Feedback Controllers

Chapter 8

Figure. Schematic diagram for a stirred-tank blending

system. 1
 Basic Control Modes
Next we consider the three basic control modes starting with the
simplest mode, proportional control.

Proportional Control
Chapter 8

In feedback control, the objective is to reduce the error signal to

zero where
e  t   ysp  t   ym  t  (8-1)
and
e t   error signal
ysp  t   set point
ym  t   measured value of the controlled variable
(or equivalent signal from the sensor/transmitter)

2
 Although Eq. 8-1 indicates that the set point can be time-varying,
in many process control problems it is kept constant for long
periods of time.
For proportional control, the controller output is proportional to
the error signal,
Chapter 8

p  t   p  Kce t  (8-2)

where:

p  t   controller output
p  bias (steady-state) value
K c  controller gain (usually dimensionless)

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 Chapter 8

4
 The key concepts behind proportional control are the following:

1. The controller gain can be adjusted to make the controller

output changes as sensitive as desired to deviations between
set point and controlled variable;
2. the sign of Kc can be chosed to make the controller output
Chapter 8

increase (or decrease) as the error signal increases.

For proportional controllers, bias p can be adjusted, a procedure

referred to as manual reset.
Some controllers have a proportional band setting instead of a
controller gain. The proportional band PB (in %) is defined as

100%
PB (8-3)
Kc

5
 In order to derive the transfer function for an ideal proportional
controller (without saturation limits), define a deviation variable
p  t  as
p  t  p  t   p (8-4)

Then Eq. 8-2 can be written as

p  t   K c e  t 
Chapter 8

(8-5)

The transfer function for proportional-only control:

P  s 
 Kc (8-6)
E s

An inherent disadvantage of proportional-only control is that a

steady-state error occurs after a set-point change or a sustained
disturbance.

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 Integral Control
For integral control action, the controller output depends on the
integral of the error signal over time,
1
p t   p  0 e t *dt *
t
(8-7)
τI
Chapter 8

where τ I , an adjustable parameter referred to as the integral time

or reset time, has units of time.

Integral control action is widely used because it provides an

important practical advantage, the elimination of offset.
Consequently, integral control action is normally used in
conjunction with proportional control as the proportional-integral
(PI) controller:
 1 
p  t   p  Kc  e  t   0 e t * dt * 
t
(8-8)
 τI
7
 The corresponding transfer function for the PI controller in
Eq. 8-8 is given by

P  s   1   τI s 1 
 K c 1    Kc   (8-9)
E s  τ I 
s τ
 I  s
Chapter 8

Some commercial controllers are calibrated in terms of 1/ τ I

(repeats per minute) rather than τ I (minutes, or minutes per
repeat).

• the integral mode causes the controller output to change as

long as e(t*) ≠ 0 in Eq. 8-8.

8
 Derivative Control

The function of derivative control action is to anticipate the future

behavior of the error signal by considering its rate of change.

• The anticipatory strategy used by the experienced operator can

Chapter 8

be incorporated in automatic controllers by making the

controller output proportional to the rate of change of the error
signal or the controlled variable.
• Thus, for ideal derivative action,
de  t 
p t   p  τD (8-10)
dt

where τ D , the derivative time, has units of time.

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 Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) Control
Now we consider the combination of the proportional, integral,
and derivative control modes as a PID controller.
• Many variations of PID control are used in practice.
• Next, we consider the three most common forms.
Chapter 8

Parallel Form of PID Control

The parallel form of the PID control algorithm (without a
derivative filter) is given by

 1 de  t  
p  t   p  K c e  t   0 e t * dt *  τ D dt 
t
(8-13)
 τI

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 The corresponding transfer function is:

P  s   1 
 K c 1   τDs (8-14)
E s  τI s 

Series Form of PID Control

Chapter 8

Historically, it was convenient to construct early analog

controllers (both electronic and pneumatic) so that a PI element
and a PD element operated in series.
Commercial versions of the series-form controller have a
derivative filter that is applied to either the derivative term, as in
Eq. 8-12, or to the PD term, as in Eq. 8-15:

P  s   τ I s  1  τ D s  1 
 Kc    (8-15)
E s τ
 I  Ds ατ s  1 
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 Automatic and Manual Control Modes
• Automatic Mode
Controller output, p(t), depends on e(t), controller
constants, and type of controller used.
( PI vs. PID etc.)
Chapter 8

 Manual Mode
Controller output, p(t), is adjusted manually.
 Manual Mode is very useful when unusual
conditions exist:
plant start-up
plant shut-down
emergencies
• Percentage of controllers "on manual” ??
(30% in 2001, Honeywell survey)

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 On-Off Controllers

• Simple
•
Chapter 8

Cheap
• Used In residential heating and domestic refrigerators
• Limited use in process control due to continuous
cycling of controlled variable  excessive wear
on control valve.

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 PID Modes

Proportional Mode proportional gain

g c (s )  k c
The proportional gain of the controller defines how sensitive the controller is to errors
present in the system.

Integral Mode  1  integral time

g c (s )  kc  
Is 
With integral mode, the controller responds to errors that build up over time. This is
an important feature because even if the error is small, as long as it persists, a large
control signal may be calculated, thus helping to eliminate the error quickly.
derivative time
Derivative Mode
g c (s )  kc Ds
The role of derivative mode is to judge the change in the error. If the error is still
present but not increasing as fast, the controller may use this information to
decrease the control signal, thus possibly avoiding overly aggressive control actions.
 On-Off Controllers (continued)
Synonyms:
“two-position” or “bang-bang” controllers.
Chapter 8

Controller output has two possible values.

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 Practical case (dead band)
Chapter 8

16
 Chapter 8

17
 Proportional-Integral (PI) Control

 1
t

p( t )  p  K c e( t )   e( t )dt 
 
 I 0 

• Response to unit step change in e:

Chapter 8

Figure 8.6. Response of proportional-integral controller to

unit step change in e(t).
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 • Integral action eliminates steady-state error
(i.e., offset) Why??? e  0  p is changing with
time until e = 0, where p reaches steady state.
• Transfer function for PI control P(s)  1 
 K c 1  
E(s)   Is 
Chapter 8

ysp

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  Some controllers are calibrated in 1/I
("repeats per minute") instead of I .

 For PI controllers, p is not adjustable.

Chapter 8

Derivative Control Action

 Ideal derivative action
de
p( t )  p   D
dt
 Used to improve dynamic response of the
controlled variable

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 PID Controller
 Ideal controller

• Transfer function (ideal)

 t
de 
Chapter 8

1
p( t )  p  K c e( t )   e( t)dt    D 
 I 0 dt 
P(s)  1 
 K c 1    Ds 
E(s)   Is 
 Transfer function (actual)
P(s)  Is  1  Ds  1 
 K c   
E(s)  Is  Ds  1 
α = small number (0.05 to 0.20) lead / lag units

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22
 Controller Comparison

P - Simplest controller to tune (Kc).

- Offset with sustained disturbance or setpoint
Chapter 8

change.
PI - More complicated to tune (Kc, I) .
- Better performance than P
- No offset
- Most popular FB controller
PID - Most complicated to tune (Kc, I, D) .
- Better performance than PI
- No offset
- Derivative action may be affected by noise

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 Typical Response of Feedback Control Systems
Consider response of a controlled system after a
sustained disturbance occurs (e.g., step change in
the disturbance variable)
Chapter 8

Figure 8.12. Typical process responses with feedback control.

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