Chapter 15

PID Controllers Applied to

MIMO Processes
22 Example of a MIMO Process

c1 y1

+
G'11(s)

+
G'21(s)

G'12(s)

+
c2 y2

+
G'22(s)

Process
Example of a 22 MIMO Process
Two inputs: Setpoints
LC
for flow controller on
L
D
steam and reflux.
AT Two outputs:
V Composition of products
B and D
LC
AT
B
 Configuration Selection
(Choosing the u/y Pairings)
That is, which manipulated variable is to be
used to control which controlled variable.
Choosing an inferior configuration can
dramatically reduce control performance.
For many processes, configuration selection
is a difficult and challenging process (e.g.,
dual composition control for distillation).
Single Loop Controllers Applied
to a 22 MIMO Process
Control Loop 1

y1,sp - c1

++
GC 1 G'11(s)
+

y1

G'21(s)

G'12(s)

y2,sp c2 y2

++
GC 2 G'22(s)
+

Control Loop 2
 Example of Single Loop PID
Controllers Applied to 22 Process
L is adjusted by PID
PT LC
controller to maintain
L D
composition of D at its
AT y setpoint.
F
AC
Steam flow is adjusted
z V
AC by PID controller to
LC maintain composition
of B at its setpoint.
AT B
x
Coupling Effect of Loop 2 on y1
Control Loop 1

y1,sp - c1

+
GC 1 G'11(s)
+

+
y1

G'21(s)

G'12(s)

y2,sp c2 y2

++
GC 2 G'22(s)
+

Control Loop 2
 Example of Coupling

PT LC L is adjusted to maintain
L D
the composition of D
AT y which causes changes in
F
AC
the composition of B.
z V
AC The bottom loop changes
LC the flow rate of steam to
AT B
correct for the effect of
x the reflux changes which
causes changes in the
composition of D.
The Three Factors that Affect
Configuration Selection
Coupling
Dynamic response
Sensitivity to Disturbances
 Steady-State Coupling
11 12
RGA
21 22
11 22 11 12 1 21 22 1
Therefore, only one element requires evaluation :
y1

c1 c2
11
y1

c1 y 2
 Relative Gain Array
When 11 is equal to unity, no coupling is
present.
When 11 is greater than unity, coupling
works in the opposite direction as the
primary effect.
When 11 is less than unity, coupling works
in the same direction as the primary effect.
 Numerator of 11
c y1
y1

+
G'11(s)

+
c1 c2 G'21(s)

G'12(s)

y2,sp c2 y2

++
GC 2 G'22(s)
+

Control Loop 2
 Denominator of 11
y1 c1 y1

++
G'11(s)
c1 y2
G'21(s)

G'12(s)

y2,sp c2 y2

++
GC 2 G'22(s)
+

Control Loop 2
 RGA Example

K11 K12 1.0 0.1

K 21 K 22 0.05 2.0
y1
K11 1.0
c1 c
2

y1
K11 coupling effect on y1
c1 y2
 c1 = 1.0
y2 = K21 c1 = 0.05
c1 y1

+
G'11(s)

+
G'21(s)

G'12(s)

y2,sp c2 y2

++
GC 2 G'22(s)
+

Control Loop 2
c2 = -y2/K22 = -0.05/2 =-0.025
c1 y1

+
G'11(s)

+
G'21(s)

G'12(s)

y2,sp c2 y2

++
GC 2 G'22(s)
+

Control Loop 2
(y1)coup = c2 K12 = -0.025(0.1) =-.0025
c1 y1

+
G'11(s)

+
G'21(s)

G'12(s)

y2,sp c2 y2

++
GC 2 G'22(s)
+

Control Loop 2
 Calculation of RGA

y1 1 0.0025
0.9975
c1 y2 1
1.0
11 1.0025
0.9975
This result indicates that the
system is highly decoupled
RGA Calculation for 22 System

