Pump Control
OES-4414
Advanced Process Operations I
At the completion of the lesson, the student will be able to
explain:
1. Introduction to Cascade Control
Objectives 2.
3.
Advantages and Disadvantages to cascade control
Pump control
4. Pump load indicator
Introductio
n to
Cascade
Control
Cascade control
• Cascade control uses elements from two separate control loops.
• One of the controllers functions as the primary controller, and
the other functions as the secondary controller. This relationship
is often referred to as master– slave control.
• It is important to point out that in this type of process control,
controllers will communicate only with other controllers.
• In many process systems, it is possible to accomplish a variety of
similar objectives simultaneously.
• For example, in a distillation system, reflux is used
to control temperature and improve product purity.
In most cases, a flow control loop is used to ensure
steady flow; however, temperature control is
considered to be the single most important factor
in this system.
• When a temperature element is placed on the top
tray and connected to a transmitter, controller,
transducer, and control valve on the reflux line, a
conflict appears to exist between the flow control
valve and the temperature control valve. By
selecting the temperature to be the primary
controller, one can allow both the flow control and
temperature control to work together to
accomplish operational objectives.
Photo Courtesy: by Process Technology Equipment & Systems by Charles E. Thomas
1. Reduced overall variability
• A faster inner loop can respond more quickly to disturbances than the
outer loop. Therefore, it reduces the severity of disturbances and limits
Advantage variability that would affect the heating process.
s of
2. Effective response to disturbances
• In loops where the cascade architecture is well deployed, there is an
Cascade effective response to disturbances. The inner loop is both faster than
the outer loop and closer to the source of the disturbance. This allows
for a quicker correction of upsets in the process.
control 3.More conservative outer loop tuning
• Design engineers can tune the outer loop for a steadier control. The
inner loop makes coarse adjustments, leaving the outer loop as the
only option for fine-tuning.
• Watlow’s F4T process controller is one of the best PID controllers that
you can fine-tune to limit process variability. It has high amperage
power control and enhanced control options that improve the reliability
of the cascade control.
1. It requires an additional measurement
Disadvanta
• Usually, a flowrate to work
ges of
Cascade 2. Requires an additional controller
control • Extra initial and maintenance cost
3.More complex control strategy
• More training is required for operators
When should Cascade
Control be used?
• Cascade control should always be used if you have
a process with relatively slow dynamics (like level,
temperature, composition, humidity) and a liquid
or gas flow, or some other relatively-fast process,
must be manipulated to control the slow process.
• For example: changing cooling water flowrate to
control condenser pressure (vacuum) or changing
steam flowrate to control heat exchanger outlet
temperature. In both cases, flow control loops
should be used as inner loops in cascade
arrangements.
Inner & Outer Control Loops
Note that outer
primary PV1 is our
process variable of
interest in this
implementation.
PV1 is the variable
we would be
measuring and
controlling if we had
chosen a traditional
single loop
architecture instead
of a cascade.
Inner & Outer Control Loops
In the cascade
architecture, inner
secondary PV2
serves as this
early warning
process variable.
Inner & Outer Control Loops
The inner secondary
controller offers no
“early action” benefit
for these outer
disturbances. They
are ultimately
addressed by the
outer primary
controller as the
disturbance moves
PV1 from set point.
Pump Control
• This model will concentrate on a
typical centrifugal pump
application and how the
instrumentation and control
devices are accessed and utilized
from a control display
• There are two hand control valves,
a centrifugal pump, a flow control
valve, and a level controller. The
trainee must operate these in
collaboration so the liquid receiver
tank does not overflow. The other
consideration is pump cavitation
due to insufficient flow
• A recycle stream is fed back to the
tank to maintain the pump load.
The operator must control the flow
into and out of the tank to keep
the tank from running dry or
overflowing.
Pump Control
• 01FAL105 is a Flow Alarm
which indicates if the
discharge flow from the
pump (P104) is below 30
T/hr
• 01PAH105 is a High
Pressure Alarm which
indicates if the discharge
pressure rises above 380
kPag (55.1 psig)
Why do we have both
controls downstream of the
pump?
Pump
Control
• 01II104 is a pump load
indicator displays the current
being used by the pump (P104)
while the pump load alarm
(01IAH104) indicates when the
load exceeds 90% of the
maximum. Range of 01II104 (0-
200 Amps)
• In many pump installations,
problems such as jams and
suction loss can lead to serious
damage to the motor or pump
long before the thermal
overloads trip. These problems
can be quickly detected by
monitoring drive motor current.
Direct and Reverse
acting controllers
• The PID level controller (01LC108)
is a simple direct acting control
loop. It is called a direct acting
controller because a level higher
than the setpoint demands an
increase in controller output.
(Outer control loop for primary PV)
• The PID flow controller (01FC108) is
a simple reverse acting control
loop. It is called a reverse acting
controller because a flow higher
than the setpoint demands a
reduction in the controller output.
(Inner control loop for secondary
PV)
Pump minimum flow control
References
• https://blog.opticontrols.com/archives/105
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
• https://www.watlow.com/blog/posts/benefits-of-cascade-control
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmoOXdLLlTQ
• https://www.pumpsandsystems.com/protect-pump-motors-simple-current-monitoring-techniques
• https://controlguru.com/the-cascade-control-architecture/
