in
quid traffic) shall be established by fIXing feed
heatil1g medium rates..
enthalpy and reboiler heat input. The latter may be
set manually or by a bottoms quality controller. The CD Automatic Internal Reflux Control -Composi-
energy balance is closed by controlling condenser tion control of distillate rate with either level or dif-
heat removal. ference control of reflux rate causes variations in
reflux subcooling to produce counteracting
6.2.4 Advantages of Material Balance Control chan!Jes in reflux rates.
The advantages of manipulating one of the product 6.3 F~dback Control, One Product
stream rates from a product composition controller
are: Arrangements of feedback loops recommended for
com~;ition control of one product to a component
(a) Control Response -A product stream rate specification are illustrated in the 12 systems in Fig-
requires minor manipulation to control product ure 5. For selection of the appropriate system, the
composition. rules de!rived in Paragraph 6.2 should be applied.
Resolution -Usually, the reflux or heat input 6.3.1 -rhe systems are grouped in accordance with
'rote is larger than either product rate; thus, manip- distillate conditions as follows:
ulating the! product stream gives better resolution. Grou~) I (Systems 1-3) Noncondensable
(c) Control Accuracy -When reflux or boilup is Grou~) II (Systems 4-6) Desired as vapor
larger than the product rate, a small percentage
error in reflux or bolilup becomes a large percent- Group III (Systems 7-9) Partially condensed
age error in product rate. *
Group IV (Systems 10-12) Totally condensed
(d) Tighter Control of Composition -When a
Groups I, II, and IV include the recommended
composition controller manipulates a product rate, method of pressure control. With Group III, Method
energy balance disturbances have little effect on B in Fi~lure 1 is recommended when the non con-
product CQlmposition. densabl,e rate is high enough for adequate control of
tower plressure. For lower non condensable rates,
(e) Smaller Variations in Product Rates -Usu-
Method C in Figure 1 should be used. When distil-
ally, product rates are varied only to follow rela-
late quality is to be controlled, and bottoms product,
tively slow changes of feed composition. Product
S, is less than half of distillate flow, 0, consult MRDC
rate changes that result from feed rate changes
for the recommended procedure.
may require feed rate feedforward control on a
downstream column. *Except for negligible inerts.
r'
MOBil ENGINEERING GUIDE
DECEMBER 1990 PAGE'3 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990
GROUP I
F r;a
[--~ r~\ {aq 0

.8 ~ 'j- ~
SYSTEM 1 -Distillate quality (condenser outlet temperature) controller adjusts cooling water, CW, recirculation. Drum
pressure regulates gas distillate flow.
LT
I
I
F !Fa " L C1'I
I
I
I D ~ I
1
~ $~
j-~1 I_\~ 0
srF*a
~ --
~;YSTEM 2 -Bottoms quality controller adjusts distillate product rate. Tower pressure regulates cooling water, CW, recir-
c:ulation.
SYSTEM 3 -Bottoms quality controller adjusts bottoms prod;Jct rate. Tower pressure regulates distillate flow.
FIGURE SA
NONCONDENSA8LE DISTILLATE
~j=~~
-
PAGE 14 OF46 DECEMBEA1990
GROUP"
'--
-
F rFC1
L
~
r---§( R\ lOCi a
.8 ~ .r- ~
SYSTEM 4 -Distillate quality controller adjusts vapor distillate rate. Tower pressure regulates vapor to condenser
-L 0_.~
I
F IFCI I
~-_J I
j'"--~1
.l
rfd ~ ~ATI;~-
a
~~
J
:
.8 f!cJ -
SYSTEM 5 -Bottoms quality controller adjusts vapor distillate rate. Tower pressure regulates vapor to condenser
SYSTEM 6 -Bottoms quality controller adjusts bottoms product rate. Tower pressure regulates vapor, V, to condenser
FIGURE 56
DISTILLATE DESIRED AS VAPOR
l
-,
~-
~
GROUP 1/1
:!;YSTEM 7 -Distillate quality controller adjusts liquid distillate rate. Control pressure using Method B or C in Figure 1.
1:lepending on noncondensable rate. Internal reflux control is automatic when drum level regulates total liquid.
5iYSTEM 8 -Bottoms product quali1y controller adjusts distillate rate. Control pressure using Method B or C in Figure 1
diepending on noncondensable rate. Internal reflux control is automatic when drum level regulates total liquid.
~-@
I
I~ T ca
F rFa L ~D
r---
,I
I
~
I
I" ILCI (::~~):~j~~_19_"_
~- a FC '"
.8
8 *IFCI ~-
~-t l
-_J .
SYSTEM 9 -Bottoms quality controller adjusts bottoms product rate. Control pressure using Method B or C in Figure 1
depending on non condensable rate. Provide internal reflux control with Method C of Figure 1.
FIGURE 5C
PARTIALLY CONDENSED DISTILLATE
MOBIL ENGINEERING GUln~
GROUP IV
~ -~-_.e
,I~-, ~
I
I T ~- ,
F fFCI-
..!.A~ @l-&~
SYSTEM 10 -Distillate quality controller adjusts distillate rate. Tower pressure regulates total overhead flow. Internal
reflux control is automatic.
'6 ~ .~~ ~ ATS:::

.
- '~~l--,j't~~2~~ .-e
~
rFa
~
, L
t.=-: 'i!£j D
.
t:AT'iO'
~D ~ I
.,!~-=-- DC Q ,
SYSTEM 11 -Bottoms quality controller adjusts distillate rate. Tower pressure regulates total overhead flow. Internal
reflux control is automatic.
SYSTEM 12 -Bottoms quality controller adjusts bottoms product rate. Tower pressure regulates total overhead flow.
Internal reflux control is needed.
FIGURE 5D
TOTALLY CONDENSED DISTILLATE
-,--
~
6.3.2 The sequence of diagrams in each of the (b) The response speed of the one composition
above groups is as follows: loop shall be at least twice as fast as the other
Distillate quality controller adjusts distillate rate. loop. Procedures to be followed are:
Bottoms quality controller adjusts distillate rate. (1) Temperature controllers used to infer
Bottoms quality controller adjusts bottoms product product qualities shall have derivative action (0)
rate. on the measurement, not on the error, in addi-
tion to proportional (P) and integral (I) modes.
In the systems where a composition controller
adjusts bottoms rate (Systems 3, 6, 9, 12), a second (2) Open-loop step tests should be made in
level controller is required to override the composi- both directions on both manipulated variables
tion controller to prevent loss of bottoms level. The and temperature responses versus time
level controller will, if necessary, shut off bottoms recorded.
producl: flow and hold bottoms level at a value pro-
ducing a boil up rate that results in a total reflux rate (3) The loop having the faster response shall
only sli!ghtly lower than the normal reflux rate; for be tuned, using P-I-D modes to a stable one-
additiorlal discussion, see Section 9. quarter decay ratio closed-loop response. The
/ )raditiolnal methods for controlling a single product slower loop shall be tuned, using P-I modes
to a physical quality specification. such as vapor only, to have a response to set point change no
pressur,e, are shown in Figure 6. Neither Arrange- more than half the speed of the faster loop.
ment A. nor B is recommended when component Each loop should be tuned with the other loop
concenl:rations in a product are specified. on Manual to avoid interaction during tuning. In
Component concentrations vary with these schemes this arrangement, a second level controller is
because product rates are level or pressure con- required to override the composition controller
trolled ,:lnd are subject to variations from heat input to prevent loss of bottoms; see Paragraph 9.2.
disturbances. These disturbances enter the column
as a re:!;ult of variations in reboiler heating medium 6.5 Measurement Considerations
conditions, feed rate and enthalpy, and reflux sub- The speed of response of a control system depends
cooling or weather (rainstorms, for example). mainly on the time delay in the control loop. To keep
6.4 Fell!dback Control, Both Products the delay short, the measurement should be made
as c:lose as possible to the end of the column from
Controlling the compositions of both products (see
whi(:h the product exits. The shorter the time delay,
Figure "7) with minimum interaction between the
the higher the controller gain may be, and the tighter
loops depends on two rules:
the control becomes. Uquid flow lags are the domi-
(a) The more-pure product's quality controller nant delays in the loop. Accordingly, the fastest
shall manipulate heat input or reflux rate; the less- response to reflux changes is obtained with an
:) pure product's quality controller shall manipulate element in the top plate downcomer liquid; the fast-
prodl;lct rate. est loop for reboiler vaporization changes is obtained
The I::omposition of the more-pure product dic- with a temperature element located in the reboiler
tates the amount of vapor/liquid traffic in the col- vapor outlet line. See F'aragraph 6.5.3. for a proce-
umn 1:0secure the greater separation required. To dure for locating the temperature control point.
contrt:>1 composition of the more-pure product in
Arran!~ement ,A.,a true heat input controller is rec- 6.5.1 Temperature Measurement
ommt:!nded to control heat input; to control reflux
rate, an internal reflux controller, as shown in (a) To minimize the lags in the control loop, tem-
Arran!~ement B, should be used. In this arrange- perature controllers manipulating adjacent product
ment, a second level controller is required to over- streams shall have their measuring elements
ride the composition controller to prevent loss of located at, or as close as possible to, the locations
bottoms; see Section 9. cited herein. For greater sensitivity, a narrow-span
These: systems are not recommended where feed resistance !her:'1",o,wneterdevice (RTD) should be
rate or composition disturbances are expected to used, rather than a thermocouple, to infer compo-
be rapid, frequent, or large. In such cases, feed- sition when placing the control point closer to the
forward contro! is needed with feedback control. end of the column. A span of 3°G (5°F) for an ATD
MRDC shall be consulted. is available.
EGS 801 -.-1990 PAGE 18 OF46 DECEMBEA1990
c;...<:>
I ,I
jLC
~
F FC ~
L
~ ~ 0
("--1
I " :
lC I FC Q
B ~
ARRANGEMENT
A
NIDTE: Overhead composition adjusts reflux rate and both product flows are level controlled. In this arrangement. all
di:sturbances of energy balance adversely affect product composition.
IRC I
8
F FC cw
~ -'-
[FC
I
!TC
I
-L
a
(-- LC~ Fcl
B ~ ~
>
ARRANGEMENTB
NOTE: Bottoms composition adjusts reboiler heat; bottoms rate is level controlled; distillate rate is pressure con-
trolJed. In this arrangement. energy and material balance interactions disturb product composition.
FIGURE 6
.
TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CONTROLLING ONE
PRODUCT TO A PHYSICAL PROPERTY SPECIFICATION
'-,
~
---"'\
ARRANGEMENT A
NOTE: Bottoms quality and distillate quality feedback control when bottoms is the more-pure product
ARRANGEMENTS
NOTE: Distillate quality and bottoms quality feedback control when distillate is the more-pure product
FIGURE 7
FEEDBACK CONTROL -BOTH PRODUCTS
(b) Temperature elements on trays shall be sub- The vapor pressure versus temperature curves can
merged in the liquid at the bottom of downcomers, be used for pure components and similar curves
because the thermal conductivity of the liquid is can be used for narrow cuts of hydrocarbon
five to six times greater than that of its vapor. streams. The slopes of these curves provide the
coefficient for the calculation below:
The advantage of using temperature as a measure
of composition lies in its relatively fast response in Tc = T m
Pm-Po ICBP/BT)
a feedback loop as compared to an analyzer feed-
back loop. However, the temperature-compos~io_n Where.
relationship is easily distu~ by pressure and
~ariables that alter the tower's temperature profile. Tc = pressure compensated tempera-
These disturbances may cause transient or long- ture.
term offsets, or both, requiring the use of a vapor = measured temperature.
pressure transmitter for a binary mixture or a Tm
cascade from, or replacement by, an analyzer. Pm = measured pressure.
~ ,) Temperature on a given tray is not a firm Po = reference operating pressure.
..-derentiaJ measure of the ratio of key components
(6P/61)x = constant for the slope of vapor
in a prOdlJct when subject to variations in:
pressure-temperature curve and
(1) Column pressure. composition,x.
Concentration of nonkey components. The slope of (6P/61)x appears as shown in Figure

