AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS

LECTURE#07
AUTOMATION PROCESS
CONTROL
By: Engr. Irfan Ahmed Halepoto
Assistant Professor
 Automation Technology
• Automation Technology is a term that can be used to
describe an industry that makes use of Instrumentation to
meet the objectives of its existence.
– i.e. produce a high quality product (or service) in an
efficient and profitable manner while maintaining a safe
and healthy environment.
• Automation Technology provides engineered solutions
utilizing various techniques and technologies for the
simplest to the most complex industrial applications
• Instrumentation plays an important role in almost every
aspect of Automation Technology.
• Everyone needs to measure and/or control something –
and that’s what instrumentation is all about.
Automation Technology Classification
Automation is generally classified as :
1. Industrial Automation (Robot Automation)
2. Process Automation
3. Manufacturing Automation
4. Building Automation (Home or Organization Automation)

• The field of Automation Technology is wide and diverse

and comes in many different flavors, but the main
ingredient remains the same – Instrumentation.
 Automation Technology Classification

Industrial Automation Process Automation

Manufacturing Automation
Building Automation
 Instrumentation
• Instrumentation is the science of (automated)
measurement and control.
• The first step, is measurement. If we can’t measure
something, it is pointless to try to control it.
Things that are measured include:
• Pressure, temperature, level, flow, humidity, speed,
motion, position, weight, density, conductivity, pH,
light, quality, quantity, and more.
Devices that process or do the measuring are called:
• Sensors, transducers, transmitters, indicators,
displays, recorders, data loggers, and data
acquisition systems.
 Process Automation
• Process automation makes use of instrumentation to maintain the
process at some desired condition.
• The process plant is represented by an input/output block.
• In a process plant, controller signal will operate on an input to the
process, known as the ‘manipulated variable’.
• The output of the process is derived to a particular value or set point by
changing the input.
• The output can also be affected by other external conditions regarded as
‘disturbance inputs’ and our control action will need to overcome their
influences.
• Challenge for the process control designer is to maintain the controlled
process variable at the target value.
– Example: if we want to keep the level of water in a tank at a constant
height while others are drawing off from it, we will manipulate the
input flow to keep the level steady.
 Process Automation Mechanism
• Initially we sense or measure any
specific quantity.
• After measurement, we transmit a
signal representing this quantity to
an indicating or computing device
where either human or automated
action takes place.
• If controlling action is automated,
machine sends a signal to a final
controlling device which then
influences the quantity being
measured.
• Final control device usually takes
one of the following forms:
– Control valve , Electric motor or
Electric heater.
• Both the measurement device and
the final control device connect to
some physical system which we
call the process.
 Process Signals
• Two of the most important signals used in process control are:
– Process Variable (PV)
– Manipulated Variable (MV)
• In industrial process control, Process Variable (PV) is
measured by an instrument in the field and acts as an input to
an automatic controller which takes action based on the value
of it.
– Process Variable can be an input to a data display so that
the operator can use the reading to adjust the process
through manual control and supervision.
• The variable to be manipulated, in order to have control over
the PV, is called the Manipulated Variable.
– If we control a particular flow for instance, we manipulate a
valve to control the flow.
– Here, the valve position is called the Manipulated Variable
and the measured flow becomes the Process Variable.
 Process Control
• Process control deals with architectures, mechanisms and
algorithms for controlling the output of a specific process.
• Process control requires sensors for measuring variables &
valves for implementing decisions.
– Example: Heating up the temperature in a room is a process
that has the specific, desired outcome to reach and maintain
a defined temperature (e.g. 20°C), kept constant over time.
• Here, the temperature is the controlled variable.
• At the same time, it is the input variable since it is
measured by a thermometer and used to decide whether
to heat or not to heat.
• The desired temperature (20°C) is the setpoint.
• The state of the heater (e.g. the setting of the valve
allowing hot water to flow through it) is called the
manipulated variable since it is subject to control
actions.
 Example of a Temperature Process
Objective: To maintain a constant
water bath temperature.
•The control objective is to
maintain the temperature of a
water bath at a constant
temperature (e.g. 20°C).
• A steam heating element will be
used to supply the required heat
energy to maintain the bath at the
desired temperature.
• By opening and closing the
control valve the amount of steam
flowing through the heating
element will determine the
temperature of the water bath. (i.e.
opening the valve increases the
bath temperature)
 Process Controllers
• Industrial processes require that certain variables such as temperature,
flow, level or pressure, remain at or near some reference value (set
point).
– Closed-loop control is used to achieve this.
• The process controller looks at a signal representing the process value,
compares it to the desired set point and acts on the process to minimize
the difference (error).
• Method used by the controller to correct the error is the control mode.
• Most popular control modes are proportional, integral and derivative.
• Controllers are designed to eliminate the need for continuous operator
attention.
– House thermostat is a common example of how controller is used to
automatically adjust some variable to hold the measurement (or
process variable) at the set-point.
– The set-point is where you would like the measurement to be.
– Error is defined as the difference between set-point & measurement.
(Error) = (set-point) - (measurement)
• The variable being adjusted is called the manipulated variable which
usually is equal to the output of the controller.
 Process Controllers
• Process Controllers provide the required control action to
position the FCE at a point necessary to maintain the PV at
the desired SP.
– Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs )
– Programmable Automation Controllers (PAC)
– Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
– Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) Controllers
– Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
Control Elements: These are the devices the controller
operates:
– Pneumatic valves, solenoid valves, rotary valves,
motors, switches, relays, variable frequency drives.
 Process Controller Parameters

