Course overview
This course is composed of two equal parts. Part A is concerned with advanced process dynamics and control. Part B is focussed on particulate properties and design. The course aims to introduce you to advanced process control design tools (Part A). In this section, considerable use will be made of the Matlab and Simulink software packages to specify and design conventional and advanced controllers. As well, design heuristics will be introduced to provide you with the skills to synthesize plant-wide control systems. Part B will focus on particulate technology and its challenges when applied to chemical processing. Key topics to be covered in Part A include: Revision of level III work; analysis and design of controllers by frequency response techniques; analysis and design of complex control systems; practical examples of difficult to control systems; discrete control issues; and, finally, multivariable (MIMO) modelling and control design. Key topics to be covered in Part B include: Storage and flow of powders; solids mixing and segregation; particle size reduction; size enlargement; hazards of fine powders. By the end of this course you should be able to model non-linear dynamic processes, design appropriate analog or digital controllers, deal with interaction in MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) systems, and finally perform basic design calculations and analysis of typical industrial processes involving particulate matters.
Course learning outcomes
- Complete plant tests to determine dynamic characteristics (e.g. in a first-order plus dead time model)
- Tune various forms of controllers (P, PI, PID) using a number of techniques (e.g. open-loop step test, closed-loop step test)
- Explain typical control structures for a variety of commonly encountered processes
- Specify advanced controllers (e.g. dead time compensation, feed-forward, IMC, model-based controllers)
- Devise plant-wide control structures
- Use the z-transform in digital control
- Design controllers for discrete systems
- Characterise and describe particulate systems in terms of their basic physical properties
- Perform basic design calculations and analysis of typical particulate processes, such as mixing, size reduction and enlargement, storage and transport of powders
- Work and communicate effectively as part of a small group