(2)
8, below.
(3) Vcapor/liquid ratio in the tower.
(4) Ratio of key components in the feed.
If temperarture is to be used as a measure of key

component concentration, a narrow-span 150 kPa
(20 psi) pressure controller should be used in the
fastest pre!ssure control loop available.
(d) In sitluations where temperature is to be used

as an irldirect inference of the composition
because of no analyzer being provided or exces-
sive analyzer lags, it must be compensated for(
'!ssure if the column pressure varies. Variations
1fTpressure will cause changes in the temperature-
composition relationship. If the system is handling
a simple t)inary mixture or if no nonkey varying
components are present, then an electronic vapor
pressure tl"ansmitter can be used to compensate FIGURE 8
the temperature. If more than two components are COMPOSITION VERSUS
TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE
present in varying amounts, one of the techniques
that can be used to estimate the temperature cor- (e) A real limitation on top temperature control
rection is: concerns low-boiling impurities that become con-
centrated in the top of the column and affect the
(1) Measure the pressure deviation from the top temperature. Often, the concentration of these
referencle operating pressure. nonkey components in the liquid phase increases
(2) Calculate the temperature changes at con- rapidly over the last few plates in the column.
stant composition due to this pressure devi- ?tate-ta-plate caicuiations jor various teed compo-
sitions are needed to choose the best location
ation. under these conditions. MRDC should be
(3) Subtract this temperature change from the consulted for information pertaining to these calcu-
measured temperature. lations.
6.5.2 Analyzers (6) In accordance with these guidelines, rec-

ommended locations for the analyzer are:
When the temperature element is placed several
plates from the end of the column, sluggish control At the reflux drum vapor outlet when the
will result from extra delay in the loop. Also, the ratio distil/ate is all vapor.
of key' components in. the product will vary with
changes of this ratio in the feed. If the only satisfac- At the condenser outlet when the distillate
tory Io<:ation from a steady-state viewpoint is several is all liquid.
plates from the end, where control would be too
sluggish or measurements uncertain, then one of At the bottom of the top tray downcomer
two forms of analyzer control should t1e used - when the distillate is both vapor and
direct analyzer control or analyzer control cascaded liquid.
to temJ:lerature control.
From a pan catching reboiler return
(a) Direct Analyzer Control .-Direct analyzer liquid for a bottoms product sample.
control of distillation columns will be most effective
wherl the following conditions are achieved: Alternatively, from the seal pan of the
bottom tray down comer for a bottoms
(1) Dead time in bringing the sample from the product sample.
process measuring point to the analyzer is mini-
ma.!. The analyzer should be located near the Multiple-stream analysis should not be considered
sample point, with a high-differential-pressure for direct analyzer control because it adds too
bypass run from this point past the analyzer and much analysis time to each control loop. Even
back to the charge pump suction or other low- where analyzer/temperature cascade is used, no
pressure point. A liquid sample should be sub- more than two streams shall be analyzed. In addi-
cooled to prevent flashing. The actual sample tion, the sample valve shall be designed so that
should be withdrawn from the bypass to flow flows of carrier gas to the column and flows of both
through the analyzer sample valve to vent. samples to vent are continuous with no cross con-
Sample dead time should not exceed 15 sec- tamination.
onds. (b) Analyzer Cascaded to Temperature Contro! -
(2) Sample period is one minute, or no longer The analyzer controller can reset the temperature
than is required to make the analysis. controller set point to correct for variables causing
long-term excursions or offsets in the temperature-
(3) Application for automatic control is kept as composition relationship. Direct analyzer control
simple as possible. The concentration of only does not perform as well as cascade control
one component, or two, at the most, should be because the analyzer control loop generally con-
me.iSured to minimize the sampling period. tains several minutes of dead time, much of which
is attributable to the analyzer, and chromatographs
(4) The analyzer sample is taken at points generally require several minutes to complete an
adjacent to the end of the column, thus avoiding analysis.
the delays caused by liquid holdups in the reflux
drum or the tower bottom and providing a repre- In addition to making corrections to the tempera-
sentative sample. Vapors having entrained liq- ture controller set point for disturbances the
uid Imust be avoided. temperature controller cannot detect. other
advantages of analyzer controller!temperature con-
(5) Preventive maintenance is required. The troller cascade are:
sample bypass flowrate and the sample flowrate
shall be checked daily. This is to detect (1) Since frequent analysis is not always essen-
increased sample dead time, caused by plug- tial for cascade control, one chromatograph can
ging! of lines and filters, that could make the supply readings Of! two streams alternately to
closed-loop control system unstable. The two analyzer controllers. However, because of
operator can make calibration checks as delays inherent in such a system, and the possi-
required, using a control sample, or the calibra- bility of cross contamination in the sampling sys-
tion can be checked weekly. tem, this system is not usually recommended.
.
EGS 801 .-1990 PAGE 22 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990
(2) Plant startup assistance is possible since, The P-I sampled-data algorithm operates incre-
with the composition controller in Manual, the mentally. calculating each new output, mn. based
operator can use conventional temperature con- on the last output, mn-1, and changes observed
trol to: since that time:
-blring the tower close to the desired opera- 100

