Examine Process Controllers Using Control Philosophies

Control Systems and Automation By Brendan Burr

Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS...........................................................2 TASK 1................................................................................4 Describe the following terminology used in process control:-. 4 Tuning................................................................................4 Solution:-.........................................................................................4 Set Point............................................................................4 Solution:-.........................................................................................4 Range.................................................................................4 Solution:-.........................................................................................4 Deviation............................................................................4 Solution:-.........................................................................................4 Proportional........................................................................5 Solution:-.........................................................................................5 Proportional Plus Derivative................................................6 Solution:-.........................................................................................6 Proportional Plus Integral Plus Derivative.............................6 Solution:-.........................................................................................6 TASK 2................................................................................7 Describe the control action of a three term controller:-........7 Solution:-.........................................................................................7 TASK 3................................................................................9 Examine and describe the following Ziegler and Nichols methods of tuning a controller:-...........................................9 a) Process Reaction Curve Method......................................9 Solution:-.........................................................................................9 b) Ultimate or Continuous Cycle Method............................11 Solution:-.......................................................................................11 EVALUATION.....................................................................12 CONCLUSION.....................................................................12 Books...............................................................................13 2

Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

Catalogues........................................................................13 Websites...........................................................................13

Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

Task 1
Describe the following terminology used in process control:Tuning Solution:Tuning is a term used to describe the process of selecting the best controller settings. These controller settings will be predefined by the user, so that a required output can be attained and easily maintained throughout controller operation. The better the tuning of the controller the more efficient it will be, therefore if the controller is well tuned, it may be more stable. Set Point Solution:The desired value of the process variable is called the set point. This is the value that the user is trying to achieve at the output. On feedback controllers this will be the value which the output is compared to, and then adjustments can be made to suit the output to the set point. Range Solution:The range is the amount of acceptable deviation from the set point. i.e the set of values of the dependant variable. The larger the range set, the more deviation is acceptable for the working parameters of the controller. If the controller has a small range of variables then there will be more control and less deviation at the output. Deviation Solution:Deviation is the difference between the actual value and the desired process value. Using this value a feedback controller can adjust the input accordingly to match the set point, giving the controller more stability.

Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

Proportional Solution:Proportional is used to describe where two values change at a constant ratio. In terms of proportional control, the output of the controller is directly proportional to its input. This allows inputs to be entered manually, and the results can be easily calculated. So if there is a ratio of 1:2 then if 5 volts were entered at the input, you should expect 10 volts to be found at the output.

Above is an image taken from Bibliography Website reference number 3. It is an image of a proportional temperature control system. The measured variable change and the controller output are proportional, as exampled in the graph above.

Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

Proportional Plus Derivative Solution:Proportional plus derivative control is where the control signal is a linear combination of the error signal and its derivative. Proportional Plus Integral Plus Derivative Solution:Proportional plus integral plus derivative control is where the error is calculated by the controller and the controller attempts to minimise the error by adjusting the process control inputs.

The image above is taken from the Bibliography Website reference number 4. It is an image of a Proportional plus Integral plus Derivative controller, I will explain more on this later on in this assignment.

Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

Task 2
Describe the control action of a three term controller:Solution:Firstly, to explain the control action of a three term controller, I will explain the three terms individually. Proportional:As explained briefly above, with proportionate control, the output of the controller is directly proportional to its input, the input being the current error value. If the output from the proportional term is too high, the system can become unstable. In contrast, if the output is too low then the control action may be too small when responding to any system disturbances. The proportional response can be adjusted by multiplying the error by a constant, Kp, this is called the proportional gain. Integral:The integral term is proportional to the magnitude of the error and the duration the error lasts. By summing the instantaneous error over time, the accumulated offset that should have been corrected previously is given. This error is then multiplied by the integral gain and added to the controller output. The integral gain then determines the magnitude of the contribution of the integral term to the overall control action. When adding the integral term to the proportional term, there is an accelerated movement of the process towards the set point, eliminating the residual steady state error that occurs when you only have the proportional term. The problem with this is that the values are accumulated from the past errors, so this causes the present value to overshoot the set point. Derivative:The derivative term slows the rate of change of the controller output. This effect is most noticeable close to the controller set point. For this reason the derivative control is used to reduce the magnitude of the overshoot caused by the integral term, and improves controller process stability. A problem is found with this term when there are sufficiently large amounts of noise. The susceptibility of this term can cause the controller to become unstable.

Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

All three values from the three above systems can be interpreted in terms of time. Proportional depends on the present error, Integral depends on the accumulation of past errors, and Derivative is a prediction of future errors, all based on the current rate of change. The sum of these three outputs is used to adjust the process via a control element, such as the power supply of a heating element. This provides a much more stable controller, compared to one of the three used alone. Because of the extra stability the PID controller is the more widely used in industries, than any other type of controller.

The following image was taken from Page 235 of the W. Bolton Control Engineering Book, listed in the Bibliography. In the feedback loop of a PID Controller there are a number of processes which take place, it is an accumulation of all the processes which gives the PID Controller a steady state output. The error in the first loop is zero in the initial condition, so the value of the set point input is the same value that enters the controller. The proportional term will then do as described above and amplify the input in terms of the proportional gain. The same value that has entered the proportional term will enter the integral and the derivative term. In the integral term the integral gain is calculated using the previous error signal, so in the initial condition this value shouldnt be too great. The derivative term will be in the same scenario, with there being no input of error. After the error signal has been fed back through the system to the first summing junction, the new input signal will change. The proportional term will provide the required gain, however the integral will deliver a gain which is multiplied by the error level and the amount of time it has lasted. The two terms, proportional and integral, are summed with the derivative term which is used to control the speed in which the other two deliver the gain. The closer the error value is to the set point, the less gain will be provided, therefore providing a much steadier output.

Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

Task 3
Examine and describe the following Ziegler and Nichols methods of tuning a controller:a) Process Reaction Curve Method Solution:NOTE:- The following extract is taken from Page 237 of the W. Bolton Control Engineering book, listed in the Bibliography. Both methods are based on experiments and analysis and are useful rules of thumb that are used frequently. The first method is often called the process reaction curve method. The procedure with this method is to open the control loop so that no control action occurs. Generally, the break is made between the controller and the correction unit. A test input signal is then applied to the correction unit and the error response of the measures process variable determined, i.e. the error signal. The test signal should be as small as possible. Figure 10.16 shows the form of test signal and a typical response. The graph measure signal plotted against time is called the process reaction curve.

The following image was taken from Page 237 of the W. Bolton Control Engineering Book, listed in the Bibliography.

Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

The test signal P is expressed as the percentage change in the correction unit. The measure variable is expressed as the percentage of the full-scale range. A tangent is drawn to give the maximum gradient of the graph. For Figure 10.16 the maximum gradient R is M/T. The time between when the test signal started and when this tangent intersects the graph time axis is termed the lag L. The following table gives the criteria recommended by Ziegler and Nichols for control settings based on the values of P, R and L. Control Mode Proportional only Proportional + integral Proportional + integral + derivative Kp P/RL 0.9P/RL 1.2P/RL Ki 1/3.33L 1/2L Kd 0.5L

In practicality this method may be difficult to implement. To be able to make a break in the control loop, to prevent any control action may be quite difficult to do in reality. Understandably this would only have to be done whilst the controller is being set up, however there could be difficulties caused because of this requirement. If for example the controller needed to be reset and retuned, it may mean having to reinstall the controller, having had to have made a break in the control loop. This would mean that the controller would be difficult to service throughout its life in operation.

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Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

b) Ultimate or Continuous Cycle Method Solution:NOTE:- The following extract is taken from Page 238 of the W. Bolton Control Engineering book, listed in the Bibliography. The other method is called the ultimate cycle method. First, integral and derivative actions are reduced to their minimum values. The proportional constant Kp is set low and then gradually increased. This is the same as saying that the proportional band is gradually made narrower. While doing this small disturbances are applied to the system. This is continued until continuous oscillations occur. The critical value of the proportional constant Kpc at which this occurs is noted and the periodic time of the oscillations Tc measured. The following table shows the Ziegler and Nichols recommended criteria for controller settings are related to this value of Kpc. The critical proportional band is 100/Kpc. Control Mode Proportional only Proportional + integral Proportional + integral + derivative Kp 0.5Kpc 0.45Kpc 0.6Kpc Ki 1.2/Tc 2.0/Tc Kd 8/Tc

Like the process reaction curve method, this method may be difficult to implement. This is because the controller may have already been installed and then being able to apply the above method would be much more difficult because of access issues. Each of the controllers could be manufactured to allow the methods to be carried out after installation, making servicing of the controllers much easier. They could be designed to include extra switches and connectors, which could be used to isolate the controller from the rest of the circuit/system.

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Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

Evaluation
I bought the Control Engineering book by W. Bolton, to aid me in completing this assignment as well as the other Control Systems assignments. I was slightly disappointed with the content in terms of the explanations given for some of the theory work in the book. I couldnt find much information, with regards to Task 1 and the necessary terminology required. This meant I had to use alternative sources such as the internet, where I found a very useful website for the terminology (bibliography website number 1). This website was good, but still didnt list all the terminology required to complete the task. For Task 2, I carried out a lot of research on the internet as well as extracting some information from the book. I decided that to best describe the control action of the three term controller, I should firstly describe each term individually. This was where the book came in useful as it had a breakdown of the three terms, so I was able to extract the information relatively easily. It was interesting to find out that the integral term uses the past errors and the derivative term predicts future errors, therefore balancing one another and preventing overshoot. This is even more fascinating to know because the first PID controller theory work was carried out in the 1890s, making it an incredibly old technology. Things have however moved on from the basic cams and cogs ship steering version into more modern systems such as the electrical ones seen today. For Task 3, I decided it was best to use the text straight from the book. I searched a few websites initially to see if I could find any further information, but it was mainly examples of the description in the book. Using this description I then wrote a brief evaluation explaining my views on each of the methods.

Conclusion
Overall, I feel I have managed to successfully answer all of the necessary questions. I am a bit dubious to say that it matches my usual standards, merely because I found the information on the subject was slightly limited. This meant I was unable to get a collective view on the subject from many sources and draw my own conclusions. I believe this is the last research based assignment, other than the business assignments, which I am pleased about. I find the research can take a very long time, and at times it feels like you have worked for hours and written one paragraph. Im looking forward to getting stuck into the rest of this Control Systems unit as it takes a bit of brain power to solve some of the questions.

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Brendan Burr

BTEC Higher National Certificate in Electronics

Control Systems and Automation

Bibliography
Through guidance from my lecturer, the following text books, catalogues and websites I was able to complete this assignment: Books Control Engineering (W. Bolton) ISBN: 0-582-32773-3 Catalogues N/A Websites 1. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/process-control-terms-d_666.html 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller 3. http://knowledgepublications.com/doe/images/DOE_Instrumentation_P roportional_temp_control_system.gif 4. http://radhesh.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/pid.jpg

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