Colorado School of Mines CHEN403

Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning - 1 - December 21, 2008

Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning

First Order Process............................................................................................................................................... 2
Second Order Process.......................................................................................................................................... 3
Third Order & Higher Processes ..................................................................................................................... 3
Processes with Dead Time................................................................................................................................. 4
FOPDT Example..................................................................................................................................................... 7

Direct synthesis methods are based upon prescribing a desired form for the systems
response and then finding a controller strategy & parameters to give that response.

+
-
+
+
sp
Y
Y
L
m
G
c
G
v
G
p
G
L
G

P M
m
Y


For the feedback control loop above the overall transfer functions between the output Y
and the set point & disturbance are:

=
+ 1
c v p
sp c v p m
G G G
Y
Y G G G G


and:

=
+ 1
L
c v p m
G Y
L G G G G
.

Note that for the set point transfer function, we can manipulate it to give:


( )
( )

=
(

1
sp
c
v p m sp
Y Y
G
G G G Y Y
.

One implication is that if we pick a desired form for the response to a set point change,

sp
Y Y , then we have set out the desired form for the controller. For example, we might
think that it would be great to have the output to immediately track the set point change,
Colorado School of Mines CHEN403
Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning - 2 - December 21, 2008
i.e., =
sp
Y Y . However, a more practical response would be a first order decay into the final
value, or:

=
+
1
1
sp c
Y
Y s
.

We can get this type of response with a controller strategy of the form:


| |
| |
|
+
\
= =
+ ( | |

( |
+
\
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
c
c
v p c m
v p m
c
s
G
G G s G
G G G
s
.

The direct synthesis equations are shown for
sp
Y Y but they really make more sense for
looking at the dynamic response of the measured variable,
m sp
Y Y . Then the transfer
function with respect to the set point and the implied controller strategy is:


( )
( ) ( )( )

= = =
+ (

1
1
1
m sp m c v p
m
c
sp c v p m v p m c v p m m sp
Y Y G G G G
Y
G
Y G G G G G G G s G G G Y Y
.

Note that the product of the three transfer functions is simply the open-loop transfer
function, represented usually as
OL
G or some approximation of the actual transfer function,

G :


( )
( )

= = =
+ (

1 1
1
1
m sp
c m
c
sp c c
m sp
Y Y
G G Y
G
Y G G G s
G Y Y
.

Notice that this shows there is an integral action to the Direct Synthesis controller strategy.
First Order Process
Lets look at the Direct Synthesis controller strategy for a first order process:

=
+

1
p
p
K
G
s
.

Then the controller strategy is:

Colorado School of Mines CHEN403
Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning - 3 - December 21, 2008

| | +
= = = +
|
|

\
+
1
1 1 1
1
1
p p
c
p
c p c p c p
p
s
G
K
s K s K s
s
.

Notice that this is simply PI control with the settings:

p
c
p c
K
K
and =
I p
.
Second Order Process
Lets create a 2
nd
order process by assuming the process & actuator (valve) are both first
order. Then:

=
+ +

1 1
p
v
p v
K
K
G
s s



( )
+ + + ( + +
+
= = = + +
(
+ +
(

2
1 1
1 1 1 1
1
p v p v p p v p v
v
c
p v c p v c p v c p v p v
s s s
s
G s
K K s K K s K K s
.

Notice that this is PID control with the settings:


+
=

p v
c
p v c
K
K K
, = +
I p v
, and

=
+
p v
D
p v
.

Further note that integral & derivatives times are only dictated by the process & not the
desired controller settling time.
Third Order & Higher Processes
Processes that are 3
rd
order and higher will lead to controller strategies that are different
from PID controllers. However we can get PID controller settings by eliminating terms that
correspond to high order derivatives. For example:

=
+ + +

1
1 0
n n
n n
K
G
a s a s a


Colorado School of Mines CHEN403
Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning - 4 - December 21, 2008

+ + + + + +
= =

(
= + + + + +
(

1 1
1 0 1 0
2 1 0 3 1 2
1 1 1 1
1
1
1
n n n n
n n n n
c
c c
n n
c
a s a s a a s a s a
G
K s K s
a a a a a
s s s
K a s a a a


So the appropriate PID control settings are:

=

1
c
c
a
K
K
, =
1
0
I
a
a
, and =
2
1
D
a
a
.

Again note that integral & derivatives times are only dictated by process parameters & not
the desired controller settling time.
Processes with Dead Time
Lets consider a 1
st
order system with dead time (FOPDT):

=
+

1
p
s
p
p
K e
G
s
.

If we keep the same desired form for the response to a set point change, then the controller
strategy is:

| | +
= = +
|
|

\
1
1 1
1
p
p
s p p
c s
c p c p
p
s
G e
s K s
K e
.

This does not correspond to a standard controller strategy (because of the exponential
term). In fact, this exponential term shows a requirement for prediction of what is going to
happen, so this cannot be physically realized in a controller strategy.

If we really wanted to do this though, we could approximate the exponential term
with a truncated Taylor series expansion:

+ 1
p
s
p
e s

then:

Colorado School of Mines CHEN403
Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning - 5 - December 21, 2008

( )
| |
| |
+ + = + + +
|
|
|

\
\
| | +
= + +
|
|
+ +
\
1 1 1
1 1
1 1
1
p
c p p p p p
p c p p c
p p p p
p c p p p p
G s s
K s K s
s
K s
.

Now we have PID control with the settings:


+
=

p p
c
p c
K
K
, = +
I p p
, and

=
+
p p
D
p p
.