tion quickly, and
mn = mn- + (~n-~n + Klett)
P
-avoid using the chromatograph when the
key c:omponent level is above the full-scale
reading. KI is dependent on the sample interval, t:.t; is equal
to t:.t/I; and I is the integral time.
(3) If an analyzer is offstream, composition con-
trol is not lost since temperature control can still Then, if lit should change or is variable, as is the
be automatic. If tower pressure and feed are case when using laboratory analyses, the integral
~able, temperature can do a good job of control- time also changes; KI is typically set at values of .1
"ng composition. to .5. In the absence of information, the algorithm
is not executed to prevent windup.
(4) The preferred modes for cascade contro! are
proportional-only for the temperature and Derivative action can also be applied incrementally
proportional-pius-iow-reset-rate for the analyzer to the controlled variable where:
loop. The performance of the cascade loop is
further irnproved by ramping the output from the
Cn+l=Cn+Ko (C n -2Cn- +Cn-Z)
analyzer loop to the set point of the temperature
loop. If controlling to a set point on the
And:
tempera1:ure loop is desirable, then it should
have proportional-plus-reset modes.
Cn+1 = new control output.
(5) Resplonse of the cascade system to = present control output.
Cn
disturbarlces of the temperature is much
improved. = previous control output.
(c) Sampled Data Control Using Gas Chromato- = derivative gain = D/At.
Ko
graphs -The control of loops using gas chroma-
r -aphs is implemented using s.ampled data Cn-2 = previous control two periods earlier.
~r1trol. Colmposition is measured and reported on
a periodic basis and is displayed as a series of Because the derivative gain is adjustable, as
steps sepaJrated by equal intervals of time known opposed to the fIXed value of 10 to 20 in conven-
as the sample interval, ~t- tional algorithms, sampled derivative is useful on
the stepwise signal from a chromatographic
The stepwis;e nature of the signal from a chromato- analyzer. Typically, KD has values of 1 to 5.
graphic an.alyzer prevents the use of derivative,
which is present in the typical P-I-D ,controller. A (d) Continuous Control Using Distillation Analyz-
sampled-data control algorithm is required. to be ers -These analyzers can be used to provide
executed orlly once during the period of time when continuous control when operating at a fixed
new inform,ation is received from the analyzer. boiling point such as the IBP (initial boiling point).
Because thE~loop is open between samples, there or 5 percent or 10 percent point, or EBP (end boil-
is no point in continuing to run the control algo- ing point). or the 90 percent to 95 percent point. or
rithm This ;algorithm enables the use of derivative any other point for that matter. However, if it is
and also ovl~rcomes the effective delay caused by desired to obtain more than one point on the boil-
the sample interval. The value determined from the ing point curve, such as the 5 percent, 50 percent,
algorithm is: held constant between each time or 95 percent boiling points, then a sampled data
control system will be required.
period.
6.5.3 Selecting Measurement Locations (4) A fourth set varying the lighter than light
key component in the feed above and below
Selection of the optimum temperature control point is the design value, with other variables fixed.
a compromise between the point of greatest
temperature change to pertinent composition varia- These runs reveal the trays of greatest sensitivity.
tions and the point with the shon:est time lag. Addi- The optimum control point will be found between the
tional thermowells should be installed so that the ends of the column and these points. Consult with
optimum control point can be chosen after the MRDC for these calculations.
column is in operation. When means to offset reflux The sensitivity calculations indicate whether analyzer
subcooling are not provided (Paragraph 8.2), then control is required. Also indicated are the benefits to
the top temperature measuring element may have to be expected from feedforward control if feed rate or
be relo(:ated. This will result in a slower loop. composition is variable. The calculations can be
used to obtain starting values of constants in feedfor-
Connections at the top of the column for a measur- ward control equations.
ing elenlent should be located in the top tray down-
comer liquid and in each alternate lower tray down It should be emphasized that, when a column is
ast th!~ top pinch region. At the bottom of the upset in any way, the pressure, temperature. and
column,. a thermowell should t>e placed in the composition will vary because they are all interde-
reboiler vapor return line; connections for measuring pendent. The column cannot line out until all three
elemen1:s should be provided irl the bottom tray variables have reached equilibrium on all the trays, in
downcolmer liquid and in each altE~rnatetray up past the reboiler and tower bottom, and in the condenser
the bottom pinch region. and receiver. This is a slow process that depends on
tight pressure control to speed the lineout.
(a) S.everal factors must be considered for place-
ment ,of a temperature sensor: 7. MANIPULATING MATERIAL BALANCE
Control over the external material balance of a col-

(1) The relative sensitivity of the temperature
umn is essential if regulation of a product composi-
serlsor to manipulated, controlled, and distur-
tion to a component specification is required.
ballCe variables.
Material balance control is the manipulation of one or
more product streams for control of product compo-
(2) The difference betweerl the composition
sition. For proper material balance around a column,
of the product and composition on the control
all streams shall be flow controlled to prevent load
tra~' where the temperature se!nsor is located.
variations affecting rates. When streams flow to stor-
(3) The response time of thE~sensor output to age under level control, the control valves should be
chalnges in the manipulated variable. equipped with positioners to eliminate valve motor
hysteresis, which could upset material balance or the
(4) Consideration of the (jisturbances that heat flow in a product-to-feed exchanger. The dead
can occur, such as feed rate, feed composition. band of the positioner shall not exceed 0.25 percent
hea:t input, and so on. of stroke.
7.1 Feed Flow
(b) Considering the factors ab<)ve, the following
tray-to-.tray t steady-state calcula.tions are recom- When production is to be maximized, the feed flow
mended as guidelines for sensor location: controller set point may be manipulated from a mea-
sure of tower loading, condenser capacity. or
(1) One set made at ::1 perc:ent of the smaller reboiler capacity. These controllers should be tuned
design product rate, with the n~boiler duty fixed. to respond very slowly.
(2) A second set made at :t1 percent of When the feed rate is controlled from the level in an
desilgn reboiler duty. with product rates fIXed at upstream vessel, the level controller on the vessel
desilgn values. should have a propof"LiOI-;ai-only mode with manual
reset. Maximum use of the vessel volume to smooth
(3) A third set varying the ratio of key compo- flowrate is made when the controller is adjusted to
nents in the feed above and below the design obtain minimum flowrate at minimum level and
valu!~, with other variables held constant. maximum flowrate at maximum level. This method
EGS 801 --1990 PAGE 24 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990
uses the full surge capacity, whereas a proportionaf- 1.5 BottomsLevel

plus-integral (P-I) controller will havl~ only half the Recommended practices for level measurement, as
capacity folr smoothing because re~)et returns the given in Paragraph 7.4, also apply to bottoms level
level to the midpoint. Because of thi:s action, more- control problems.
over, flow OIJtwill vary more than flow iin.
A particular problem arises when bottoms level
7.2 DIstllla1te Flow manipulates heat input and a composition controller
manipulates bottoms product rate. In this case, the
A compositilJn controller should adjus1: a flow control- bottoms level controller should have proportional-
ler set poin1 to manipulate distillate rate. Normally, derivative (P-D) modes and should be tightly tuned
feed compcsitions change slowly enolJgh so that the to a stable one-quarter decay ratio. The composition
stream rate following these changes; is also slow. controller may be tuned for only a slight overshoot in
When this is not the case, feed rate fe4~dforward con- order to smooth feed rate to a downstream tower.
trol should tIe applied to a succeedin~g tower, rather When a large decrease in column feed rate occurs,
than detuninlg the composition controilier. (Detuning the bottoms level falls quickly. The falling level
degrades the product compositions of both col- sharply decreases boilup, causing the distillate rate
to decrease and more light ends to remain in the bot-
umns.)
toms liquid. This could seriously disturb column
When receiver surge volume is available, it can be vapor rates and, perhaps, column pressure. To
used to smooth feed rate to a downstream tower with prevent such an occurrence, a low level controller
a level controller used to reset a flow controller; see override of the bottoms composition flowrate control-
Paragraph 7.1. Flowrate feedforward (:ontrol may be ler is recommended (see Figure 20). This override
protects the column against loss of level and is
used in lieu of surge volume.
particularly helpful for startups.
7.3 Bottoms: Flow 8. MANIPULATING ENERGY BALANCE
A composition controller should cascade to a flow Reboiler heat input, feed rate, feed enthalpy, external
controller Se1 point to manipulate bottoms rate. The reflux rate and enthalpy, weather, and column pres-
recommendations for distillate flow also apply to bot- sure are factors affecting the energy balance.
toms produC1trate. However, the colulmn responds
8.1 Reboiler Heat Duty
more rapidly to vapor rate changes than to reflux rate
changes. Therefore, a composition cQlntrolier tuned In general, there are three considerations in the
for slight overshoot, when it adjusts the bottOI1lS rate, design of reboiler controls.
gives faster column response than whien a detuned
(a) The first concerns how specific the controls
controller adjusts the distillate rate. are to heat flow. The degree to which the heat
input is specifically measured and controlled
7.4 Reflux DI~um Level
determines the extent to which heat disturbances
can enter the column through the reboiler system.
Drum level is Iconstantly disturbed by the entry of liq-
uid and vapor from the condenser. Vessel levels (b) The second concerns the symmetry and lin-
oscillate from hydraulic resonance, which can be earity of the heat flow response to a manipulation
excited by any random disturbance. Oscillation is a of heat input. This affects the responsiveness of
problem with the displacement level instrument, the controls when tuned for stable operation over
which itself is a spring-mass system. Oscilla1:ions of the operating range of heat flows.
25 percent of range have been obser'/ed with this
(c) The third consideration is one of dynamics
equipment on towers. and is concerned with how vapor flow from the
reboiler responds when heat input varies from
To avoid level oscillations, differential pressure con-
changes of the heating medium; or responds to
trollers should be installed, as shown in Figure 9.
changes of feed rate, compos.i!ion. or heat con-
This installation method provides for preStartup
tent; or of reflux rate or heat content.
commissionin~~. It is important because other instal-
lation method~., which depend on havin!~ pressure in Reboiler controls for steam reboilers, hot oil reboil-
the column to fill the fluid legs, require too much time ers, and fired reboilers are illustrated in Figures 1 0
to service during startup. through 12.
0
RE~
WAVE
NPS 1 NPS 1
ACTI:>N
VE RT CAt
CYlNDAlCAl NPS1
VESSEL 20.700 kPa
(3000 pal)
COOPLING SECTION "A-A"
L. lJ2 .1. l12 J

