LAB-IV (CL 451)

Reaction Engineering, Process Dynamics

and Control

List Of Experiments
1.
2.

Response of the first order system-Thermometer

Response of the second order over-damped systemThermowell
3. Response of the second order critically damped systemNon-interacting tanks
4. Response of the 2nd order under damped system (simple
pendulum)
5. Reaction in Batch Reactor
6. Reaction in CSTR
7. RTD in non ideal CSTR
8. RTD in non ideal LFR
9. HPLC/GC/UV
10. Single Board Heater System1 (SBHS1)
11. Single Board Heater System2 (SBHS2)
12. Single Board Heater System3 (SBHS3)

1. First order system: Thermometer

Aim: Determine the time constant of a thermometer from its
response to a step change

input

What is step input?

x (t ) 0, t 0, x(t ) 1, t 0

Application: Modeling base of other first order systems

1
2

http://users.df.uba.ar/sgil/physics_paper_doc/papers_phys/termo/cooling2.pdf
http://www.jgsee.kmutt.ac.th/exell/PracMath/Instruments.html

Governing equations

Step input response

Let us define
First order system:
K
G ( s)
1 s

Coughnowr, D., 1995. Process system analysis and control. Second Edition, McGRAW-HILL Publications.

2. Second order over-damped system:

Thermowell 3,4
Aim: Determine the time constant of a thermometer from its
response to a step change.

What is a Thermowell?
A test tube filled with water and a small bulb
mercury in glass thermometer fitted at its
center.
Surrounding fluid: oil.

1. Fluid outside the Thermowell

2. Fluid in between the thermometer and
Thermowell.

3
4

Coughnowr, D., 1995. Process system analysis and control. Second Edition, McGRAW-HILL Publications.
http://www.temperatures.com/twells.html

Typical Response to a step input

3,5,6

Transfer Function

G ( s)

K
, 1
2 2
s 2 s 1

: Damping Factor

Sluggishness increases with increase in

Coughnowr, D., 1995. Process system analysis and control. Second Edition, McGRAW-HILL Publications.
http://www.indiamart.com/sushiltradingcorporation/spare-parts.html
6
http://telecom.shirazu.ac.ir/telecom/download/ftproot/Hasseli/Chemical%20Process%20Control%20%20Stephanopoulos/Part
%20III/Chapter%2011.pdf
3
4

3. Second order critically damped system:

Non-Interacting Tanks3
Aim: Determine the dynamic response of the system to a step change in
input.

Input: q
Output: h2
Important: Variation in h2 does not affect h1

Governing Equations

Transfer Function

H 2 (s)
R2
G ( s)

Qi ( s ) (1 1 s )(1 2 s )

Critically damped system:

A1=A2, R1=R2 and thus, 1

Response to a step input

Coughnowr, D., 1995. Process system analysis and control. Second Edition, McGRAW-HILL Publications.

4. Response of the 2nd order under

damped system (simple pendulum)
Objective:
To study the effect of inertia and
viscous drag on damping coefficient
()
General second order system
Transfer Function:

Response curve of under

damped system
Overshoot

= A/B = exp(- /
A

A=angle achieved after first oscillation

B=angle on the starting

After n oscillations,
Over shoot

Batch Reactor

CSTR

Governing Equations
Non-steady state

Steady state

5. Reaction in Batch
Reactor
Reaction: Saponification

CH3COOC2H5+ NaOH CH3COONa + C2H5OH

Objectives:
Finding rate constant (k) at different temperatures
Activation energy
Frequency factor

Observation table:
Time

Concentration of
NaOH

Conversion of
NaOH

-rA=

ssume

Design equation in terms of conversion:

XA/(1-XA)=kCA0t

XA/(1-XA)

ate equation

for a second order reaction:

Calculation table:
Temperature
(T)

Rate constant
(K)

Room
temperature
(Room T +
40)/2
40 oC
Arrhenius Law:
k=k0exp(-E/RT)
By applying natural logarithm
ln k = ln k0-E/RT

6. Reaction in CSTR
Reaction: Saponification
CH3COOC2H5+ NaOH CH3COONa + C2H5OH
Objective:
Finding out conversion at different flow rates at
room temperature
Design equation of CSTR:

Observation table: (Do at 3 different flow rates

of Ethyl Acetate)
Time

Outflow
(yes/no)

Concentration of
NaOH

Experimental
Conversion of
NaOH

Steady state Summary

Flow rate of
NaOH

Flow rate of
ethyl acetate

FA1

FB

FA2

FB

FA3

FB

Experimental
conversion

Theoretical
conversion

7. RTD in non ideal CSTR

Aim:
1. To determine the RTD in constant volume
CSTR
2. To determine the conversion of saponification
reaction using non-ideal reactor model

8. RTD in non ideal Laminar Flow

Reactor (LFR)

Aim:
1. To determine the RTD in volume LFR

9. Single Board Heater System1 (SBHS1)

Single Board Heater System1(SBHS1)

Identification of transfer function of a Single
Board Heater System through step response
experiments
Aim:
1.To perform step test on a single board heater
system
2. To identify system transfer function using step
response data

Schematic diagram and output

Response
fanspeed

51
50
49

Heating element

200

400

600
Time (sec)

800

1000

1200

200

400

600
Time (sec)

800

1000

1200

200

400

600
Time (sec)

800

1000

1200

50
Temperatue(C)

Metal Plate

40
30
20

Heater current

30

Temperature sensing element

Fan

20
10
0

Output Response of 1st order system with unit step change

Expectations
34

32

Experimental
Estimated

30
T
e
m
e
p
ra
tu
re
(C
)

Calculate

Obtain steady state gain (

Compute the predicted values
of T vs time using K and .
Plot Temperature vs time for
experimental and Predicted
results

28

26

24

100

200

300
Time(sec)

400

500

600

10. Single Board Heater System2(SBHS2)

Feedback Control of Temperature using
heater input- A Simulation Study
Aim: To perform a simulation study on control
of temperature using heater input with PI
controller

Simulation study and Equation

T e m p (C )

26
24
22
20

50

100

50

100

Time (sec)

150

200

250

150

200

250

C u rre n t (I )

60
50
40
30
20

Time (sec)

Expectations
Write PI code in SCILAB/MATLAB for T
control
Effect of controller parameters (, Kc) for a
given set point change

11. Single Board Heater System3(SBHS3)

Feedback Control of Temperature using
heater input- An Experimental Study
Aim: To perform an experimental study on
control of temperature using heater input with PI
controller

Temperature

Experimental study

Time(sec)

Effect of Controller Parameters: , Kc

Expectations
Experiments for Temperature control
Effect of controller parameters (taui, Kc) for a
given set point change

12. Gas Chromatography

To determine the compositions

Demo Experiment

GC Result