CN3121 Process Dynamics and Control

Project 2014-15
Objectives:
Cooperative or collaborative learning is a team process where members support and rely on each
other to achieve an agreed-upon goal. The classroom is an excellent place to develop teambuilding skills you will need later in life. Project work allows you to practice interpersonal as well
as technical skill. It helps to encourage teamwork and collaboration to improve your leadership
and learning abilities.
Cooperative/collaborative learning is interactive and as a team member, you:

develop and share a common goal

contribute your understanding of the problem; questions; insights and solutions
respond to, and work to understand, others' questions, insights and solutions.
are accountable to others, and they are accountable to you
are dependent on others, and they depend on you

Organization:
Students should group themselves into teams of four/five members. Each team should identify a
team coordinator who should ensure that the members of his/her team meet and interact during
the execution of the project. All members of the team are expected to work together on all aspects
of the given problem. The project is divided into two parts: Part I (Process Dynamics) and Part II
(Process Control). While the problem statement for Part I is specified here, Part II will be defined
in October.
The reports should represent the unaided original work of each team. Plagiarism in any form
will not be tolerated.
Report Format:
The final report for Part I should be typed on A4 sheets using 12 pt Times New Roman with 1.5
line spacing. Margins of 1 on all sides should be maintained. A suggested format for your report
is:
Cover page (1 page)
Conclusions
Contents (1 page)
Contributions
Summary (1 page)
References
Introduction
Appendix
Results and Discussion
Page limit: 15 pages excluding References and Appendix
In the report, graphs and tables can be included in main text while computer codes (including
Simulink screenshots, if any) developed by the teams can be provided in appendices
A softcopy of the report (MS word format, .doc or .docx) for Part I should be uploaded in IVLE
(Project Part 1 directory) by 6pm on 18th October, 2014. File name should be
CN3121_Group01. Late submission without valid reasons will carry a penalty of 3 marks per
day of delay.

Problem statement for Part I:

Consider the CSTR as shown below:

A feed containing only reactants A and B is fed into the CSTR. Reactants A and B participate in
the reaction network as shown on the right. The CSTR is surrounded by a cooling jacket with
coolant at Tc.
The assumptions are as follows:
(1)
Perfectly mixed reactor
(2)
Constant heat capacities
(3)
The coolant temperature in the jacket attains the same temperature as the reactor
The nonlinear ODEs that describe the reactor concentrations of A, B C, D, and E, as well as the
reactor temperature T are as follows:

V
V

V
V
V

dc A
q (c Ai c A ) k1e E1 / RT c A cBV 2k3e E3 / RT c A2V
dt
dc B
q (cBi cB ) k1e E1 / RT c Ac BV k 2 e E2 / RT cB cCV
dt
dcC
qcCi k1e E1 / RT c Ac BV k 2 e E2 / RT cB cCV
dt
dcD
qc Di k 2 e E2 / RT cB cCV
dt
dc E
qc Ei k3e E3 / RT c A2V
dt
H 1

dT
k 2 e E2 / RT cB cCV H 2
q(Ti T ) k1e E1 / RT c A cBV
C
C
dt
p
p

H 3 UA

k3e E3 / RT c A2V
(T Tci )
C C
p
pc

The model parameters are given in Table 1. The team specific parameters will be sent by email.

Your tasks are as follows:

(a) Using the given model parameters and steady state values, find the steady state concentration
of A ( c A ) in the reactor. Next, obtain and plot the output response of C ( cC ), D ( cD ), and
reactor temperature (T), to a +10% step change in the coolant inlet temperature Tci by
simulating the model using Matlab or Simulink.
(b) Using the step responses obtained in step (a), select an appropriate transfer function model to
describe each step response from the available forms given below (explain your selection of
transfer functions), and determine the parameters by employing an empirical method of your
choice.

G ( s)

K
s 1

First Order (FO)

G ( s)

K
s 2s 1
2 2

Second Order (SO)

G (s)

K ( a s 1)
s 2s 1
2 2

SO with numerator dynamics

The list of empirical methods is as follows:

1. First order step response estimation (63.2% of response)
2. Smiths Method
3. Sundaresan and Krishnaswamys Method (K. R. Sundaresan, C.C. Prasad, P.R.
Krishnaswamy, Evaluating parameters from process transients, Industrial & Chemistry
Research, 17(3), 237-241, 1978).
4. Rangaiah and Krishnaswamy (G.P. Rangaiah and P.R. Krishnaswamy, Estimating
second-order plus dead time model parameters, Industrial & Chemistry Research, 33,
1867-1871, 1994).
5. Balaguer, Alfaro and Arrieta (P. Balaguer, V. Alfaro, O. Arrieta, Second order inverse
response process identification from transient step response, ISA Transactions, 50, 231238, 2011).
Note that this list is non exhaustive. You are free to employ other suitable empirical methods
from the scientific literature or develop a new method(s).
(c) Repeat step (b) using regression of step response data.
(d) Compare, analyze and discuss your results.
(e) Draw suitable conclusions.

Table 1: Model parameters and initial state values

Parameter Value
Units
Description
to be emailed
k1
1/h
Kinetic parameter for reaction A + B C
to be emailed
k2
1/h
Kinetic parameter for reaction C + B D
to
be
emailed
k2
1/h
Kinetic parameter for reaction 2A E
to be emailed
E1/R
1/K
Lumped parameter for activation energy
to be emailed
E2/R
1/K
Lumped parameter for activation energy
to be emailed
E3/R
1/K
Lumped parameter for activation energy
to be emailed
H1
kJ/mol
Heat of reaction
to be emailed
H2
kJ/mol
Heat of reaction
to be emailed
H3
kJ/mol
Heat of reaction
3
Cp
kJ/ m3K
Lumped parameter for heat capacity
3
Cpc
kJ/ m3K
Lumped parameter for heat capacity
3
10
V
m
Reactor volume
50
UA
kJ/hK
Lumped parameter for heat transfer
3
q
6
m /h
Nominal flow rate
Ti
393.15
K
Feed temperature
Tc
363.15
K
Coolant temperature
to be emailed
cAi
mol/m3
Concentration of A at the reactor inlet
3
to be emailed
cBi
Concentration of B at the reactor inlet
mol/m
to be emailed
cB
Concentration of B in the reactor
mol/m3
3
to be emailed
cC
Concentration of C in the reactor
mol/m
3
to
be
emailed
cD
Concentration of D in the reactor
mol/m
to be emailed
cE
Concentration of E in the reactor
mol/m3
to be emailed
T
K
Reactor temperature
*Note that the given values have been rounded off to the nearest 3 decimal places.

IMPORTANT! Contribution:
A team coordinator should inform a lecturer at least one week before the submission due if any
members of the team do not contribute at all (e.g., no email reply or access, no show in discussion
meeting without valid reasons, etc). Zero mark may be given to the members who have no
contribution. Informing and arguing the contribution issue after the submission due will not be
accepted, assuming equal contribution by all team members.