I-A.+I- -I
RESawfT
WAVE
RE~
WAVE
ACTION --I --
AC'r~
-(§)-
I -
AL+
~ 0 H:)RIZONTAl CYltNDACAl
VESSEL
121rVT1(1/2 WI.)SS TLI3ING

NPS1 NPS t
EXTENDBOTTo.. ~ECTION 1-1:

TO VESSel CENTER TO AVOID
HYD~_K; RESONANCE
... ~
BOTH VE RTICAl AND CEll
HOAIZONrrAl veSSELS. FU ~RE -HOSE CONNECT~
,
~
F~ FUING WJTHIMMISCI3LE.
tOEREEZI~ SEAl FLUID
..-\.!j ./ FRaoi AIR-PRESSURI2EDTANK.
---"-.Q/
6 mm (1/~ In.)
PRESTAR1UP COMMISSIONING:
1. StartIHW'Q
wi., valves Q) and @Closeda1d @ ~ @) 4. CaIi~ ~ ai' Wkld at 0. using Wallace and
81d~ open. i1e~ caibraIDr. ~ ~t
2. C~;e valve @ wt1en ~L8d overft0Wl5at ~. 5.Ck)6eV~@and ~.
3. C~;evaNe @when ~udOYerftOW:5at
@. 6. 0p81 valves(i)~ 0~ placeInservice.
NOTE: All piping. standard pipe, and valves are nomina! pipe size. Use nearest metric equivalent.
FIGURE 9
USE OF DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE TRANSMITTER
TO AVOID LEVEL OSCILLATIONS
-~
This arrangement manipulates the set point of a flow controller in This arrangement manipulates the set point of a pressure controller
the steam supply line. Controlling steam flow only partially regu- regulating steam pressure in the reboiler tubes. The pressure is
lates disturbances caused by steam supply pressure changes. more specific to heat flow and response is faster, because the vol-
Method A is recommended for systems where tower heat input is ume of the reboiler tubes is contained in the closed-loop system of
set. manually or automatically, to establish energy input. and the pressure controller. Temperature of the boiling fluid will vary
where steam supply pressure varies 4 percent or less per hour. heat input with this system. Though response is fast, no measure-
ment of heat input (column vapor rate) is provided; therefore,
Method A or Method D is recommended.
METHOD A METHOD C
In this arrangement, steam supply pressure is sometimes too low This arrangement compensates steam flow for supply pressure
to allow the control valve to be placed in the supply line. Here changes and linearizes heat input. This method provides nearly
steam flow is measured in the supply line, and the controller regu- true heat input control. because the heat content of saturated
lates the flowrate of condensate from the reboiler. Steam supply steam changes only slightly with normal variations of supply pres-
pressure compensation, added to this method as shown in Method sure. The heat content change is about 0.2 kJ/kg/kPa (0.6
D, will prevent any of this disturbance from entering the column. Btu/lb/psi) at 150 kPa gage (20 psig) and 0.03 kJ/kgikPa (0.1
8t'.J/1b/psi)at 1000 kPa gage (150 psig). This method is recom-
mended for systems where tower heat input is set, manually or
automatically, 10 establish energy input and where steam supply
pressure varies more than 4 percent per hour.
METHOD B METHOD 0
FIGURE 10
CONTROLS FOR STEAM REBOILERS
This diagram shows heat input in a reboiler heated with hot oil is
nonlinear with respect to the heating oil flowrate. Also. lags are short
when flow is high and longer at lower flow (see Paragraph 8.3). To
avoid the detuning required for stability when the heating oil rate is
manipulated directly or by resetting a flow controller. true heat input
control systems are recommended.
LEGEND:
A - heat transfer area.

specific heat of hot oil.
cp
a heat transfer rate.
TC1 temperature of cold process fluid inlet to the reboiler.
TH1 temperature of hot oil inlet to the reboiler.
U overall heat transfer coefficient.
WH flow of hot oil through reboiler.
SET POINT "0" FROM LC OR CC
---~=:~~~~
M.{F~- I I I
I I I
Cp ~T I
I
HEA~
STREAM
This arrangement shows how true heat input control is
obtained from a circulating quench or reflux stream by divid-
ing the needed heat input signal from the composition (or
levery controller by the temperature drop of the hot oil as it
passes through the reboiler. This method corrects for oil inlet
temperature variations and helps to linearize the bottoms
II . composition control process.
~w-.o--]
METHOD A
This arrangement shows a true heat input control method

adapted to a heating oil circulating system.
METHOD B
FIGURE 11
CONTROLS FOR HOT OIL REBOILERS
~,
METHOD A -Feedforward, feedback control of fuel gas rate to fired reboiler.
METHOD B -Net heat input control.
METHOD C -Net heating value computer.
FIGURE 12
REBOILER CONTROLS FOR FIRED F~EBOILERS
8 1 Using Bottoms Level Control to Improve When this system is used, the bottoms level control-
Reboiler Heat Regulation ler should have proportional or proportional-
derivative (P or P-D) modes and be tuned for tight
When a fast reboiler is employed (steam or hot oil response. The bottoms analyzer controller should be
heated with heat input control), such that a 2 percent tuned loosely for only a slight overshoot for a feed
change in level set point will cause the change of rate set point change. This improved method (Figure
bottoms level to be complete in 60 seconds, sub- 13A) should not be used when the distillate rate is
stantial improvements in reboiler heat control can be manipulated to control composition. One of the true
achieved by changing the manner in which the heat input methods is recommended for this case.
bottoms level controller is applied. The change is Then the heat input can be reset manually, or by
shown in Figure 13A. In this arrangement, the level feedforward from feed rate and composition, and by
feedback from bottoms composition. Controls to
controller manipulates the flow of reboiler heat, while
handle condensate are shown in Figure 14.
the bottoms flowrate controller is reset either manu-
ally or by the composition control system. The
8.1.2 Pressure Compensation of Steam and Gas
advantages of the improved system over the
Flowrates
traditional system shown in Figure 138 are:
The flowrate of a gas through an orifice corresponds
(a) Tight level control is used to prevent undesir- to Equations 1 and 2.
able heat input changes from entering the column
and simplifies the reboiler heat input control
system required. For example, should the steam 1.' = K(hD)o.s = K(~)O. (Eq-l)
supply pressure decrease, less heat will enter the
column and the bottoms level will start to rise.
Action of the level controller will increase steam
D=~=~
v' RT (Eq-2)
flow sufficiently to maintain a constant heat input.
Where:
(b) Better dynamic response of column vapor
rate to variations of othl~r sources of heat input to W = mass flowrate, kg (Ib) per unit of time.
the column. These sources include feed rate,
feed composition, feed heat content, reflux rate, K = meter factor.
enthalpy, and rain or other ambient conditions.
Uquid flowrates over column trays respond more h = meter differential, kPa (in. H2O).
than ten times faster than changes in liquid com-
position; therefore, measurement of the bottoms 0 = density, kgim3 (lb/ft3).
level detects liquid rate changes faster than a
P = pressure, kPa absolute (psia)
temperature measurement.
M = molecular weight, kg (Ib).

(c) Smoother bottoms product flowrate and less
variation in bottoms composition, when composi- R = gas constant = 8.313 kPa abs-m3/kmol-°K,
tion is used to manipulate bottoms flowrate. This
or (10.73 psia-ft3/lb mol.oR)
is especially important when the bottoms product
is the feed to a downstream unit. T = temperature, oK (OR).
(d) Better dynamic response of vapor flow out of v = volume, m3 (ft3)

the reboiler when the bottoms flow is manipulated
than when the steam valve is manipulated directly. In Equation 1, controlling h allows mass flow to vary
This is important to proper operation of the pri- with the square root of pressure. For example, a 21
mary composition feedback controller. percent increase in pressure (at constant h) will
cause a 10 percent increase in flow. Pressure com-
(e) A new manipulated variable, bottoms product pensation should be added to steam or gas flow
flow, for which predictive control equations can be controllers when the supply pressure varies over 4
more readily developed. percent per hour.
NOTE: The level controller manipulates steam flow, while the NOTE: The temperature controller manipulates steam flow, while
temperature controller manipulates bottoms product flow. the level controller manipulates bottoms product flow.
A. IMPROVED SYSTEM B. TRADITIONAL SYSTEM
FIGURE 13
BOTTOMS LEVEL CONTROL METHODS FOR REBOfLER HEAT
EQUAlIZING liNE MJST ENTER CHANNEL JUST BElON BAFFLE

STEAM SUPPlY
2Smm
(1 WI.)MIN.
...
T"c:) -
I~
HEAT EXOiANGER
STEAM INSIDE
2-PASS TUBSS
BAFFLE W
CHANNEL ~
t-
"./
/
~ ,I..
~
',\
-.J
/
I~~
y,: l-
""z
~
-I .E
! ~r
Es.~:_-"" ~< wQ.
~~ (1]
COOTROl VALVE
BYPASS TO
~ENSATE SYSTEM
,/
L:::~ i
SIZElWE FOR
, mi. (3~) MAX.
VELOCITY
I TO CONDENSATE
SYSTEM
lEGEND: NPS 3/4 MIN. DRAW
G) Condensate pot. 0.4 m (16 in.) CO by 0.775 m (31 in.)

