Process Control & Dynamics 1

Tutorial 1: P&IDs

QUESTION 2 (20 marks)

The diagram below represents a typical cooling process.

(a.) Sketch the feedback/feed-forward control strategy to maintain the product stream
temperature. [6]
(b.) Draw and label the block diagram that represents the control strategy in (a.). [8]
(c.) In the above process diagram, identify the following:
i.) The manipulated variable. [1]
ii.) Three (3) possible disturbances. [3]
iii.) The ‘process’ or ‘system’. [2]
QUESTION 3 (25 marks)

The figure below shows a furnace used to preheat the crude oil feed to a distillation column.

Figure 1: Crude oil pre-heater furnace

The crude oil flowrate F and temperature Ti at the inlet of the furnace are known to vary. The
flowrate and temperature of the crude oil at the outlet of the furnace are F0 and T respectively. It
is desired to deliver the crude oil feed to the distillation column at a constant temperature Tsp
regardless of the conditions at the furnace inlet. For plant safety reasons and because of
metallurgical limits it is mandatory that the furnace tube temperature not exceed the value Tm.
The heat content of the heating fuel as well as the fuel supply pressure are also known to vary
because of disturbances in the fuel gas coming from a different processing unit in the refinery.
a.) Identify the controlled, uncontrolled, manipulated and disturbance variables of this,
process (where applicable). [5]
b.) Assume that outlet temperature measurements are available, and that this information is
used to adjust the fuel flowrate into the furnace in order to control the value of T. What
type of control system configuration is this? Will this be an effective way of regulating
the value of T? Explain what control problems one might expect this control system
configuration to suffer from. Assume that the air flowrate is held constant. [5]
c.) If the variations in the inlet flowrate become too frequent, what control system
configuration would you suggest to minimize the effect which such variations will have
on the regulation of T. Sketch this control loop configuration and draw the associated
block diagram. [15]