Course: Process Control, NMBU

Dec 2017 - April 2018

Introduction to
process control
By Finn Aakre Haugen, PhD, TechTeach
(finnhaugen@hotmail.com)

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 1

Software requirement for running SimView simulators

Most of the lectures and exercises of this course include

running simulators. These simulators have been
developed in LabVIEW. Here are the requirements for the
simulators to run.

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 2

 What is
automatic control?

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 3

 Automatic control is making process variables
stay sufficiently near their setpoints (references)
- automatically (i.e. without manual operations):

Without control or with With good control

poor control
Specifications about
control error
Less error!
not satisfied!
Max (Smaller variance)
limit
Min
Setpoint, ySP limit
Control error,
Process output, y e = ySP - y

t t
F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 4
 Common process variables
to be controlled to follow setpoints:

• Temperature (heat exchanger, reactor,

room)
• Pressure (reactor, oil/water/gas-separator)
• Flow (gas or liquid flows in pipe)
• Level (tank)
• Position (ship, robot)
• Rotational speed (motor)

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 5

Areas where automatic control
can make large benefits:
• Product quality
• Product economy
• Safety
• Environment protection
• Comfort
• Feasibility
• Automation

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 6

 The principle of
feedback control

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 7

 Think about how you you act

while you are controlling the temperature of the

water in the shower to make the temperature
become equal to the desired temperature (aka. the
temperature setpoint or reference), even under
disturbances like reduced availability of hot water
and variations of air temperature in the room.
F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 8
I guess you act like this (text on next slide):
Room temperature = Shower = process
process disturbance
or environmental
variable
Control loop.
Feedback
Brain =
controller
incl. temp.-
setpoint
Water temperature = (brain)
process variable Hand =
sensor Hand and
valve (tap)
= Actuator

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 9

You manipulate the actuator (tap) until the difference
between the temperature setpoint and the
temperature measurement is sufficiently small.

This is error-driven control!

It is the fundamental control principle in technical,

industrial, biological, social system.

More common terminology than error-driven control:

• Feedback control
• Closed loop control
• Automatic control

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 10

Temperature control system implemented
with industrial components:

Sensor Regulator Aktuator

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 11

Piping & Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) for
the temperature control system:
Room temperature =
process disturbance
or environmental
variable

Temperature
setpoint
Measurement Control
signal signal
Water temperature = TT TC Actuator
process variable
Sensor Controller

(TT = Temperature Transmitter)

(TC = Temperature Controller)

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 12

 So, how does the controller act?

It manipulates the process variable by changing

the control signal to the actuator
until the control error has become zero. So, it
continually improves, until the aim is reached:
Zero error.
In practice it is the mean error which will be zero
as there will always be some disturbances
making the error vary somewhat, see the figure
below.

Process variable
Setpoint

Control error
= Setpoint - Process variable

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. t 13

 Example of industrial feedback control system:
Level control of wood chip tank
(Process & Instrumentation Diagram - P&ID)
Conveyor belt

Feed screw win [kg/min]

Actuator
ws [kg/min]
Chip tank
Process
Control
signal Controller Level sensor variable
u h [m]
LC LT

Wood chip
Setpoint
hSP [m]

0m
Outflow to
subsequent process
wout [kg/min] units
Process
F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. disturbance 14
 Simulator
(Run the exe-file in the link.)

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 15

Another example:
Simulator

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 16

A third example (see comment on next slide):
Simulator

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 17

 The third example (see previus slide) resembles the
inlet equalization basin upstreams VEAS wrrf:

F_ut ≈ u [m3/s]

Tunnel F_vaskevann [m3/s]

F_tunnel [m3/s]
u [m3/s]

LC h_sp [m]
Væskespeil A [m2] 1 Settpunkt
Kanal

h [m]
Totalt: F_inn = F_tunnel + F_vaskevann LT
1

LC = Level Controller

LT = Level Transmitter
(sensor)

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 18

 Symbols in
Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams
(P&IDs)

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 19

Standards for P&IDs:

• ISO 3511-1
• ISA S5.1

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 20

Letter codes (for P&IDs):

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 21

 Instrumentation symbols:

FC Instrument mounted in the field

1 (at the measurement point)

Instrument mounted in a central place

FC available for the operator, e.g. in a
1
control room

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 22

Process fluid and signals:

Process fluid (liquid or gas)

General (undefined) signal

Pneumatic signal

Electrical signal

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 23

 Valves:
Valve with membrane actuator
(Is also used as a general symbol for control valves.)

Valve with electrical motor

Magnetic valve (On/Off)

Hand (manually) operated valve

Valve with fixed opening

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 24

 Tanks:
Open tank Absorption/stripping
column

Closed tank Distillation column

Stirring motor
Reactor

Autoclave

Jacket for heating or cooling

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 25

 Heat exchanger:

Process fluid

CW
Heat exchanger
(CW = Cold Water
HW = Hot Water)

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 26

 Pumps:
General pump symbol

P-1

Centrifugal pump

Displacement (dosing) pump

Compressor

Turbine

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 27

Block diagrams of control
systems

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 28

A simplified block diagram showing the most essential parts:
We will relate this block diagram to the level control system of the wood-chip tank.

Process
disturbance
(environmental
variable)
Process
Setpoint or Control Control d variable or
reference error signal process output
ySP e u y
Controller
Actuator Process
E.g. [m] (function) E.g. E.g.
or [%] [kg/min] [m]
or [mA] or [%]
or [mA] Feedback control loop

ym
Sensor Feedback
E.g.[m] Process
or [%] measure-
or [mA] ment

F. Haugen. Process Control. NMBU. 2017. 29