However, we could change our desired form for the response to a set point change to
something involving the same process dead time:

=
+1
p
s
m
sp
Y e
Y s


then:


( )
( )

= =
( +

1
1 1
p
p
s
m sp
c s
c m sp
Y Y
e
G
G
s e G Y Y


and for this FOPDT process:


( )

+ +
= =
+ +
1 1
1 1
p
p p
p
s
p p
c s s s
p c p c
s s
e
G
K e s e K s e
.

Now we can make a truncated Taylor series approximation:

1
p
s
p
e s

to get:


( ) ( )
( )
+ +
=
+ + +
| |
= +
|
|
+
\
1 1
1 1
1
1
p p
c
p c p p c p
p
p p c p
s s
G
K s s K s
s K


Colorado School of Mines CHEN403
Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning - 6 - December 21, 2008
and were back to having PI control with the settings:


( )

=
+
p
c
p c p
K
K
and =
I p
.

We used a simple truncated Taylor series expansion for the dead time term here. What
happens if we use a Pad approximation instead? Using a 1
st
order Pade approximation the
controller strategy for a FOPDT is:


+
=
| |

|
+
|
+
\
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
p
c
p
p c
p
s
G
s
K s
s


( )
( )
( )
( ) ( )
+ +
=
(
+ +
(

1
2
1 1
2 2
1 1
1 1 1
p p
c
p c p p
s s
G
K s s s


( )
( ) ( ) ( )
+ + +
=
(
+ + +
(

2
2
1 1
2 2
1 1 1
2 2 2
1
1 1
p p p p
c
p c p c p p
s s
G
K s s s


( )
( )
+ + +
=
(
+ +

2
2
1 1
2 2
1
2
1
p p p p
c
p c p c p
s s
G
K s s


If we assume that the dead time is much less than the controller settling time ( <<
p c
)
then we can neglect the quadratic term in the denominator.


( )
( )
+ + +
=
+
2 1 1
2 2
1
p p p p
c
p c p
s s
G
K s


( )
( )
(
+

(
= + +
(
+ +
+
(

1
2
1
2
1
1
2
p p
p p
c
p p p c p
p p
G s
K
s


This is in the form of a PID controller where:


( )
+
=
+
1
2
p p
c
p c p
K
K
, = +
1
2
I p p
, and

=
+ 2
p p
D
p p
.

Colorado School of Mines CHEN403
Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning - 7 - December 21, 2008
To get the form reported by Smith & Corropio we have to make the further assumption that
the dead time is also much less than the process time constant ( <<
p p
):


( )
(
= + +
(
+
(

1
1
2
p p
c
p p c p
G s
s K


and this is still in the form of a PID controller but now the settings are:


( )

=
+
p
c
p c p
K
K
, =
I p
, and =
1
2
D p
.
FOPDT Example
Lets look at the response to a unit step change in the set point for a FOPDT process where
=0.25
p
K , =0.75
L
K , = =10
p L
, and = =1
p L
.

Though its not needed for the Direct Synthesis method, lets calculate the stability limit for
P-control. Under P-control the characteristic equation is:

+ = + = + + =
+
1 0 1 0 1 0
1
p
p
s
s p
c v p m c p c p
p
K e
G G G G K s K K e
s
.

The stability limit can be determined by the direct substitution method:


( ) ( )

(
+ + = + + =

1 0 1 cos sin 0
p u
j
p u cu p p u cu p p u p u
j K K e j K K j

which leads to the two simultaneous equations:


( )
( )
( )
( )

=
+ =

`
=

)
+ =

1
1 cos 0
cos
sin 0
tan 0
cu
cu p p u
p p u
p u p u cu p
p u p u
K
K K
K
K K


The 2
nd
equation must be solved numerically. For this particular problem the equation &
solution are:

( )

+ = = = =

2
10 tan 0 1.632 3.85
u u u u
u
P and =65.40
cu
K .

Colorado School of Mines CHEN403
Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning - 8 - December 21, 2008
The following table gives controller settings from various methods. The response time is
considered that time at which the final response stays within 5% of the final value (0.95 to
1.05). Three of the responses are depicted in the figure following this table.

Method
c
K
I

D
Comments
Direct Synthesis - =1
c
20 10
Slight overshoot max value
1.04. Response time is actually
before the first peak, about 3.4
min.
Direct Synthesis -
=0.5
c

26.7 10
Even larger overshoot max
value 1.2. Response time is after
the first peak, about 5 min.
Direct Synthesis - =2
c
13.3 10
No apparent overshoot
Response time about 6.4 min.
Original Zeigler-Nichols 29.7 3.2
Large overshoot max value
about 1.6. Response time after
1
st
trough, about 8 min.
Original Zeigler-Nichols 38.5 1.9 0.5
Multiple harmonics at early
times. Again large overshoot
max value about 1.5. 1
st
trough
just outside range response
time about 8 min.
ZN Some Overshoot 21.6 1.9 1.3
Multiple harmonics over an
extended period of time.
Response time about 15 min.
ZN No Overshoot 14.4 1.9 1.3
Long, broad cycling. Response
time about 19 min.
Rule of Thumb 32.7 3.9
=1.32
Iu
. Large overshoot
max value 1.6. Response time 9
min.

Colorado School of Mines CHEN403
Direct Synthesis Controller Tuning - 9 - December 21, 2008
-0.2
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
0 5 10 15 20 25
Time (t)
R
e
s
p
o
n
s
e

(
y
)
Direct Synthesis, =1
Original ZN PI
"Rule of Thumb" PI