2.
26 Robustness: A Guide for Sensitivity and Stability
J. P. GERRY (2005)
In process control there is always a tradeoff between good,
stable performance and speed of response or sensitivity to
process or set point changes. This sensitivity of the control
system can be called the robustness of the loop. Understand-
ing the tradeoff between control loop robustness and stable
(optimal) controller performance is important to achieving
good control system design.
The system robustness is quantifiable and can be shown
graphically, which makes it easier to examine the tradeoff
between sensitivity and stability of the loop.
ROBUSTNESS PLOTS
Figure 2.26a shows process dead time on the vertical axis
plotted against process gain on the horizontal axis. If the
control loop or the controlled process is located on this plot,
that can be called the robustness plot of the loop or process.
On a plot of robustness, a line separates the region in
which the control loop will be stable and the area where it
will not. As shown in Figure 2.26b, the two regions are
separated by a line, which is the curve of marginal stability.
A control loop is marginally stable if it responds to an upset
FIG. 2.26a
The process robustness plot locates the particular control loop on
a plot of process dead time against process gain.
© 2006 by Béla Lipták
by the controlled variable drawing a sine wave and the loop
sustaining that oscillation.
An increase in either the gain or the dead time of the
control loop will make it less stable; the curve shows the
values of various combinations of loop gain and dead time at
which the control loop will become marginally stable. As was
shown in Figure 2.1x, the gain of the loop is the product of
the process and the controller gains, while the dead time of
the loop is the sum of the process and controller dead times.
In the lower left region of the plot, the process gains and
dead times are the smallest. Hence the lower left area of the
plot represents a region where the control loops are likely to
be stable. Conversely, in the upper right area of the plot, they
are likely to be unstable. Areas above and to the right of the
marginal stability curve define the unstable region. Areas
below and to the left of the marginal stability curve represent
a stable region.
On Figure 2.26b, a cross identifies the control loop in its
present state. The location of the cross corresponds to the dead
time and gain of the controlled process or of the loop. In order
to easily compare the effects of the various control loop con-
figurations that are being evaluated and their corresponding
robustness, the scales of the two axes of the plots are adjusted
FIG. 2.26b
The marginal stability line separates the stable area from the unsta-
ble region on a robustness plot.
323
324 Control Theory
so that the current system gain and dead time (see cross in
Figure 2.26b) occur at the same location on every plot.
Dynamic Parameters
Dead time is the limiting element of good control performance
and robustness, yet almost all control loops contain some dead
time. The small dead times and transportation lags of the con-
trol loop add up and combine to form the total loop dead time.
Changes in time constants (lags) change the shape of the
marginal stability curve. Large lags and integration times
affect the low-frequency stability of the loop; hence, the
upper left portion of the marginal stability curve will change
the most. Changing high-frequency components of the con-
troller, such as the derivative mode settings, will change
mostly the shape of the lower right portion of the curve.
Gain is used as the other axis of the robustness plot.
System gain is the product of all the gains in the loop, includ-
ing the process gain and controller gain. Changing any of the
gains in the loop will shift the marginal stability curve to the
left or right, but the shape of the curve will not change.
Increasing the loop gain will move its operating point (cross
in Figure 2.26b) closer to the marginal stability curve and
closer to instability.
As the dynamics of a loop move down and to the right
on the marginal stability curve, the frequency of sustained
oscillation will increase.
Design Guidelines
Figure 2.26c shows a recommended region for design stabil-
ity. The four-sided object in Figure 2.26c has four corners at
a factor and divisor of two in both the gain and dead time
axis. The top corner of the object represents twice the system
dead time with the gain unchanged, and the bottom corner
of the object represents half the system dead time. The right
corner of the object represents twice the system gain with
FIG. 2.26c
Robustness plot showing the recommended safe operating area for
a control loop that will maintain a stability margin of two.
© 2006 by Béla Lipták
the dead time unchanged. The left corner represents half the
system gain. The four corner points are connected with curv-
ing lines that on a log–log plot would be straight.
This recommended safe operating area is used because
a factor of two is often considered a reasonable safety margin
for operating process control systems.
With a design goal of a stability margin of two in any
direction, the noted region represents the area that the marginal
stability line should not touch or cross. If the marginal stability
line moves inside this region, the margin of stability would drop
below two. The purpose of identifying such a safe operating
area is not to set a hard rule but only to provide a design aide.
EXAMPLE
In Figure 2.26c, the control loop shown by the cross has
a dead time of 5 seconds and an overall system gain of
0.5. If the dead time of this control loop remained constant
while the gain of the loop increased, this would shift the
cross that represents the loop dynamics horizontally
toward the right. If the system gain were to increase by a
factor of three (to about 1.5), the cross would reach the
curve of marginal stability, and the control loop would
become marginally stable.
If the gain of this control loop remained constant while
its dead time increased, this would cause the cross, repre-
senting the control loop, to move vertically upwards. If the
dead time of the loop increased by a factor of three (to about
15 seconds) the cross would reach the curve of marginal
stability, and the loop would become marginally stable.
If both the gain and dead time of the loop increased,
this would result in moving the cross, which represents
the control loop dynamics up and to the right; with enough
of an increase the system would become unstable when
the marginal stability line was crossed.
Figure 2.26d illustrates the condition when the control
loop gain has increased, shifting the curve to the left,
reaching marginal stability. When this happens, the con-
trol loop itself becomes unstable. This means that the
FIG. 2.26d
Robustness plot illustrating a condition where the control loop is
in sustained oscillation.
 2.26 Robustness: A Guide for Sensitivity and Stability
FIG. 2.26e
When the control loop has reached the state of marginal stability,
both the controlled (PV) and the manipulated (CO) variables are
in sustained and undampened oscillation.
controller output (manipulated variable) starts to cycle
and as a consequence, the controlled process variable
(PV) will also start to cycle.
Figure 2.26e illustrates this marginal stability condition
where both the controlled and the manipulated variables
© 2006 by Béla Lipták
325
(PV and CO) are in continuous, undampened oscillation.
If the control loop dynamics worsened and moved further
into the unstable region in Figure 2.26d, the sustained,
undampened oscillation would turn into runaway oscilla-
tion. Under these conditions, if some safety constraint does
not shut the system down, accidents can occur.
CONCLUSION
A balance between loop sensitivity and stability always
exists. When tuning a control loop (see the later sections in
this chapter on tuning), the goal should always be to reach a
reasonable balance between the two goals. Robustness plots
can be convenient graphical tools because they can show the
safety margin that the control system has before it would
become unstable.
Bibliography
Gerry, J. P., “How to Control Processes With Large Dead Times,” Control
Engineering, March 1998.
Gerry, J. P., “Tune Loops For Load Upsets vs. Setpoint Changes,” Control,
September 1991.
Shinskey, F. G., Process Control Systems, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996.