min., ~ NPS 4 nozzle and slottE~internal guide OPERAnNG NOTE: Adjust OJndensals level set point to
pipe lor I~I dispiacef. raise pl'esS.IJfeIn ~ensalB pot by ftoodIng ~ just
~) Pneumatic
displacement
levelconllroller,
NPS4 enough to disctaargeliquid to conderlSals system..Lower
ftange moonled. ~vej ~ expose more tube surface ~;; heating duly or hJbe toulin-g
0 Renux level gage with velocity check gagevalves. inaeases.
FIGURE 14
CONOENSATE POT LEVEL CONTROL
_.
8.1.3 Fuel Gas Heating Value Compensation Method C in Figure 12 shows how gas net heating
value may be calculated from gas flowing density,
The relation of net heating value of refinery fuel gas pressure, and temperature using analog computing
to its molecular weight is: elements. This heating value calculation need be
made only once for heaters located in the same area
H =42 960+ lSS.9S0 and burning the same gas.
nw' .-\If ( kJ/k 9 )
8.1.4 Heat Input with Fired Reboiler
Eq-3 Control of heat input with a fired reboiler is extremely
difficult, not only because the fuel gas supply pres-
= 18,470+ 67,045
H (Btu/lb) sure, molecular weight, and heating value often vary,
M
but also because the heater itself exhibits significant
dead time and capacity lags. These lags seriously
Where. degrade the performance of the main loop control-
ling heat input. For this reason, f~Qf~4-con!f.Q!
Hnw = net heating value.
M = gas molecular weight.
f~~~~~~~~~
reboilers not base loaded.
~~~~
Equation 3 holds for refinery fuel gas streams with a Method A in Figure 12 is recommended to compen-
high hydrogen content. sate fuel gas flowrate to a fired heater for variations
in gas supply pressure. This method does not
Using the perfect gas law, the molecular weight of a compensate for changes in gas molecular weight,
gas is obtained from its flowing density, pressure, temperature, or net heating value.
and temperature by the relations:
Method B shows how the net heat input required is
divided by the net heating value of the fuel gas to
(Eq-4) obtain mass flowrate of fuel gas required. The
divider solves the relation:
RT
v= Eq-S) ~.;
Qn
p (Eq-8)
Hnw
Then. combining Equations 4 and 5:

Where:
W' = set point for weight flowrate of gas, kg/s

,\If= ~ (Eq-6)
p (Ib/min).
an = net heat input required, kJ/s (Btu/min).
dhere the variables are as defined in Paragraph
8.1.2. Hnw = net heating value of gas, kJ/kg (Btu/lb).
Substituting Equation 6 for M into Equation 3 gives: The flow controller is used with a flow transmitter, a
flowing density transmitter, a multiplier, and a
PK2 square-root extractor to control the mass flow of gas
H KJ (Eq-7
DT by Equation 9:
Where. W=K1(hD)o.5 (Eq-9)
Where:
155,950
Kl 8,760 or
8.313 W = mass flowrate of gas, kgjs (Ib/min)
K1 --I meter a-'"-'
~
I "'VI.
67,045 = 6248
10.73 h = meter differential, kPa (in. H2O).
K 42.960 (18.470 0 = flowing density of gas, kg/m3 (lb/ft3)
+
True heat input control of a fuel gas fired reboiler is The commercial equipment has worked well for an
provided by combining the firing control, Method B almost pure overhead product, with nearly constant
(Figure 12), with the fuel gas; net heating value com- Tv; however, it has shut down towers with a wider
puter, Method C (Figure 12). boilin~J overhead, especially when the amount of
components lighter than the light key is variable.
8.2 Reflu:K Rate
When these components decrease, the vapor
Various condenser designs, including all flooded temperature rises and the temperature difference
condensers, result in subcoofing of external reflux. seen by the internal reflux computer increases. The
This type of subcooling can vary rapidly, especially computer takes this increase as an increase in reflux
when a rainstorm turns an air-cooled condenser from subcooling and decreases the external reflux rate,
a convective to an evaporative cooler. Increased causing the vapor temperature to rise again. This
reflux subcooling will generally irlcrease column sequence can continue until all reflux flow is shut off.
internal reflux rate unless the external reflux rate is
decreased by a compensating amount. The vapor For this type of overhead stream, the temperature
flowrate for a desired separaltion is c:ontrolled by the input, Tv, should be replaced by a manually adjust-
able input and set at a value equal to the bubble
feed and reboiler heat inputs. When the external
reflux is controlled by column pressure or receiver point temperature of the reflux. When the vapor
level, or is free to adjust itslelf, its rate will be self- temperature rises, no change occurs, but when the
external reflux temperature falls, the external rate will
compensating. In Section 6, self-regulating internal
always be decreased. The input can be readjusted
reflux rate control is shown in Figure 5, Systems 1, 2,
should the reflux bubble point change.
4,5,7,8,10,11, and Figure7A.
In many systems, when the distillate rate is manipu-
Little reflux subcooling occur~) when condensers are
lated to control a product composition, the receiver
located above the receiver, are free draining, and
level controller regulates the reflux rate to the tower.
have a substantial flow of gas leaving to sweep out
This introduces a receiver inventory lag in the com-
condensate, as in System 3 (E;ee Paragraph 6.3).
position control loop. The systems shown in Figure
Internal reflux computers arE~recommended for all 158 and Figure 15C are recommended to avoid this
flooded condensers, which supply subcooled reflux problem by returning reflux as the difference
to columns, to set the internal vapor/liquid traffic nec- between the total overhead liquid and the distillate
essary for a desired separation. This situation flowrate.
occurs where the bottoms rate is adjusted from a
When the receiver level controller manipulates reflux
quality controller and reboiler heat input is regulated
rate, it is recommended that a subtracter be added
from bottorns level (or wherE~ temperature controls
to the level loop (Figure 15A) to control the reflux
reboiler heat input).
flowrate in accordance with Equation 11:
Commercial internal reflux computers are available
that adjust the set point of ian external reflux flow L=m-K.(D-K2) Eq-ll)
controller according to Equation 10:
Where:
L = reflux rate set point.

(Eq-IO)
m = output of level controller.
Where:
D = distillate rate set point from quality controller.
Les = set point to external reflux flow controller.
K1 = adjustable multiplier.
~s = internal reflux set point input.
K2 = zero level of flow signal range; that is, 20 kPa
K = specific heat divided by heat of vaporization gage (3 psig) or 1 volt DC.
of liquid on the top tray, 1/oC(1/oF).
Tv = temperature of vapor leaving the top tray, °C If an increase in D is to cause an equal decrease in
L, then the value of K1 will be Dmax./Lmax., where
(OF). Dmax. and Lmax. are the maximum capacities of the
Te = temperature of cold reflux measured at the flowmeters. This is less than unity when UD is
inlet nozzle, °C (oF). greater than unity.
A. ALL-VAPOR DISTILLATE
OPERATING NOTE: Manipulate reflux through a subtracter to impose distillate mass rate changes on the column without delay.
\
fI
r ,
I J
I I
I I I Dy-
\. .r--
~~ I
---,
Ir----- I r--- I
I ,~
I
~=-==.~I() ~~
'--~
L
-!J Dl
B. LIQUID DISTILlATE AND UNFLOODED RECEIVER
OPERATING NOTE: Manipulate total condensate from receiver level to impose distillate rate changes on the column without delay.
(" 1
~RTS I
I~~
..
cw
\# 12~~~S)(S) :
I
'-- -~ ~~', I
r--
-- L :=£~~~~~)
~ ~o
C. LIQUID DISTILLATE AND FLOODEDRECEIVER
OPERATING NOTE: Manipulate total condensate from tower pressure to impose distiUa1erate ct-.a.~ or: ~he::oIumr;withcI.1 delay.
FIGURE 15
REFLUX CONTROL
~
,FR
EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 34 OF 46 DECEMBER1gso
By incrl~asing the value of K1 t the reflux can be made When the feed leaving the feed preheater is all liquid
to decrease more than the distillate increases. This phaSE~,temperature control will suffice. Figure 16A
will cause the receiver level to rise. The level control- shows the controller regulating a portion of the feed
ler (with reset) will eventually return the reflux to the bypassing the bottoms feed exchanger. Figure 166
correct steady-state value. show~; a bypass control applied to a steam pre-
heater. This bypass method for regulating feed heat
The subtracter has introduced lead action into the input is recommended instead of direct manipulation
material balance at the top triay. increasing the speed of the steam or other heating medium to the pre-
of the composition response. Because the subtrac- heater because of the variation in dynamic response
tion is linear, the flow signals must be linearized. of the process with feed flowrate. Good temperature
Otherwi:se, the lead value of the response will be control can be achieved at all feed rates by employ-
different from one flow to another. ing the system shown in Figure 168. A temperature
controller, TC, manipulates a three-way valve to
When manipulating the reflux rate, it is important to maintain a constant feed temperature at the entry
avoid letting the reflux ratio, l/D, remain below its point of the feed to the column. A three-way valve
minim urn (jesign value. Be~;ides leading to an off- minimizes pressure drop, has greater rangeability
specification product, this low value can lead to than a single two-way valve, and is less expensive
excessi..'e reboiJer return temperatures brought than tv..o two-way valves. A valve position controller,
about by complete vaporization of the bottoms. VPC, measures the output from the TC, and manipu-
lates the flow of steam to the preheater. The signal,
8.3 FeE!d E:n1haJpy m, from the TC, is directly related to the stem
position of the three-way valve. For example, a set
Feed enthalpy should be held at a level that will point of 62 kPa gage (9 psig) will locate the three-
