International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882

Volume 3 Issue 2, May 2014

OPTIMIZATION OF OIL RECOVERY PROCESS USING ADVANCED

PROCESS CONTROL FUNCTIONS
P.V.S.S.Sarath Kumar1 A.Vamsidhar2
M.Tech Student, Department of ECE, Dadi Institute of Engineering & Technology, Visakhapatnam, India.
2
Professor & Head, Department of ECE, Dadi Institute of Engineering & Technology, Visakhapatnam, India.
1

ABSTRACT
P-I-D Controller is the predominant control algorithm used in process control. The major limitations of the basic PI-D Controller gives birth to the control strategies like Anti-reset Windup(ARWU) , Bump less Transfer,
PV&SP Tracking, Ratio Control, Override control and Feed forward control. All these functions grouped together
called as Advanced Process Control Functions.
KEYWORDS
APC, ARWU, Bump less Transfer, Ratio Control, Override Control, PV & SP Tracking, Feed forward control, PLC,
DCS.
I.
INTRODUCTION
P-I-D Controller was the widely used Control
Algorithm in majority of the process and
manufacturing control systems. The major limitations
of the basic P-I-D Controller Algorithm gives rise to
challenges like handling the set point changes during
Manual to Auto mode change, Slave saturation or cut
off in case of Master-Slave control. Set point change
during Manual to Auto mode change, Slave saturation,
create major disturbances in running process and may
lead to inferior quality control and may cause process
shutdown. In addition, not all the process control
requirements would be addressed with basic P-I-D
Controller, but the control strategies like Cascade
Control, Ratio Control, Split range control and Feed
forward control should be implemented to tackle such
advanced process control designs. .
All the above said control strategies grouped together
called as Advanced Process Control (APC) Functions.
All these APC functions are implemented along with
basic P-I-D Controller, addresses the problems /
limitations of the basic P-I-D Controller. In addition
the APC Functions are implemented for optimization
and smooth automatic control of any unmanned
process. To achieve the optimization, the process
should be studied depth and corresponding APC
Functions should be chosen to suit the scenario.
Standard PLC/DCS manufacturers implement basic PI-D Control Algorithm along with APC Function
library. Sometimes the APC Function library would be
treated as additional facility and charged accordingly.
II.
BRIEF REVIEW OF APC FUNCTIONS
APC Functions are broadly classified in two categories
as Advanced Regulatory Control (ARC) and Model
Predictive Control (MPC).

Advanced Regulatory Control functions can be

implemented through standard DCS / PLC systems.
Model Predictive Control implemented through
complex plant mathematical models programmed in a
supervisory control computer.
Various functions under Model Predictive Control can
be briefed as follows.
a). Anti-Reset Windup:
In a Cascade Control scenario, reset-windup is a
common problem. Reset windup occurs in a controller
when changes in the (master) controller output have no
effect on the process variable (ie slave saturation / cutoff). .
The positional form of P-I-D Controller
equation described as follows:
...(1)
where MV(t), e(t) and CV(t) are the current controller
output, error and controlled variables respectively, t is
the enumerated sampling instant in time, MV(t 1), e(t
1) and CV(t 1) are the values of the controller
output, error and controlled variables respectively one
sampling period ago, and h is the sampling period.
If not addressed, the reset-windup aspect can seriously
disturb the process, whenever the Slave comes out of
saturation / cut-off, which destabilize the process by
producing continuous oscillations.
One of the ways to implement the Anti-Reset Windup
in digital controllers is to put off the integral error
computation whenever the slave output reaches 0% or
100% ( ie cut- off or saturation).
b). Bump less Transfer:
Whenever the Control loop is switched to Auto Mode
from Manual Mode to carry out manual control, the
controller output (CV) may be set at some value by the
operator. Once the controller again switched back to
Auto Mode, the PID algorithm computes the output
(CV) which over writes the output set by the operator.

