Gazi University Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering

ChE 473 Process Control (Gr.-I-01)

2011-2012 Fall Semester
Do. Dr. N. Alper TAPAN
Asst. Duygu UYSAL
October 2011
PROBLEM SET I
1) A completely enclosed stirred-tank heating process is used to heat an incoming stream
whose flow rate varies. The heating rate from this coil and the volume are both
constant.
a) Develop a mathematical model (differential and algebraic equations) that describes
the exit temperature if heat losses to the ambient occur and if heat losses at the
ambient occur and if the ambient temperature (T a) and the incoming streams
temperature (Ti) both can vary.
b) Discuss qualitatively what you expect to happen as T i and w increase (or decrease).
Justify by reference to your model.
Notes: and Cp are constants. U, the overall heat transfer coefficient, is constant.
As the surface area for heat loss to ambient. T i>Ta.
2) A process tank has two input streams, Stream 1 at mass flow rate w 1 and Stream 2 at
mass flow rate w2. The tanks effluent stream, at flow rate w, discharges through a
fixed valve to atmospheric pressure. Pressure drop across the valve is proportional to
the flow rate squared. The cross-sectional area of the tank, A, is 5m 2 and the mass
density of all streams is 940 kg/m3.
a) Draw s schematic diagram of the process and write an appropriate dynamic model
for the tank level. What is the corresponding steady-state model?
b) At initial steady-state conditions, with w1=2.0 kg/s and w2 1.2 kg/s the tank level is
2.25 m. What is the value of the valve constant (give units)?
c) A process control engineer decides to use a feed-forward controller to hold the level
approximately constant at the set-point value (h sp=2.25 m) by measuring w1 and
manipulating w2. What is the mathematical relation that will be used in the
controller? If the w1 measurement is not very accurate and always supplies a value
that is 1.1 times the actual flow rate, what can you conclude about the resulting
level control?
3) The liquid storage tank has two inlet streams with mass flow rates w 1 and w2 and an exit
stream w3. The cylindrical tank is 2.5 m tall and 2 m in diameter. The liquid has a
density of 800 kg/m3. Normal operating procedure is to fill the tank until the liquid level
reaches a nominal value of 1.75 m using constant rates : w 1:120 k/min, w2:100 kg/min
and w3:200 kg/min. At that point, inlet flow rate is w 1 is adjusted to that the level
remains constant. However, on this particular day, corrosion of the tank has opened up
a hole in the wall at a height of 1 m, producing leak whose volumetric flow rate q 4
(m3/min) can be approximated by
q 4 0.025 h 1

Where h is height in meters.

Gazi University Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering

ChE 473 Process Control (Gr.-I-01)
2011-2012 Fall Semester
Do. Dr. N. Alper TAPAN
Asst. Duygu UYSAL
October 2011
a) If the tank was initially empty, how long did it take the liquid level to reach the
corrosion point?
b) If mass flow rates w1, w2 and w3 are kept constant indefinitely, will the tank
eventually overflow?

4) Using partial fraction expansion where required, find x(t) for,

a) X ( s )

s ( s 1)
( s 2)( s 3)( s 4)

b) X ( s )

s ( s 1)
( s 2)( s 3)( s 2 4)

c)

X (s)

d) X ( s )

( s 4)
( s 1) 2

1
s s 1
2

( s 1)
e 0.5 s
s ( s 2)( s 3)
5) Find the solution of
dx
4 x f (t )
dt
e)

X (s)

Where

0, t 0

f (t) h,0 t 1 / h
0, t 1/ h

And x(0)=0. Plot the solution for values of h=1,10,100 and the limiting solution ( h )
from t=0 to t=2. Put all plots on the same graph.
6)
a) The differential equation

d2y
dy
6 9 y cos t
2
dt
dt
Has initial conditions x(0)=1, x(0)=2. Find Y(s) and without finding y(t), determine
what functions of time will appear in the solution.
b) If Y ( S )

s 1
, find y(t).
s ( s 4 s 8)
2

7) Consider the following transfer function;

G(S )

Y (s)
5

U ( s ) 10 s 1

Gazi University Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering

ChE 473 Process Control (Gr.-I-01)
2011-2012 Fall Semester
Do. Dr. N. Alper TAPAN
Asst. Duygu UYSAL
October 2011
a) What is the steady-state gain?
b) What is the time constant?
c) If U(s)=2/s, what is the value of the output y(t) when t ?
d) For the same U(s), what is the value of the output when t=10? What is the output
when expressed as a fraction of the new steady-state value?
e) If U(s)=(1-e-s)/s, that is, the unit rectangular pulse, what is the output when t ?
f) If u(t)=(t), that is, the unit impulse at t=0, what is the output when t ?
g) If u(t)=2sin3t, what is the value of the output when t ?
8) A tank having a time constant of 1 min and a resistance of 1/9 ft/cfm is operating at
steady state with an inlet flow of 10 ft 3/min. At time t=0, the flow is suddenly increased
to 100 ft3/min for 0.1 min by adding an additional 9 ft 3 of water to the tanks uniformly
over a period of 0.1 min. plot the response in tank level and compare with the impulse
response.
9) Consider a stirred tank reactor with one inlet stream (with C i, F) and one outlet stream
(with Co, F). the reaction occurring is A B and it proceeds at a rate r=k.C o
Where r = moles A reacting/volume.time
k = reaction velocity constant
C0(t) = concentration of A in reactor, moles/volume
V = volume of mixture in reactor
Further let F = constant feed rate, volume/time
Ci(t) = concentration of A in feed stream
Assuming constant density and constant V, derive the transfer function relating the
concentration in the reactor to the feed stream concentration. Prepare a block diagram
for the reactor. Sketch the response of the reactor to a unit-step change in C i.
10)
A tank having a cross sectional area of 2 ft 2 and a linear resistance of R=1 ft/cfm
is operating at steady state with a flow rate of 1 cfm. At time zero, the flow varies as
shown in Figure below.
a) Determine Q(t) and Q(s) by combining simple functions. Note that Q is the deviation
in flow rate.
b) Obtain an expression for H(t) where H is the deviation in level.
c) Determine H(t) at t=2 and t=.
q, cfm
2
1

t, min