result in the least costs for producing minimum- way valve at its center position. The TC should be
specificaltion products. A higher feed enthalpy tuned for close control and the VPC should be tuned
increases vapor flow abovle the feed tray and loosely. The position of the three-way valve stem
decreasE~s liquid flow below 1the feed tray. This dis- should be chosen to minimize the amount of feed
tLlrbs thE~ 1oops controlling n~boil vapor, top reflux, bypassed while keeping the steam rate at no less
and inventories in th4~tower bottom and reflux drum. than 1 0 percent of range.
Tower products will c:ontain more or 1ewer light com- Tempelrature control, as shown in Figure 168, can be
p~)nents, depending upon the direction of feed heat used irl some cases when the feed must enter the
change. A serious problem arises in those towers column partially vaporized. A back pressure control-
where thle boottoms product heat is exchanged to the ler may be applied to maintain the feed in the liquid
feedstream. The exchanger provides a closed-loop state at the point where temperature is measured.
hE~atfee<jback path around the colulmn. Many col-
umns show continuous oscillations 1with periods of A feed enthalpy computer gives excellent heat regu-
15 to 25 minutes resulting from this feedback loop lation on those feedstreams that must enter at their
caused DIYthe bottoms feed e:)(changer. This oscilla- bubble point or partially vaporized. Feed enthalpy
tic>n in itself may not be a problem if the tower is not computers of the form shown in Figure 16C are avail-
able commercially. The total feed heat enthalpy. HF.
loaded a:nd the bottoms prolduct flows directly to
is calculated from Equation 12:
storage. This effect, howeve!r, interacts with other
tower cor1trolloops. The inter.action with other loops
HF=Hs+HB+HFI (Eq-12)
frequent~, occurs in a manner that 1Nill amplify the
effect. When this happens, many controllers must be Where:
detuned 1'or stability reasons, Bind tightt control is then
Hs = heat transferred by the steam to the feed in
lo~;t. To avloid these undesir.3ble effects, feed pre-
heat shOlJld be regulated. Various methods for con- the feed preheater, kJ/kg (Btu/lb) of feed.
Ks is the heat given up by the steam, kJ/kg
trol are shown in Figure 16. E:xperience has shown
(Btu/lb) = Ks (Fs/FF).
that regulating feed temperatlure is often adequate
for breaking the undesirable 'feedback interactions, HB = heat given up by the bottoms product
even if the feed is partially vaporized. However, for stream to the feed in the economizer
single column optimization, the heat content of the exchanger, kJ/kg (Btu/lb) of feed = CPB
feed should be known and regulated. (TB1 -Tw (FeiFF).
HF1 = initial feed heat content above some refer- loops in distillation columns, the resulting deviations
ence temperature, T Fa; kJ/kg (Btu/lb) of can become sizable before the control actions take
feed = CPF (T F1 -T Fa). effect. This problem can be overcome by the use of
feedforward control. Essentially what is done is to
And where. convert changes in the disturbance variables directly
= flowrates, kg/s (Ib/min), of feed, bot- into corrective actions to the manipulated variable
FF.Fa. Fs before they cause a deviation in the controlled vari-
toms, and steam, respectively.
able.
CPF. CPB = specific heat, kJ/kg °C (Btu/lb oF) of
Unlike feedback systems, a feedforward control con-
feed and bottoms.
figuration measures the disturbance (or load) directly
The computer output is the feed heat content in kilo- and makes the appropriate control action to
joules per kilogram (British thermal units per pound) eliminate its impact on the process output. This in
of feed at the column entry. This is the set point of a essence frees it from the stability and windup prob-
controller that manipulates. through a bypass control lems of feedback controllers. However, to be effec-
system, the flow of steam to the pre heater to main- tive, the feedforward computation must be accurately
'~in feed enthalpy constant. determined from the steady-state and dynamic
J characteristics of the process being controlled.
A simpler form of the enthalpy computer can be used
when the feed is not preheated in a bottoms feed In practice, these calculations are limited in accu-
exchanger. Feed temperature, TF1' can be mea- racy, the process characteristics are never known
sured at the preheater inlet, and only then is it neces- accurately, and not all disturbances are measurable.
sary to add the measured quantity of heat given by As a result of this, most feedforward control systems
the preheater steam to the feed heat obtained from require the inclusion of feedback loops to provide the
the temperature measurement, T F1; see Figure 160. necessary steady-state accuracy to hold the con-
trolled variable at the set point.
Figure 16E shows another simple feed enthalpy
computer controller. In this version, the heat given A combined feedforward/feedback control system
up by the bottoms stream is added to the heat con- will retain the superior performance of the feedfor-
tent of the liquid feed at the entering temperature, ward loop and the insensitivity of the feedback loop
T F1, above the feed reference temperature, T FO- to uncertainties and inaccuracies in the model. Any
deviations caused by the various weaknesses of the
When a digital computer is used to control feed feedforward control will be corrected by the feedback
enthalpy. a flow controller may be provided on the controller. This is possible because a feedback con-
preheater steam (the control valve can be in the exit trol loop directly monitors the behavior of the con-
condensate line). Feed enthalpy Equation 13 may trolled process (measures process output).
+.,en be used to calculate the steam flowrate, Fs,
~!quired for the desired feed enthalpy, HF, in kJ/kg 9.1.2 Design of Feedforward Control Loops for
(Btu/lb), as follows: Distillation Columns
Distillation columns are characterized by large time

constants and dead times. Disturbances in the feed
(Eq-13)
~at~or com~j!!9lL.QLboth, for e~ple. ~~~
I~g tenn ~SOQ a~qQ!~lJ1n'~operattOr1Feedfor-
-~ ward control helps to reduce the effects of
K_c r J
disturbances by predicting, in advance, the effect of
measurable load disturbances on product composi-
9. SPECIAL CONTROL TECHNIQUES tion, and then taking the necessary control actions
before the disturbance appears as a product quality
9," Feedforward Control deviation.
9. 1 General Feedforward control can compensate for major
Feedback control has an inherent problem in that it disturbances such as:
is unable to initiate any control action until the con- (a) Variations in feed flowrate.
trolled variable begins to deviate from set point. In
loops with long response times, such as composition (b) Variations in feed composition
SETPOINT
~
S2 kPagage(8~~ ~ SETPOINT
-~ ~, i E~~~.::
I
I I HFI
I I I
(~ I I
STEAM :J4-J
...
r£rs
I --
1 &'t- -- -F---
-..~!.- '
YF_; .
B
~T-;;--.J
TB2L- 'A---
F
IF r;=l IQ"r1- TF1
F 1_-L£-1~---1 ..' "PF(TFrTFO) ~
FIGURE 16
FEED ENTHALPY CONTROL
,-<:;"
~
SET
: ~~~~w
I
I i HF
I -<:;:" I
I L I
I
I I J
I
I I
rI HFJ I
HS II I
~- J I I
FF
I :
I
ril I
I
-
TFI
1 CPFCTF1-TFO)~ ~
F (.
B
D
FIGURE 16 -Contd
C,
(c) Disturbances in reboiler heat input. For a properly designed feedforward control configu-
ration, the control of the manipulated pairs. which
(d) Disturbances in tower pressure. has the greateSt effect on product purity. should be
(e) Disturbances in reflux temperature. selected.
Energy balance feedback control of a distillation col- A typical feedforwardffeedback material and energy
umn with two products is illustrated in Figure 17. In balance scheme for a distillation column is shown in
this arrangement, the heat input to the reboiler is set Figure 18. In this case, the column bottoms has the
by the bottom analyzer (or temperature controller) to
more-pure product, therefore the bottoms composi-
maintain the bottom composition. Distillate flow is
tion is controlled via manipulation of the reboiler heat
then dependent on level control and its value is a
input. The output of the bottoms composition
function of the energy balance. The main difticulty
with this scheme is that severe interactions can controller manipulates the heat input-to-feed ratio.
occur between the heat and material balance loops. The set point of the heat duty controller is calculated
Distillate flow, which is an independent mass balance as the product of the lagged feed rate and the output
variable, is also a function of the heat input. There- of the analyzer controller, OfF. The feed is lagged to
fore, any disturbance in the heat input will cause a match the column dynamics between a change in
disturbance in the mass balance. feed rate and a change in bottoms composition.
DISTILLATE
FC
,~ At;
FEED
lC
BOTTOMS
I
I FC
FIGURE 17
CONVENTIONAL FEEDBACK DUAL QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEM
Distillate (OfF) is manipulated to maintain inventory The response of the distillate quality system may be
of lights in the column. The overhead composition improved by acting on changes to variations in
controller adjusts the overhead OfF ratio. This is
distillate flow before these are detected by the level
multiplied by the lagged feed flow to give the set
point of the overhead product flow controller. control system. This is achieved by using the feed-
forward control scheme shown in Figures 18 and 19,
The tower dynamics are approximated by a time
delay and two first order lags in series with an equal , in which the distillate flow change for composition
time constant for each lag. Overhead level is main- control is fed forward to a corresponding change in
tained steady by manipulation of the reflux flow. reflux flow, and the accumulator level is undisturbed.
=~-:~-;-1~2~' ,I I
~ r-- J
r--
-<f> ~~-o, ~
. I
I '
I
.
.
,-
I
I I
,--- -,I R-mo-D ---
I ,0
I I
.--
I .
~ ~~~~9J--- ,--0-,
I~
I r
_J II