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 2, May 2014

At this juncture there may be a sudden unwanted

bump in the controller output(CV) which may disturb
the entire process. To avoid this unwanted bump,
simple Bump less Transfer algorithm can be
implemented. Once the Bump less Transfer function
implemented for the controller, during Manual to
Auto mode change, the SetPoint (SP) would be over
written with the value of current PV(process
measurement value at that instant) for that very instant.
This would generate result in zero error and the
controller output (CV) stays back at present value.
During Manual to Auto Mode change:
S.P = P.V
c). PV(Process Variable) Tracking:
Process Variable tracking refers to the phenomena of
following(memorizing) the controller output (CV)
during Manual Mode. This occurs only if the option
is enabled(if the option is in-built with the controller)
when the controller is in the manual mode. If PV
tracking is enabled, when the controller is transferred
to Manual Mode, the controller output(CV) is tracked
(memorized) in the controllers internal registers. PV
tracking would be useful to implement Bump less
Transfer during Auto to Manual mode changes.
d). Override Control:
Whenever, a situation is encountered where
two or more variables must not be allowed to exceed
specified limits for reasons of economy, efficiency, or
safety. If the number of controlled variables is greater
than the number of manipulated variables, then a
selection must be made for control purposes (SISO). A
selector is used to accomplish this. Selectors are
available in both electronic and pneumatic versions.
The only difference between selectors is the number of
inputs a particular hardware implementation may be
able to accommodate.
The two basic building blocks for selector systems are
the high and the low selector. The high selector, shown
will pass the highest value of the multiple input to the
output signal, ignoring all other inputs. The low
selector, shown in will choose the lowest of inputs to
pass through as the output while ignoring all other
inputs. By using combinations of these basic building
blocks it is possible to build other types of selector,
such as a median value selection. The selector output
for a median value selector is a signal that falls
between the highest and lowest input.
Well known example for Override Control can be seen
in a pressurised Flow (pipe) line, where the pressure
over rides the flow in case of abnormal /un safe
pressure within the flow line. Under normal
circumstances the flow will be controlled and once the
pressure reaches the critical value , pressure will be
controlled to ensuring no damage to the pipeline.
e). Split Range Control:

In a split range control loop, output of the controller is

split and sent to two or more final control elements
(FCE) ie control valves. The splitter defines how each
valve is sequenced as the controller output changes
from 0 to 100%. In most split range applications, the
controller adjusts the opening of one of the valves
when its output is in the range of 0 to 50% and the
other valve when its output is in the range of 50% to
100%.
When the Process Variable(PV) increases beyond set
point in range of with 0-50% controller output, FCE2shall close from fully open to fully close.
When the pressure increases beyond set point in range
of with 50-100% controller output, FCE-1 shall open
from fully close to fully open.

Fig:1 Split Range Controller outputs

f). Feed forward bias :
One of the disadvantages to using feedback control is
that a disturbance must propagate through the process
before it is detected and action is taken to correct it.
This type of control is sufficient for processes in which
some deviation from the set point is acceptable.
However, there are certain processes where this setpoint deviation must be minimized. Feed forward
control can accomplish this because it corrects and/or
minimizes disturbances before they enter the process.
In its simplest form, a feed forward controller merely
proportions the corrective action to the size of the
disturbance. In other words, the control equation is
merely a gain based on steady state, i.e. mass or energy
balance at steady state. This does not take into account
any of the process dynamics of the system. If there is a
difference, or lag, in the speed of the process response
to the control action when compared with that of the
disturbance, then it may be necessary to introduce
some dynamic compensation into the control equation.
The dynamic compensation correctly times the control
action and response, thus giving increased accuracy in
the feed forward control.

Fig:2 Feed forward controller

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 2, May 2014

Fig: 3 Gas Floatation Tank Process & Control Overview diagram

III.

APC IMPLEMENTATION IN OIL

RECOVERY PROCESS
Oil recovery from produced water is an optimization
process, where the residue Oil is separated from the
produced water. The Base layer Process control loops
are implemented with P-I-D controllers. Due to the
limitations of the P-I-D Controllers, issues like reset
wind-up, are observed. Proper APC functions are
chosen and implemented to achieve smooth automatic
control un manned plant and process optimization.
Gas Floatation Technology is one of the well known
Oil recovery process, in which a Tank of huge volume
divided in to 4 chambers. Gas bubbles are injected at
the bottom of all the chambers, which are supposed to
collect the Oil drop lets and reaches the top surface.
At the top of the Chamber-4 clean Oil would be
collected. The amount of Oil thats to be collected is
Operators choice, depends on so many external
parameters and experience. The whole process can be
run in two modes Continuous or Batch. In continuous
mode Oil is recovered continuously, where as in Batch
mode Oil is recovered after a settling time of 10 15
hours (operators choice).
The whole process is analyzed and appropriate APC
functions applied as shown in the Process Control
Overview Diagram. (Fig. ).
The Flow Demand (at the Inlet) equations are
described as follows:
i). Flow inlet demand calculation:
ii). Skimming Factor correction:
As the expected Skimming Factor is the operator input,
the actual Skimming Factor is derived from outlet Oil
to Inlet Water Flow ratio. The difference in the
expected and actual Skimming Factors is corrected
using a P-I-D control block XC_3006, which is a
reverse acting controller.