K11 1
11
K12 K 21 K12 K 21
K11 1
K 22 K11 K 22
 RGA Analysis
RGA is a good measure of the coupling
effect of a configuration if all the
input/output relationships have the same
general dynamic behavior.
Otherwise, it can be misleading.
Example Showing Dynamic
Factors
1. 0 0 .3
G11 ( s ) G12 ( s )
100 s 1 10 s 1
0.4 2. 0
G21 ( s ) G22 ( s )
10 s 1 100 s 1

1
Steady State RGA 0.94
0.4(0.3)
1
1(2)
 Dynamic Example
Note that the off-diagonal terms possess
dynamics that are 10 times faster than the
diagonal terms.
As a result, adjustments in c1 to correct y1
result in changes in y2 long before y1 can be
corrected. Then the other control loop
makes adjustments in c2 to correct y2, but y1
changes long before y2. Thus adjustments
in c1 cause changes in y1 from the coupling
long before the direct effect.
Direct Pairing (Thin Line) and
Reverse Pairing (Thick Line)

y1

y2

0 100 200 300 400 500

Time
 Dynamic RGA
1
11 ( )
G12 (i ) G21 (i )
1
G11 (i ) G22 (i )
For a first order process :
Kp
G (i )
2p 2 1
For this example :
1
11
16.7(10 2 2 1)
1
100 2 2 1
 Dynamic RGA for Direct (a) and
Reverse (b) Pairings
1
b
0.8

0.6
11

0.4

0.2 a

0
0.01 0.1 1 10

Consider the frequency, , corresponding to desired

closed loop response which indicates b better than a
Overall Dynamic Considerations
Pairings of manipulate and controlled
variables should be done so that each
controlled variable responds as quickly as
possible to changes in its manipulated
variable.
 Sensitivity to Disturbances
In general, each configuration has a different
sensitivity to a disturbance. Note that thick and
thin line represent the results for different
configurations

Bottom Product
Product Impurity

Overhead Product
Time
 Configuration Selection
It is the combined effect of coupling,
dynamic response, and sensitivity to
disturbances that determines the control
performance for a particular control
configuration for a MIMO process.
Configuration Selection for a C3
Splitter

Configurat ion RGA ( )

11
( L, B ) 0.94
( L, V ) 25.3
( L / D, V / B ) 1.70
( D, V ) 0.06
(L,V) Configuration Applied to
the C3 Splitter
PT LC

L D
AT y
F
AC
z V
AC

LC

AT B
x
Reflux Ratio Applied to the
Overhead of the C3 Splitter
LC

AT FT D

AC

L/D

Configuration Selection Example
L, L/D, and V are the least sensitive to feed
composition disturbances.
L and V have the most immediate effect on
the product compositions followed by L/D
and V/B with D and B yielding the slowest
response.
 Control Performance

Configurat ion IAE for Overhead IAE for Bottoms

( L, B ) 0.067 1.49
( L, V ) 0.250 13.3
( L / D, V / B ) 0.095 2.00
( D, V ) 0.098 1.91
 Analysis of Configuration
Selection Example
Note that (L,V) is the worst configuration in
spite of the fact that it is the least susceptible
to disturbances and the fastest acting
configuration, but it is the most coupled.
Even though (D,V) had an RGA of 0.06, it
had decent control performance.
(L,B) is best since it has good decoupling
and the overhead product is most important.
 Tuning Decentralized Controllers
When a particular loop is 3 times or more faster than
the rest of the loops, tune it first.
When tuning two or more loop with similar
dynamics, use ATV identification with online tuning

First loop : Kc K ZN
c / FT I ZN
I FT
Second loop : K c K ZN
c / FT I ZN
I FT
 One-Way Decoupler
y1,sp - c1

++

++
G'11
+
GC 1
y1

G'21
D1(s)
G'12

y2,sp y2

+
GC 2 G'22
+

+
- c2

( s)
G12
D1 ( s )
(s)
G11
 Overview
The combined effect of coupling, sensitivity
to disturbances, and dynamic response
determine the performance of a configuration
Implement tuning of fast loops first and use a
single tuning factor when several loops are
tuned together.
One-way decoupling can be effective when
the most important controlled variable
suffers from significant coupling.