• A measuring unit with an appropriate instrument to measure the state

of process, a temperature transmitter, pressure transmitter or similar.
• A input set point device to set the desired value.
• A comparator for comparing the measured value with the set point,
calculating the difference or error between the two.
• A control unit to calculate the output magnitude and direction to
compensate the deviation from the desired value.
• A output unit converting the output from the controller to physical
action, a control valve, a motor or similar.
 Process Control System
• A process control system is based on a control loop, which has four
main components:
1. A measurement of the state or condition of a process
2. A controller calculating an action based on this measured value against
a pre-set or desired value (set point).
3. An output signal resulting from the controller calculation which is used to
manipulate the process action through some form of actuator.
4. The process itself reacting to this signal, and changing its state or
condition.
Process Control: Water Tank with Controlled Inflow
• An open tank with cross sectional area A is supplied with an inflow of
water Q1 that can be controlled or manipulated.
• The outflow from the tank passes through a valve with a resistance R to
the output flow Q2.
• The level of water or pressure head in the tank is denoted as H.
• We know that Q2 will increase as H increases and when Q2 equals Q1
the level will become steady.

water tank with controlled inflow block diagram of tank process

 Process Model
• The process is maintained at the desired point (SP) by
changing the FCE based on the value of the PV
Manipulated Controlled
Variable Variable
FINAL
Control CONTROL PROCESS Desired
Agent ELELMENT (Temperature, Result
(valve) pressure, level,
flow)
Measuring
pH, conductivity, Means
Actuating humidity, density, (transmitter)
Input consistency, etc.

Process Variable (PV)

• Process equilibrium (balance) is when the input energy maintains

the output at a constant “desired” point.
 Process Model
• The basic model of a “process” can be applied to most
measurement and control applications used in Automation
Technology.
• The major components are the Final Control Element, the actual
Process that is being controlled and the Measuring Means.
• The loop is completed when the Controlling Means (not shown here)
is added, this can be done manually (open loop control) or via some
controlling device (closed loop control or automatic control or
process control).
• The Final Control Element is defined as “the device that directly
controls the manipulated variable of a control loop”, the most
common type being the control valve (pneumatic, electric, solenoid).
• However there are many other devices that fit the definition of a
FCE and may include things such as relays or switches, and
variable speed drives, mixers, motors or pumps.
 Process Model…..Measuring Unit
• The measuring means provides the standardized signal that
represents the condition of the process, i.e. is the process
at the desired point?
Manipulated Controlled
Variable Variable
FINAL
Control CONTROL PROCESS Desired
Agent ELELMENT (Temperature, Result
(valve) pressure, level,
flow)
Measuring
pH, conductivity, Means
humidity, density, (transmitter)
Actuating
consistency, etc.
Input

Process Variable (PV)

 Process Model…..Measuring Unit
• The Measuring Means is that portion of the control loop
that measures the controlled variable and provides the
necessary information required to determine if the process
is at its desired condition.
• The measuring means can consist of one standalone field
device or it can be made up of several individual
components depending on what type of controlled variable
is being measured.
• The output is then conditioned and standardized to either a
pneumatic or electrical (analog/digital) signal that represents
the condition of the process.
• The output is also referred to as the Process Variable (PV)
and device is often called a transmitter, (e.g. temperature
transmitter, pressure transmitter)
 Measuring Means
Strain gauge Transmitters
Piezo-electric
Pressure Capacitance Pneumatic
Bourdon Tube Pressure Transmitter 3-15 PSI

