Feedback and

Control Systems
(ECE006-CH42FB2)

by:
Dug-a, Princess Dianne A.
Ipo, Dannica Mherl W.
Problem 12: A process tank has two input
streams - Stream 1 at mass flow rate w1 and
Stream 2 at mass flow rate w2. The tank's
effluent stream, at flow rate w, discharges
through a fixed valve to atmospheric pressure.
Pressure drop across the valve is proportional
to the flow rate squared. The cross sectional
area of the tank, A, is 5 m2, and the mass
density of all streams is 940 kg/m3.
a.) Draw a schematic diagram of the process
and write an appropriate dynamic model for
the tank level. What is the corresponding
steady-state model?

b.) At initial steady-state conditions, with w1 =

2.0 kg/s and w2 = 1.2 kg/s, the tank level is
2.25 m. What is the value of the valve constant
(give units)?
c.) A process control engineer decides to use a
feed-forward controller to hold the level
approximately constant at the set-point value
(hsp = 2.25 m) by measuring w1 and
manipulating w2. What is the mathematical
relation that will be used in the controller? If
the w1 measurement is not very accurate and
always supplies a value that is 1.1 times the
actual flow rate, what can you conclude about
the resulting level control?
(Hint: Consider the process initiallly at the
desired steady-state level and with the feed-
forward controller turned on. Because the
controller output is slightly in error, w2 ≠ 1.2,
so the process will come to a new steady state.
What is it?) What conclusions can you draw
concerning the need for accuracy in a steady-
state model? for the accurary of the
measurement device? for the accuracy of the
control valve? Consider all of these with
respect to their use in a feed-forward control
system.
Solution:

a.)
W1 W2

h
W

Note that the only conservation equation

required to find h is an overall mass balance:
dm d(pAh) dh
  pA  w1  w2  w (1)
dt dt dt
pg
Valve equaton : w  C 'v h  C v h (2)
gc
pg
where C v  C 'v (3)
gc
Substtut ng the valve equaton in the mass balance,
dh 1
 (w1  w2  C v h (4)
dt pA
Steady  state model :
0  w1  w2  C v h (5)
 w1  w 2 2.0  1.2 3.2 kg / s
b.) C v     2.13 1 / 2
h 2.25 1.5 m
c.) Feedforwar d control
FC

FT
W1 W2

W
Rearrange Eq.5 to get the feedforwar d (FF)
controller relaton,
w 2  C v hR  w 1 where hR  2.25 m
w 2  (2 . 13 )(1 . 5)  W1  3.2 - W1 (6)
Note that Eq.6, for a value of w 1  2.0, gives
w 2  3 . 2  1 . 2  2 . 0 kg/s which is desired value.
If the actual FF controller follows the relaton,
w 2  3 . 2  1 . 1w 1 ( fow transmite r 10% higher),
w 2 will change as soon as the FF controller is on,
w 2  3 . 2  1 . 1(2 . 0 )  3 . 2  2 . 2  1 . 0 kg/s
(instead of the correct value, 1.2 kg/s)
Then C v h  2.13 h  2.0  1.0
3
or h  1.408 and h  1.983 m (instead of 2.25m)
2.13

2.25 - 1.983
Error in desired level  x 100 %  11 .9%
2.25

The sensitvit y does not look too bad in the sense that a
10% error in fow measuremen t gives  12% error in desired
level. Before making this conclusion , however, one should
check how well the operatng FF controller works for a
change in w 1 (e.g.,  w 1  0.4 kg/s).