THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

EXAMINATIONS OF
Code and Name of Course:

APRIL/MAY

2001

CH26B Process Dynamics and Control I

Paper:

Date and Time:

Duration:

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES: This paper has

pages and

3 hrs.

questions

Calculators may be used in this examination. They must be silent, cordless and non-programmable.
Calculators will be examined to ensure that they comply with these requirements.

Answer questions 1, 2, 3, and two of questions 4, 5, 6, 7.

1.

(a)

Solve the ordinary differential equation:

d T (t )
T (t ) Ti (t )
dt

where 20, T(0) = 50 and Ti(t) increases in step fashion from 50 to 55 at time
t = 0:

50, t 0
Ti (t)
55, t 0
(b)

Solve the ordinary differential equation:

d 2 x(t )
d x(t )
5
4 x(t ) 2,
2
dt
dt

t 0

subject to the boundary conditions

x (0) 0,

d x (t )
dt

1
t 0

[15 marks]

The University of the West Indies

Course Code

CH26B

2000/2001

DO NOT WRITE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY
INSTRUCTIONS: Each page of this draft must be signed by the UNIVERSITY EXAMINER. Completed forms should be handed to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations). The EXTERNAL EXAMINER is requested to sign the draft paper and return it with comments, if any, to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
...........................................
First Examiner

...........................................
University Examiner

........................................
Second Examiner

External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20....../......./......

Date: 20././.

page 2

2.

For each of the following functions y (s ), what can you say about y (t ), (0 t )
without solving for y (t ) ? In other words, what are y (0) and y () ? Is y (t )
converging or diverging? Is y (t ) smooth or oscillatory? (N.B. y (t ) L1 [ y ( s ) ] )

12

s 9 s 20

1
s

(a)

y (s)

(b)

y ( s)

3
( s 2 6 s 10) ( s 2)

(c)

y (s)

5
s 9

[15 marks]
3.

The dynamic behaviour of a thermocouple was tested by immersing it in a constant

temperature bath at 50 C. The thermocouple was initially at 10 C. Plot the following
time-temperature data and fit a first-order-plus-deadtime model to the response.
Table Q3 - Thermocouple response test data.
Time

Thermocouple
Reading

<sec>

<C>

10

14

20

17

40

23

60

29

80

32

100

35

150

41

200

45

300

47

400

49
[20 marks]

The University of the West Indies

Course Code

CH26B

2000/2001

DO NOT WRITE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY
INSTRUCTIONS: Each page of this draft must be signed by the UNIVERSITY EXAMINER. Completed forms should be handed to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations). The EXTERNAL EXAMINER is requested to sign the draft paper and return it with comments, if any, to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........................................
First Examiner

...........................................
University Examiner

..........................................
Second Examiner

External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20....../......./......

Date: 20././.

page 3

4.

Consider the cylindrical surge tank illustrated in Fig. Q4. Liquid flows into the vessel at
volumetric flowrate Fin (t ) and is pumped out at the rate Fout (t ). The height of liquid
in the tank is to be denoted by the symbol h(t ).

F in (t)

LC

h(t)

out

(t)

Figure Q4 - Cylindrical receiver.

At steady-state, the inlet and outlet flows are 0.05 m3/s with accumulated liquid at a level
of hss = 3 m. The cross-sectional area of the tank is A = 1.5 m2. You may assume that the
control valve is linear and that the tank level setpoint remains constant at its initial value of
3 m.
(a)

Explain why the gain of the level controller should have a negative sign (the
effluent flow control valve is air-to-open).

