Unit- 5
Process control
EE-307
Instrumentation
Process :
• An operation or series of operations on fluid or solid materials and its objective is to convert certain raw materials
into desired products using available sources of energy in the most economical way.
• At every stage it consume one or more type of resources (employee time, energy, machines, money etc.) into
outputs
• These outputs then serve as inputs for the next stage until a known goal or end result is reached.
Control:
• Control in process industries refers to the regulation of all aspects of the process to maintain specific values.
• PROCESS may be controlled by measuring a variable representing the desired state of the product and
automatically adjusting one of the other variables of the process.
• A desired quantity is kept at set point irrespective of external influences.
AUTOMATIC PROCESS CONTROL
• It is the maintenance of a desired value of a quantity or conditions by measuring the existing value, comparing
it to the desired value and employing the difference to initiate action for reducing this difference.
• This requires a feedback control system which does not require human aid.
Applications of Process Control
Processing industries such as petroleum, chemical, steel, power and food for the control of assembly
operations, work flow, heat treating and similar variables.
Goods manufacturers such as automobile parts, refrigerators and electronic equipment like television sets,
radio etc. for the control of assembly operations, work flow, heat treating and similar variables.
Transportation systems such as railways, airplanes, free missiles and ships.
Power machines such as machine tools, compressors and pumps, prime movers, and electric power supply
units for the control of position, speed and power.
Need of process control
Increase in productivity.
Improvement in quality of products by meeting the product specifications overcoming
operational constraints.
Improvement in the consistency of product dimensions, performance and length of service.
Economical improvement by way of savings in processing raw materials, savings in energy,
effective utilization of capital and human labour etc.
Minimize/ suppress the influence of external disturbances on the process.
Ensure the stability of the process.
Optimize the performance of the process.
Meet environmental regulations.
Process control system
• A process control system can be defined as the functions and operations necessary to
change material either physically or chemically.
• Process control normally refers to the manufacturing or processing of products in industry.
Process variables: A condition of the process fluid (a liquid or gas) that can change the
manufacturing process in some way. Common process variables include:
• Pressure Flow
• Level
• Temperature
• Density
• Liquid interface
• Mass
• Conductivity
Components of process control system
Operator-machine interface
operator
External External
sensors actuators
Input Output
controller Signal
signal
condi- Condi-
tioning tioning
Process Process
sensors actuators
Controlled
process computer
Primary components of Process Control System
1. Programmable Control Logic
• Best for controlling machines with several discrete devices such as motor starters,
limit switches, etc
• Uses a programmable memory to store instructions and execute specific functions that
include on/off control, timing, counting, sequencing, etc
• It is equipped with special input/output interfaces and a control programming
language.
2. DISTRIBUTED CONTROL SYSTEM
Central control systems which are good at
controlling analog devices.
In this control elements are distributed throughout
the system.
A hierarchy of controllers is connected by
communications networks for command and
monitoring.
Dedicated systems used to control manufacturing
processes that are continuous or batch-oriented
such as oil refining, petrochemicals, central station
power generation, fertilizers etc.
Types of Process Control system
1. Open-loop control system
A control action is applied on the output of the system
It does not receive any feedback signal to control or alter the output status
• Set Point-
• Controller-
• Actuators-
• Process-
• Disturbance- Block diagram of open loop control system
2.Closed loop control system
The output of the process affects the input control signal.
The system measures the actual output of the process and compares it to the desired output.
Block diagram of Closed loop control system
Classification of controller
Basis of control action as:
1. Proportional controller (P)
Fig. Block diagram of proportional control system
Integral controller (I)
Derivative controller (D)
Proportional + Integral Controller (PI)
Proportional + Derivative Controller (PD)
The stability and overshoot problems that arise when a proportional controller is used at high gain
can be reduced by adding a term proportional to the time-derivative of the error signal.
PID CONTROLLER
Digital controller
