1

INTERACTION OF PROCESS
DESIGN AND CONTROL



Ref: Seider, Seader and Lewin (2004), Chapter 20
2
PART ONE:
CLASSIFICATION OF VARIABLES,
DOF ANALYSIS & UNIT-BY-UNIT
CONTROL
Ref: Seider, Seader and Lewin (2004),
Chapter 20
3
The design of a control system for a chemical
plant is guided by the objective to maximize
profits by transforming raw materials into
useful products while satisfying:
Product specifications: quality, rate.
Safety
Operational constraints
Environmental regulations - on air and water
quality as well as waste disposal.

PROCESS OBJECTIVES
4
Variables that effect and are affected by the process
should be categorized as either control (manipulated)
variables, disturbances and outputs.

Process
Outputs
Manipulated
variables
Disturbances
It is usually not possible to control all outputs (why?)
Thus, once the number of manipulated variables are
defined, one selects which of the outputs should be
controlled variables.

CLASSIFICATION OF VARIABLES
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Rule 1: Select variables that are not self-regulating.
Rule 2: Select output variables that would exceed
the equipment and operating constraints without
control.
Rule 3: Select output variables that are a direct
measure of the product quality or that strongly
affect it.
Rule 4: Choose output variables that seriously
interact with other controlled variables.
Rule 5: Choose output variables that have favorable
static and dynamic responses to the available control
variables.

SELECTION OF CONTROLLED VARIABLES
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Rule 6: Select inputs that significantly affect the
controlled variables.
Rule 7: Select inputs that rapidly affect the
controlled variables.
Rule 8: The manipulated variables should affect the
controlled variables directly rather than indirectly.
Rule 9: Avoid recycling disturbances.

SELECTION OF MANIPULATED VARIABLES
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Rule 10: Reliable, accurate measurements are essential for
good control.
Rule 11: Select measurement points that are sufficiently
sensitive.
Rule 12: Select measurement points that minimize time
delays and time constants.
SELECTION OF MEASURED VARIABLES
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Before selecting the controlled and manipulated variables
for a control system, one must determine the number of
variables permissible. The number of manipulated variables
cannot exceed the degrees of freedom, which are
determined using a process model according to:
N
D
= N
Variables
- N
Equations
N
D
= N
manipulated
+ N
Externally

Defined
Degrees of
freedom
Number of
variables
Number of
equations
N
Manipulated
= N
Variables
- N
externally defined
- N
Equations


DEGREES OF FREEDOM ANALYSIS
9
Number of variables.
T, C
A
T
i
, C
Ai
F
c
T, C
A
T
c
h
T
co
F
o
F
i
N
variables
=

Externally defined (disturbances) : C
Ai
, T
i
, and T
CO
10
EXAMPLE 1: CONTROL OF CSTR
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Material and energy balances:
T, C
A
T
i
, C
Ai
F
c
T, C
A
T
c
h
T
co
F
o
F
i
o i
F F
dt
dh
A =
( ) { } T C r Ah C F C F hC
dt
d
A
A A o Ai i A
, =
( )
{ }( ) ( )
c s A
o i i
T T UA H T C r Ah
CpT F CpT F T h
dt
d
Cp A
A +
=
,
( )
c s c c c co c c
c
c c
T T UA T Cp F T Cp F
dt
dT
Cp V + =
N
Equations
=

4
EXAMPLE 1: CONTROL OF CSTR (Contd)
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T, C
A
T
i
, C
Ai
F
c
T, C
A
T
c
h
T
co
F
o
F
i
N
Manipulated
= N
Variables
- N
ext. defined
- N
equations
= 10 - 3 - 4 = 3
EXAMPLE 1: CONTROL OF CSTR (Contd)
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Selection of controlled variables.
T, C
A
T
i
, C
Ai
F
c
T, C
A
T
c
h
T
co
F
o
F
i
C
A
should be selected since it directly affects the
product quality (Rule 3).
T should be selected because it must be regulated
properly to avoid safety problems (Rule 2) and because it
interacts with C
A
(Rule 4).
h must be selected as a controlled output because it is
non-self-regulating (Rule 1).