(b)

Draw a well-labelled block diagram for the level control system of Fig. Q4 and
obtain the closed loop transfer function between the controlled tank level h (s )
and the inlet flow disturbance Fin (s ). (The overbar here denotes the Laplace
transform of a perturbation variable, e.g. h ( s ) L [ h(t ) hss ].) The process,
controller, control valve and disturbance transfer functions are respectively:
G(s)

Fmax
1/ A
1
1/ A
, Gc ( s ) K c 1
, Gd ( s )
, Gv ( s )
s
I s
100
s

where Fmax denotes the effluent flowrate observed with the control valve fully
open. (Dynamics associated with the level measurement sensor may be neglected.)
Will offset be observed in response to step changes in the inlet flowrate Fin (t ) ?
Explain your answer.
(c)

Derive the closed loop transfer function between the manipulated effluent flowrate
Fout (s ) and the inlet flow disturbance Fin (s ). Prove that the manipulated

The University of the West Indies

Course Code

CH26B

2000/2001

DO NOT WRITE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY
INSTRUCTIONS: Each page of this draft must be signed by the UNIVERSITY EXAMINER. Completed forms should be handed to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations). The EXTERNAL EXAMINER is requested to sign the draft paper and return it with comments, if any, to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........................................
First Examiner

...........................................
University Examiner

..........................................
Second Examiner

External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20....../......./......

Date: 20././.

page 4

variable response to step changes in Fin (t ) is underdamped second-order for all

negative values of Kc such that
| Kc |

400 A
Fmax I

What are the implications of underdamped control action with respect to the
propagation of flowrate disturbances through a series of units operating under PI
level control?
[25 marks]
5.

The objective in the water heating tank process shown in Fig. Q5 is to maintain the outlet
temperature at some desired setpoint Tsp (t ) by adjusting FS (t ), the flowrate of
saturated steam supplied to the heating coil. The steam delivery pressure is P (t ), and it
experiences variations over which we have no control but which affect FS (t ).
w, Ti

V, T
w, T
TC

FI
Saturated Steam
Pressure,
Flowrate,

TT

TSP
P(t)
F S (t)

Figure Q5 - Stirred tank water heater.

The relevant transfer functions for the components of this closed-loop system are given as
follows:
G (s )

Transfer function relating steam flowrate to outlet temperature

Gc (s )

Temperature controller transfer function

Gd 1 ( s ) Transfer function relating inlet stream temperature

to outlet

temperature
The University of the West Indies

Course Code

CH26B

2000/2001

DO NOT WRITE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY
INSTRUCTIONS: Each page of this draft must be signed by the UNIVERSITY EXAMINER. Completed forms should be handed to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations). The EXTERNAL EXAMINER is requested to sign the draft paper and return it with comments, if any, to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........................................
First Examiner

...........................................
University Examiner

..........................................
Second Examiner

External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20....../......./......

Date: 20././.

page 5

Gd 2 ( s ) Transfer function relating steam pressure to steam flowrate

Gv (s )

Transfer function relating controller output to steam flowrate

H (s )

Transfer function describing dynamic response of thermocouple

(a)

Develop a block diagram for the closed-loop system of Fig. Q5 and obtain the
closed-loop transfer function equation relating changes in the temperature setpoint
and disturbances to the heater outlet temperature T (s ).

(b)

For the specific situation in which the transfer functions are given as
G (s)

0.5
1
0.15
, Gd 1 ( s )
, Gd 2 ( s )
5s 1
3s 1
15 s 1
Gv ( s )

2
,
0.5 s 1

H (s)

1
0.2 s 1

determine the range of Kc values for which the system remains stable. Assume that
a Proportional-Integral temperature control strategy is to be implemented with the
integral time fixed at I 0.2. In answering this question, you may wish to
make use of the Routh array

Row
1
2
3
4

a0

a1

a2
a3

a4
a5

b1

b2

b3

c1

c2

c3

a6

a7

where

(c)

b1

a1 a 2 a0 a3
a a a 0 a5
, b2 1 4
,
a1
a1

c1

b1 a3 a1 b2
b a a1 b3
, c2 1 5
,
b1
b1

If a cascade control scheme is to be employed, how should the second control loop
be configured (i.e., what will it manipulate, and which measurement will it accept)?
Draw the block diagram for the process under this strategy and derive the
characteristic equation of the outer temperature control loop in terms of its
proportional gain K c . The secondary controller is to be specified as a
proportional controller with Kc2 = 5; you may neglect the sensor dynamics
associated with this inner loop.
[25 marks]

The University of the West Indies

Course Code

CH26B

2000/2001

DO NOT WRITE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY
INSTRUCTIONS: Each page of this draft must be signed by the UNIVERSITY EXAMINER. Completed forms should be handed to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations). The EXTERNAL EXAMINER is requested to sign the draft paper and return it with comments, if any, to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........................................
First Examiner

...........................................
University Examiner

..........................................
Second Examiner

External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20....../......./......