!-_-~
9-@___J I:r--~~--t£J -
I
I I ~
I I
~--e
I
I
r,
I
I 1
) :,.-4 -; ,--
.0
I I
~--{:~J-
I
: ~:
.I
t2~~:~:Ez) -( 3 -'
I I
I I r- FC -, I
I /F__- Q L, i rt
I \ FSP-"c;fT";~r I -'.-r ~J--~:_~!r---
:I
L LAGGEDF
---X O- --_'!!' C
'TlwIewI~~Ql1IXA.ignaf Is ~ 10m buIldupnowral8.
FIGURE 18
DUAL FEED FORWARD COMPOSITION CONTROL
(MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCE CONTROL SYSTEM)
EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 40 OF 4Q DECEMBER 1990
m.KoCSP
I
,
~
6 mO 1
1
FC~ ~
I
0
I
g
Y
f<?f
--.~--&-~
~ I
I J J J ' J: I
6 iD" C{e- -? ~~--£l
>I<:J : I I
~ I
I
1
:
I osp I
-~ J
C) ASP
,--~~~= --
K..dD
;---
.!
...
!J.D
Tme
.The '-I ccnlrtllier output signa! Is ~I U)boilup ~Ie.
FIGURE 19
EFFECT OF ADDING LEAD CONTROL ACTION TO INTERNAL REFLUX
For further details on the design of feedforward con- can be used to prevent column flooding and weep-
trols for simple distillation columns. consult MRDC. ing, or dumping, when applied to a reboiler heat
input controller or to internal reflux rate controllers,
9.2 Auxiliary Control Techniques
whichever type is being manipulated to establish
Simple auxiliaries are required to protect a column tower vapor/liquid traffic. To prevent reset windup
against various contingencies or to optimize its oper- outside these limits, the output of the limiters shall be
ation against constraints. fed back to the master controller reset module; see
Manually set high and low limits on slave controllers Table 1, Items 1 and 2.
~
TABLE 1
AUXILIARY CONTROLS
Item Corlstraint Auxiliary Control or Measurement
Flooding. High set point limit on reboiler heat input or on internal reflux rate.
2 Weeping or dumping. Low set point limit on reboiler heat input or on reflux rate.
3 Low bottoms level overriding com- A low bottoms level controller overrides the composition controller set-
position control of bottoms product ting bottom product flowrate and prevents a transient drop in level from
flowrate. causing an extreme decrease in boilup; see Figure 20.
Condenser capacity. Valve position controller holds condenser at 95 percent of capacity; see
Section 5.
5 Reboiler capacity. Valve position controller holds heat input at 95 percent of capacity.
6 Column capacity limited by flooding A transmitter measuring differential pressure across critical trays is cali-
from entrainment, either above or brated to give a suitable output at flood conditions.
below the feed tray.
7 Downcomer capacity limited by its Limit by internal reflux rate above feed tray. Limit by internal reflux rate
cross-sectional area or by orifice plus feed rate below feed tray.
area from downcomer to tray below.
8 Downcomer too short. Same as Item 6. Umit pressure drop to control liquid backup.
9 Vapor not disengaging in An erratic pressure drop will indicate flooding, but control is complex.
downcomers. Decreasing tower pressure improves vapor separation but increases
entrainment and tower pressure drop. Maximize tower loading by set-
ting tower pressure; then adjust a pressure drop controller manipulating
feed rate or energy input to find the limiting operating conditions.
10 Hydrate fonTlation. A temperature override controller based on ei1her a tray or overhead line
temperature would override an expander outlet pressure controller or
condenser temperature controller depending on what is covering the
cold temperature.
When feasible, the column control system should be over, normal operation will resume when feed is
designed to drive the column to total reflux operation restored. This type of override is shown in Figure 20
at normal operating pressure on loss of feed and to and is listed as Item 3 in Table 1.
hold the column in this condition until feed is
r~stored. The control system should gradually
)rease the product withdrawn to bring the column
back to the normal operating point. When a compo-
sition controller manipulates the distillate rate,
response of the control system is satisfactory if a low
limit, which will prevent exC'.essive tray weeping or
dumping, is provided on heat input.
However, when the composition controller manipu-

lates bottoms product rate and the bottoms level
manipulates heat input, a partial loss of feed may
cause a transient loss of lev,el and of bottoms prod-
uct. A level controller that will override the composi-
tion controller should be provided to shut off the
NOTE: To prevent upsets during startup, provide level controller
bottoms flow on low level at a heat input rate just
L~, to shut off bottoms {low ~ low !ev~!, at a heat input rate ju~
below tr.at required to boil up the established internal below that required to boil up the established internal reflux rate,
reflux rate. This procedure will prevent a low level,
which would cut off heat input and allow the bottoms
composition controller to purge the tower of high- FIGURE 20
boiling components as it goes into total reflux. More- AUXILIARY CONTROL TECHNIQUES
When override controllers iare used to manipulate When maximum recovery of one key component at a
one vaJiable, only one controller is chosen to control specified purity is required, tower pressure is set to
the prc>cess while the others are in an open-loop maximize throughput. Also, signals representing
condition. When these contlrollers have reset action, tower loading, reboiler loading, and condenser load-
they should be protected against windup. This is ing are provided in a similar manner. A signal selec-
accomplished by u~.ing the output of the selector as tor system should be arranged to select the limiting
a common! feedback to all controllen..
constraint automatically and to reset the variable,
When the column through':lut is to be maximized, establishing energy input to the tower through a
vapor -t()-fe!ed ratio, VIF, or reflux-to-feed ratio, L/F, detuned controller. When the bottoms product is to
should be! minimized by cl:>ntrollinlg both product be maximized, the internal reflux rate for the energy
compo~;itions; see Paragraph 6.4. Tower pressure input "ariable shall be used. When the distillate rate
should be set at the lower value of the to\l/er design is to be maximized, the heat input rate shall be used.
or at that required by an IJpstream process. An
appropriatle measurement of tower loading for trays Utility costs can be minirnized by controiling both
in the critic;al section should be calibrated such that product compositions at minimum tower pressure to
flood conditions reach the sclme output at maximum maximize component relative volatilities. Tower and
reboiler arid condenser loading. ~\ signal selector condenser loading signals are required. To auto-
system should be provided to select the limiting con- mate column pressure adjustment, the pressure con-
straint automatically and to reset the column feed troiler requires an external set point and a low set
rate througlh a detuned controller; that is, one with a point limit. Through a signal selector. a detuned
wide proportional band and !>Iow reset (see Table 1,
controiler can then reset the pressure controiler set
Items 41th rough 6).
point to operate the tower against the selected con-
Reboiler lo;ading should be measured from the heat- straint. Setting column pressure automatically
ing medium flow controller output signal. Condenser requirE'.5 the use of chromatograph controilers for
loading should be measurted from the pressure both products, because temperature/composition
control vailve positions given in Section 5. A relationships vary with pressure. When a system to
positioruer is required on the valve to relate its stem reset t:olumn pressure is being designed. MRDC
position to 1thecontroller OutplLltsignal. shail be consulted.
APPENDIX
STEADY-STATE DESIGN FACTORS
A-1. FACTORS AFFECTING COMPOSITION (b) Separation is dependent on energy. No sep-

aration can take place if no energy is supplied.
Column design procedure includes determining the The degree of separation depends on the ratio of
number of trays needed for a given separation. For the energy introduced to the feed rate. (Para-
control purposes, however, the column exists, and graph A-3 shows how control of the energy input
the task here is to identify, pair, measure, and manip- controls the recovery of one product at specified
ulate variables that are most significant to control purity and affects the purity of the other product.)
product specifications and the separation for which
the tower was designed. The block diagram, Figure Tray efficiency, loading, and entrainment also affect
A-1, shows these variables for a simple binary sepa- separation; however, Items (a) and (b) are usually
ration. The advantages of adjusting material balance dominant in their effects and should be the prime
to a,chieve precision composition control are considerations in control system design.
,",resented. This concept can be applied to multi- A-2. MATERIAL BALANCE
lmponent separations and to dual and multistream
towers. Because of its importance in fractionating products
to component specifications, the material balance
Figure A-1 reveals the two most important fundamen- control concept is explained here.
tals:
In the steady state, as much material must be with-
(a) The relative composition of the two product drawn as enters a tower:
streams is determined by their relative flowrates.
More of a given component cannot be withdrawn F=D+B (EqA-I)
than is being fed to a tower; the material balance
Where:
mu~;t be satisfied. (Paragraph A-2 shows how
marlipulating a product rate controls a product F = molal feed flow.
composition. Also, either rate can be manipulated 0 = distillate flow.
to control either composition.)
B = bottoms flow.
A material balance on each component must also be

.. closed. Using z, y. and x to represent the mole frac-
tion of the light component in binary mixtures, F, 0,
andB:
DISTILLATE
D.y Fz=Dy+Bx (EqA-2)
As indicated by the overall material balance, the flow