That is, at XC_3006.OP=0%, the factor is -1.0, while

at XC_3006.OP=100%, the off set is 1.0.
At
XC_3006.OP=50%, the offset is 0.
Adding scaling factor to the Skimming Factor to limit
the correction value within a range, the Modified
Skimming Correction factor equation would be
modified as:
iii). Flow Inlet Demand Claculation:

IV.
Analysis of Control Loops:
i). FIC_3010:
This Cascade control (master) PID loop generates the
speed reference for the feed water pumps in both batch
and continuous modes, where the speed controller of
the feed water pumps acts as a slave. Typical APC
functions essential are:
a). ARWU: As FIC_3010 is a Cascade loop, Slave
saturation should signal the Master to stop the Integral
error calculation, hence ARWU functionality should
be put in place.
b). Bumpless Transfer:
FIC_3010 is given the
provision of Operator set point. Hence, during the
Manual to Auto to Cascade switch over, there would
be huge bump in the process, which should be avoided.
Bumpless transfer APC function should be chosen to
avoid the same.
c). PV Tracking: To implement Bumpless transfer, the
PV of the loop should be tracked and stored in
memory. Hence PV Tracking function is essential.
ii). LICA_3001:

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 2, May 2014

This is a simple PID loops functionality is to act as a

High Level Override controller. Tank chamber-1 High
Level set point given to this controller can be over
ridden by the real time flow inlet demand calculation.
Typical APC functions essential for this loop are:
a). ARWU: As the LICA_3010 is a simple PID loop,
the actuator saturation should signal the controller to
stop the Integral error calculation, hence ARWU
functionality is required.
iii). LICA_3003:
Its is a simple PID loop, whose functionality is to act
as a Low Level Override controller to Tank Chamber-4
Low Level. The set point given to this controller can
be over ridden by the real time outlet flow. Typical
APC functions essential for this loop are:
a). ARWU:
LICA_3003 is a simple PID loop, the
actuator saturation should signal the controller to stop
the Integral error calculation, hence ARWU
functionality is essential.
iv). LICA_3005:
Its is a simple PID loop, whose functionality is to
control the Chamber-4 Level during Batch mode of
compensated using Feed forward bias from the Tank
out let Flow transmitter FI_3011. Typical APC
functions essential for this loop are:
a). ARWU:
LICA_3005 is a simple PID loop, the
actuator saturation should signal the controller to stop
the Integral error calculation, hence ARWU
functionality is required.
b). As the PID loop is setup with a fixed set point , any
dynamic changes in outlet demand can drive this PID
loop to out of control mode. Hence to compensate for
the dynamic changes the Chamber-4 Level, Feed
forward bias APC function is essential.
v). XC_3006:
Its a soft PID Controller whose functionality is to
control the skimming ratio against operator set point.
This controller will be active in Continuous mode.
Typical APC functions essential for this loop are:
a). ARWU:
XC_3006 is a soft PID loop, the
ARWU is applied through external reset feedback. The
governing equation for external reset calculation is as
follows.

Fig:4 FIC_3010 Cascade Configuration Response

Fig:5 FIC_3010 response without Bumpless

Transfer.

Fig:6

FIC_3010 response with Bumpless Transfer

Fig:7 FIC_3010 ARWU Response

V.
SIMULATION AND RESULTS
Described Process model for Oil recovery from
Produced water , implemented on Allen
BradleyControllogix PLC platform, which contains
rich instruction set to perform advanced PID
operations. PIDE instruction is predominantly used to
implement proposed advanced process control
functions. The process simulations carried our on
Individual control loops and the response are shown in
the following graphs.

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Fig:8 LICA_3001 Response.

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 2, May 2014

187

The following table describes the critical control loops and appropriate APC functions applied to that particular loop.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Control
Loop

ARWU

Bumpless
Transfer

PV
Tracking

FIC_3010
LICA_3001
LICA_3003
LICA_3005
XC_3006

YES
YES
YES
YES
YES

YES
NO
NO
NO
NO

YES
NO
NO
NO
NO

Feed
forward
bias
NO
NO
NO
YES
NO

Override
Control
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO

Split
Range
Control
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO

Table:1

Fig:9 LICA_3001 ARWU Response.

Fig:12 LICA_3005 Response.

Fig:10 LICA_3003 Response

Fig:13 LICA_3005 ARWU Response

VI.

Fig:11 LICA_3003 ARWU Responose.

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RERERENCES:
1. Anti-Windup, Bumpless, and Conditioned
Transfer Techniques for PID controllers,
Youbin Peng, Damir Vrancic, Raymond Hanus.
IEEE Control Systems 1996.
2. Allen Bradley: Controllogix PIDE instruction
Manual
3. Process Control Narrative for Oil Recovery
Process, by T&P Middle East.
4. Advanced Process Control: Beyond Single
Loop Control by Cecil L. Smith, Jhon
Wiley&Sons Inc.,
5. Base Layer Control Applications, Shell DEP
Specification: 32.30.20.16-Gen. Sep-2011.
6. DCS Application Standards, Shell DEP
Specification: 32.30.20.15-Gen. Sep-2011.