EXAMPLE 1: CONTROL OF CSTR (Contd)
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Selection of manipulated variables.
T, C
A
T
i
, C
Ai
F
c
T, C
A
T
c
h
T
co
F
o
F
i
F
i
should be selected since it directly and rapidly affects
C
A
(Guidelines 6, 7 and 8).
F
c
should be selected since it directly and rapidly affects
T

(Guidelines 6, 7 and 8).
F
o
should be selected since it directly and rapidly affects
h (Guidelines 6, 7 and 8).
EXAMPLE 1: CONTROL OF CSTR (Contd)
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This suggests the following control configuration:
T, C
A
T
i
, C
Ai
F
c
T, C
A
T
c
h
T
co
F
o
F
i
TC
CC
LC
Can you think of alternatives or improvements ?
EXAMPLE 1: CONTROL OF CSTR (Contd)
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PART TWO:
Plantwide Control System design

Ref: Seider, Seader and Lewin,
Chapter 20
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PLANTWIDE CONTROL DESIGN
Luyben et al. (1999) suggest a method for the conceptual
design of plant-wide control systems, which consists of the
following steps:
Step 1: Establish the control objectives.
Step 2: Determine the control degrees of freedom.
Simply stated the number of control valves with
additions if necessary.
Step 3: Establish the energy management system.
Regulation of exothermic or endothermic reactors, and
placement of controllers to attenuate temperature
disturbances.
Step 4: Set the production rate.
Step 5: Control the product quality and handle safety,
environmental, and operational constraints.
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PLANTWIDE CONTROL DESIGN (Contd)

Step 6: Fix a flow rate in every recycle loop and control
vapor and liquid inventories (vessel pressures and levels).
Step 7: Check component balances. Establish control to
prevent the accumulation of individual chemical species in
the process.
Step 8:Control the individual process units. Use
remaining DOFs to improve local control, but only after
resolving more important plant-wide issues.
Step 9: Optimize economics and improve dynamic
controllability. Add nice-to-have options with any
remaining DOFs.
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EXAMPLE 2: ACYCLIC PROCESS
Maintain a constant production rate
Achieve constant composition in the liquid effluent from the flash
drum.
Keep the conversion of the plant at its highest permissible value.

Steps 1 & 2: Establish the control objectives and DOFs:
Select V-7 for
On-demand
product flow
Select V-1 for
fixed feed
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EXAMPLE 2: ACYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
Need to control reactor temperature: Use V-2.
Step 3: Establish energy management system.
Need to control reactor feed temperature: Use V-3.
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EXAMPLE 2: ACYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
For on-demand product: Use V-7.
Step 4: Set the production rate.
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EXAMPLE 2: ACYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
To regulate V-100 pressure: Use V-5
Step 5: Control product quality, and meet safety,
environmental, and operational constraints.
To regulate V-100 temperature: Use V-6
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EXAMPLE 2: ACYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
Step 6: Fix recycle flow rates and vapor and liquid inventories
Need to control vapor inventory in V-100: Use V-5 (already installed)
Need to control liquid inventory in V-100: Use V-4
Need to control liquid inventory in R-100: Use V-1
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EXAMPLE 2: ACYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
Step 7: Check component balances. (N/A)
Install composition controller, cascaded with TC of reactor.
Step 8: Control the individual process units (N/A)
Step 9: Optimization
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EXAMPLE 2 (Class): ACYCLIC PROCESS
Try your hand at designing a plant-wide control system for
fixed feed rate.
Select V-1 for
fixed feed
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EXAMPLE 2 (Class): ACYCLIC PROCESS
Possible solution.
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EXAMPLE 3: CYCLIC PROCESS
The above control system for (fixed feed) has an
inherent problem?
Can you see what it is?
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EXAMPLE 3: CYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
The above control system for (fixed feed) has an
inherent problem?
Can you see what it is?
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EXAMPLE 3: CYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
Maintain the production rate at a specified level.
Keep the conversion of the plant at its highest permissible value.
Steps 1 & 2: Establish the control objectives and DOFs:
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EXAMPLE 3: CYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
Need to control reactor temperature: Use V-2.
Step 3: Establish energy management system.
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EXAMPLE 3: CYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
For fixed feed: Use V-1.
Step 4: Set the production rate.
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EXAMPLE 3: CYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
To regulate V-100 pressure: Use V-4
Step 5: Control product quality, and meet safety,
environmental, and operational constraints.
To regulate V-100 temperature: Use V-5
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EXAMPLE 3: CYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
Step 6: Fix recycle flow rates and vapor and liquid inventories
Need to control vapor inventory in V-100: Use V-4 (already installed)
Need to control liquid inventory in V-100: Use V-3
Need to control liquid inventory in R-100: Cascade to FC on V-1.
Need to control recycle flow rate: Use V-6
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EXAMPLE 3: CYCLIC PROCESS (Contd)
Install composition controller, cascaded with TC of reactor.
Steps 7, 8 and 9: Improvements
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Outlined qualitative approach for unit-by-
unit control structure selection
Outlined qualitative approach for plantwide
control structure selection
SUMMARY