Mechanical Floats Electrical

Guided Wave
Level Weight (load cell) Level Transmitter Current
Ultrasonic 4 – 20 mA
Differential Pressure
0 – 20 mA
10 – 50 mA
Head meters
(orifice, venturi)
Flow Coriolis, velocity, Voltage
Mass, 0–5V
Flow Transmitter
1–5V
0 – 10 V
Thermocouples
Temperature RTDs / Thermistors
Filled Systems Digital
Bi-metallic ON/OFF
pH Temperature Transmitter
Field Bus
Humidity ModBus
Density ProfiBus
Speed HART
Measurement & Instrumentation Process Control
 Process Control Terms
• Process: Physical system we are attempting to control or measure.
– Examples: water filtration system, steam boiler, oil refinery unit,
power generation unit etc.
• Process Variable(PV): Specific quantity we are measuring in a
process.
– Examples: pressure, level, temperature, flow, electrical conductivity,
position, speed, vibration etc.
• Set point (SP) : Value at which we desire the process variable to be
maintained at. In other words, the “target” value of the process variable.
• Primary Sensing Element (PSE): Device that directly senses the
process variable and translates that sensed quantity into an analog
representation (electrical voltage, current, mechanical force, motion,
etc.).
– Examples: thermocouple, thermistor, bourdon tube, microphone,
potentiometer, accelerometer etc.
• Transducer: Device that converts one standardized instrumentation
signal into another standardized instrumentation signal, and/or performs
some sort of processing on that signal.
– Examples: I/P converter (converts 4-20mA electric signal into 3-15
psi pneumatic signal), P/I converter (converts 3-15 psi pneumatic
signal into 4-20 mA electric signal).
 Process Control Terms
• Transmitter: Device that translates the signal produced by a primary
sensing element (PSE) into a standardized instrumentation signal .
– Examples: 3-15 psi air pressure, 4-20 mA DC electric current etc.,
which may then be conveyed to an indicating device, a controlling
device, or both.
• Controller: Device that receives a process variable (PV) signal from a
primary sensing element (PSE) or transmitter, compares that signal to
the desired value for that process variable (set point), and calculates an
appropriate output signal value to be sent to a final control element
(FCE) such as an electric motor or control valve.
• Final Control Element (FCE): Device that receives the signal from a
controller to directly influence the process.
– Examples:variable-speed electric motor, control valve,electric
heater.
• Manipulated Variable (MV): Term used to describe the output signal
generated by a controller. This is the signal commanding
(“manipulating”) the final control element to influence the process.
• Automatic mode: When the controller generates an output signal
based on the relationship of process variable (PV) to the set point (SP).
• Manual mode: When the controller’s decision-making ability is
bypassed to let a human operator directly determine the output signal
sent to the final control element.
Instrumentation & Process Control Flow Chart
 Process Control System
• Processes are dynamic in nature, and changes are always
occurring.
• GOAL: Maintaining process variables (temperatures,
pressures, flows, compositions, levels) at a desired
operating value.
– Manual process control (Open Loop Control)
– Automatic process control (Closed Loop Control)
 Open Loop Control
• Open loop (or manual control) is used when very little
change occurs in the Process Variable (PV).
Manipulated Controlled
Variable Variable
FINAL
CONTROL PROCESS
Control ELELMENT (Temperature, pressure, Desired
Agent (valve) level, flow) Result

Measuring
pH, conductivity, humidity, Means
density, consistency, etc. (transmitter)
Actuating
Input

Process Variable (PV)

Corrective action is provided by manual feedback

 Closed Loop Control
• Closed loop or feedback control provides a corrective
action based on the deviation between the PV and the SP
Manipulated Controlled
FINAL Variable Variable
Control CONTROL PROCESS
Desired
ELELMENT (Temperature, pressure,
Agent Result
(valve) level, flow)

Measuring
pH, conductivity, humidity, Means
density, consistency, etc.
(transmitter)

Automatic Manual

CONTROLLING
MEANS
Controller Output Controller Input (PV)

(3-15 psi, 4-20mA etc) (3-15psi, 4-20mA etc)

SP