Lecture 6
Lecture 6
Unit operation
Usually refers to a manufacturing operation
Can also apply to material handling or other equipment
Continuous Control
• Usual objective is to maintain the value of an output variable at a
desired level (Process Regulation)
• Parameters and variables are usually continuous
• Similar to operation of a feedback control system
• Most continuous industrial processes have multiple feedback loops (MIMO
vs. SISO)
• Example of continuous processes:
• Control of the output of a chemical reaction that depends on temperature,
pressure, etc.
Types of Continuous Process Control
Regulatory control
Feed-forward control
Steady-State optimization
Adaptive control
On-line search strategies
Other specialized techniques
Expert systems
Neural networks
Regulatory Control
Objective - maintain process performance at a certain level or within a
given tolerance band of that level
Appropriate when performance relates to a quality measure
Performance measure is sometimes computed based on several output
variables
Performance measure is called the Index of performance (IP)
Problem with regulatory control is that an error must exist in order to
initiate control action
Feed-forward Control
Objective - anticipate the effect of disturbances that will upset the process by
sensing and compensating for them before they affect the process
Mathematical model captures the effect of the disturbance on the process
Complete compensation for the disturbance is difficult due to variations,
imperfections in the mathematical model and imperfections in the control
actions
Usually combined with regulatory control
Regulatory control and feed-forward control are more closely associated with
process industries
Optimal Control Implementation
Class of optimization techniques in which the process exhibits the following
characteristics:
1. Well-defined index of performance (IP)
2. Known relationship between process variables and IP
3. System parameter values that optimize IP can be determined
mathematically
Open-loop system
Adaptive Control
Because steady-state optimization is open-loop, it cannot compensate
for disturbances
Adaptive control is a self-correcting form of optimal control that
includes feedback control
Measures the relevant process variables during operation (feedback
control)
Uses a control algorithm that attempts to optimize some index of
performance (optimal control)
Originally seen as a more efficient means of performing the same functions as analog
control
Additional opportunities became apparent in DDC:
More control options than traditional analog control (PID control), e.g.,
combining discrete and continuous control
Integration and optimization of multiple loops
Editing of control programs
Numerical Control and Robotics
Computer numerical control (CNC) – computer directs a machine tool
through a sequence of processing steps defined by a program of
instructions
Distinctive feature of NC – control of the position of a tool relative to the
object being processed
Computations required to determine tool trajectory
Industrial robotics – manipulator joints are controlled to move and
orient end-of-arm through a sequence of positions in the work cycle
Supervisory Control
In the process industries, supervisory control denotes a control system that
manages the activities of a number of integrated unit operations to achieve
certain economic objectives
In discrete manufacturing, supervisory control is the control system
that directs and coordinates the activities of several interacting
pieces of equipment in a manufacturing system
• Functions: efficient scheduling of production, tracking tool lives,
optimize operating parameters
Supervisory Control Superimposed on Process
Level Control System