Date: 20././.

page 6

6.

A perfectly-mixed batch reactor containing 7500 lbm of liquid is surrounded by a cooling

jacket that is filled with 2480 lbm of perfectly-mixed cooling water. The heat capacity of
the reactor liquid is identical to that of water: 1 Btu (lbm)-1 (F)-1.
At the beginning of the batch cycle, both the reactor liquid and the jacket water are at 203
F. At this point in time, catalyst is added to the reactor and a reaction occurs that
generates heat at a constant rate of 15,300 Btu/min. At this same moment, makeup
cooling water at 68 F is fed into the jacket at a constant mass flowrate of 832 lbm/min.
The heat transfer area between the reactor and the jacket is 140 ft 2. The overall heat
transfer coefficient is 70 Btu (hr) -1 (F)-1 (ft2)-1. Mass of the metal walls can be neglected.
Heat loss to the surroundings is negligible.
(a)

Develop a mathematical model of the process.

(b)

Use Laplace transforms to solve for the dynamic change in reactor temperature
T(t).

(c)

What is the final steady-state reactor temperature?

[25 marks]

The University of the West Indies

Course Code

CH26B

2000/2001

DO NOT WRITE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY
INSTRUCTIONS: Each page of this draft must be signed by the UNIVERSITY EXAMINER. Completed forms should be handed to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations). The EXTERNAL EXAMINER is requested to sign the draft paper and return it with comments, if any, to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........................................
First Examiner

...........................................
University Examiner

..........................................
Second Examiner

External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20....../......./......

Date: 20././.

page 7

7.

A heat exchanger has the following open loop transfer function relating the manipulated
steam flowrate S (s ) to the controlled temperature T (s ) :
G (s)

K
,
(5 s 1) ( s 1) 2

K 5 C / (1000 kg/ hr)

The span of the temperature transmitter is 50 C. The steam control valve has linear
installed characteristics and passes 30,000 kg/hr of steam when wide open. A
proportional-only temperature controller is used.
(a)

What are the poles and zeros of the open loop system? Is it open loop stable?

(b)

What is the minimum value of proportional band that gives a stable closed loop
system? (Hint: The Routh Array defined in Question 5(b) may be of use in
solving this problem.)

(c)

Using a controller gain Kc = 2 % / %, what is the closed loop servo transfer

function relating the temperature transmitter output PV to the setpoint SP?

(d)

The open loop transfer function relating the load variable feed flowrate
the controlled variable T (s ) is
GL ( s)

K L (2 s 1)
,
(5 s 1) ( s 1) 2

F (s )

to

K L 2 C / (100 litres / min)

Using a controller gain of 2 % / %, what is the closed loop regulatory transfer

function relating temperature T (s ) to feed flow F (s ) ?
(e)

Derive the open-loop response of heat exchanger outlet temperature T (t ) to a

1000 kg/hr increase in steam flowrate S (t ) at time zero. The primes () here
denote deviation from initial steady-state conditions, and L1 [ T ( s ) ] T (t ),
etc.
[25 marks]

END OF QUESTION PAPER

The University of the West Indies

Course Code

CH26B

2000/2001

DO NOT WRITE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY
INSTRUCTIONS: Each page of this draft must be signed by the UNIVERSITY EXAMINER. Completed forms should be handed to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations). The EXTERNAL EXAMINER is requested to sign the draft paper and return it with comments, if any, to the Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........................................
First Examiner

...........................................
University Examiner

..........................................
Second Examiner

External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20....../......./......

Date: 20././.