of only one of the product streams can be set inde-
pendently. The flow of the other is determined by the
feed rate and is. therefore. a dependent variable.
Assume distillate flow will be manipulated by the con-
trol system. Bottoms flow must then be manipulated
BOTTOMS by a bottoms level controller. Thus, bottoms flow is
B.x dependent on current values of feed and distillate:
ENERGY a B=F-D
Substituting for B in the material balar"lCe of the light
NOTE: Materia! and energy balances play key roles in distillation component permits expressing the relationship
control. between the quality of both products in terms of
FIGURE A-1 distillate flow.
The ratio O/F (or B/F) determines the relative compo-

sition of each product:
D = z-x I-B
(EqA-3)
F y-x F
Figure A-2 shows one way in which this relationship

may be drawn. Note that z, like F, is an uncontrolled
variable. Therefore, if z should change, OfF must be
adjusted to maintain constant values of x and y.
The material balance eqLlation alone cannot be

solved to find the effects of manipulating OfF
because it contains two unknowns, x and y.
To obtain a solution, a separation factor, S, defined
in Equation A-4, can be used, because energy input
is con~1ant and only product rates are being varied
to charlge the composition:
NOTE: If x and yare to be controlled, Dff must vary proportion-
s = y( 'I-x) (EqA-4
ately to z.
x(l-y)
FIGURE A-2
The term 5 defines the component distribution
Any other value of x or y desired at the prevailing
achieVE!d between products. It is a function of the
conditions of feed composition and separation can
relative volatility, the number of theoretical trays, and
the energy-to-feed ratio. Equation A-4 can be solved be obtained by appropriate adjustment of OfF. With
for y in "terms of x, and for x in terms of y. a value for y selected, a corresponding value of x is
calculated from the separation factor equation. With
Sx these values of x, y, and z, the required O/F is calcu-
) lated from the material balance. Figure A-3 shows
l+x(S-}
how distillate and bottoms compositions would vary
(EqA-S) with O/F (or B/F) for this example. Note that B/F =
1 -O/F.
y
y+S(l-y) The slope of each curve at OfF = 0.5 represents the
process gain at that point. It happens that the two
Since a direct solution of these equations with mate- curves have identical slopes at that point:
rial balance cannot be obtained, a numerical exam-
ple is given to demonstrate the relationships
dy = dx
betweerl the variables.
d(D/F) d(D/F)
The example is that of a tower separating a material,
z = 0.5, into distillate. y = 0.95. and bottoms, x = A one percent change in D/F will change distillate
0.05. '-he separation factor for this tower under and bottoms compositions by 0.9 percent.
these conditions is:
The conclusions to be drawn from these examples
(0.95) (0.95) are:
s = 36
(0.05) (0.05)
(a) Composition of both product streams is pro-
The distillate-ta-feed ratio is' foundly affected by either product-to-feed ratio.
D = 0.5 -0.05-- = 0.5 (b) Changes in feed composition can be offset

F 0.95-0.05 by appropriate adjustment of either OfF or B/F.
MOBil ENGINEERING GUIDE
II = -2- (EqA-6)
Hu
The term Hy is the latent heat of vaporization of the

bottoms. Expressing heat input in terms of vapor
flow permits separation to be evaluated in terms of a
ratio of vapor to feed rate, VIF. Continuing the exam-
ple presented in Paragraph A-2, a 20-tray column is
used in separating two materials having a relative
volatility of 1.5.
The distil/ate composition, y, is specified at 0.95; the

normal feed composition, z, is 0.50. The results of
tray-to-tray calculations (in Table A-1) show how dif-
ferent values of V/F and reflux ratio, LJD, can change
the recovery of the distil/ate product by changing
bottoms composition, x.
NOTE: Increasing D/F reduces both x and y. but in different
degrees.
FIGURI:A.3 TABLE A-1

EFFECTS OF CHANGING V/F
(c) If separation is con~;tant. control of composi-
tion of either product will also result in control of y V/F x D/F LID
cornpclsition of the other product. (The
0.95 10 0.0151 0.5187 18.30
relationship between x and y is fixed for a given
separation.) 5 0.0387 0.5062 8.88
A-3. ENIERGY VERSUS FIEED 3 0.1375 0.4462 5.72
Manipulal:ing a product stream rate! from a composi- 2 0.2963 0.3116 5.42
tion me~:urement affords the most positive method
of controlling a produc:t to a specification.
Comparing this method with manipulating energy
input sho'ws that the latter's: role is to effect separa- Note that when V/F is reduced to 2, the flow of
tion. Minimizing the costs of meeting a specification distillate has to be reduced to 0.3116 F to maintain
maximizing the recovery of one f:lroduct at a given control over y. Also, when V/F is increased from 5 to
..~cification (wherl heating! and cooling costs are 10, distillate yield is only increased from 0.5062 F to
low relative to the value of the major product) is often 0.518'7 F. Thus, doubling energy input in this range
cIS im~)Ortant as meeting the spec:ification. These only increases distillate yield about 2.5 percent.
objectives cannot be met b~' materi,al balance alone.
Vaporization and reflux ratio playa major role in col- Figure A-4 shows the calculated relations of O/F and
umn performance. x to values of VIF. The slope of x versus VIF (pro-
cess ~~ain)is -0.036 when OfF equals 0.5 and, from
The degre~ of separation between product composi- Paragraph A-2, the gain, dx/d(O/F) , equals -0.9.
tions depE!nds on introducin!~ heat, OJ to the reboiler Thus, in this case, for controlling x, manipulating O/F
to generate a flow of vapor, V. is 25 times more effective than manipulating VIF.
DECEMBER 1990
EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 46 OF 46
.30
.55
-
OfF
in
~ )
0
.20
>: .50 t:
0
~
~
m
~
A.
~
I-
~ Z
iii
OS Z
Po
< ~
C .15 ~
~ .1.5 0
U
I-
>- %
1&1
Po 2
-'
<
-' ...
-' 0
z
~ 0
C .10 ;:
-c
~ .AO u
-<
~
...
-
.35
.'
I ~
.30 ! I I I II J0
0 2 ..8 8 10
V/F
FIGURE A-4

Control of Simple Distillation Tower

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What are the main components of a distillation control system discussed in the document?

What are the main components of a distillation control system discussed in the document?

How do changes in feed composition affect distillation column operation?

How do changes in feed composition affect distillation column operation?

CONTROL OF SIMPLE DISTilLATION TOWERS

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 1 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

1. Scope 6.3 Feedback Control, One Product

1 .SCOPE 3. NOMENCLATURE AND SYMBOLS

Instruments are des!gna!ed as follows:

EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 2 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990

DT = density transmitter. 4. CONTROL OBJECTIVES AND CONTROLLED

~ posttloner. (a) Controlled Variables

-~=~- Flowregulator. y = distillate quality.

<. Lowselect. 0 = distillate flow.

.6 Difference. L = reflux flow.

2:: Summation. B = bottoms product flow.

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 3 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

= reboiler heat duty. (a) Condenser capacity (fouling or design limo

F = feed flow. (c) Downcomer capacity above the feed tray.

HF = feed enthalpy. (d) Downcomer capacity below the feed tray.

(a) Condenser capacity (lower tower tempera- 5. PRESSURECONTROL

EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 4 OF 46 DECEMBEA1990

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 5 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 6 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 7 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 8 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990

Although this scheme does not provide surge capac-

(a) Condensation occurs at maximum pressure, = 176.6/2IS3=O.O82ft3/ft2

(b) Internal reflux control is automcitic; that is, the

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 9 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 10 OF46 DECEMBER 1990

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 11 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 12 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990

(~ Heat Input Self-Regulation -Composition

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE'3 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

[--~ r~\ {aq 0

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 15 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

'6 ~ .~~ ~ ATS:::

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 17 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

EGS 801 -.-1990 PAGE 18 OF46 DECEMBEA1990

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 19 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 20 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990

Concentration of nonkey components. The slope of (6P/61)x appears as shown in Figure

(4) Ratio of key components in the feed.

If temperarture is to be used as a measure of key

(d) In sitluations where temperature is to be used

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 21 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

6.5.2 Analyzers (6) In accordance with these guidelines, rec-

EGS 801 .-1990 PAGE 22 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990

-blring the tower close to the desired opera- 100

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 23 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

Control over the external material balance of a col-

EGS 801 --1990 PAGE 24 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990

uses the full surge capacity, whereas a proportionaf- 1.5 BottomsLevel

DECEMBER 1990 PAGE 25 OF 46 EGS 801 -1990

L. lJ2 .1. l12 J

121rVT1(1/2 WI.)SS TLI3ING

EXTENDBOTTo.. ~ECTION 1-1:

EGS 801 -1990 PAGE 26 OF 46 DECEMBER 1990