Selective process control

ACassurance is the quality assurance expert system that will be used by the MANAGER and the ANALYST to assist in the execution of a laboratory quality assurance program. Incorporated into this expert system are modules that will be used to provide instruction and advice to the laboratory personnel in carrying out their tasks and completing the analysis procedures. ACanalyst, the quality control and process control expert system, will comprise five modules that will be used in methods selection, process control, analysis, fault diagnosis, and quality control. 

Options. Traditional control options for overexposure are material substitution, process change, containment, enclosure, isolation, source reduction, ventilation, provide personal protection, change work practices, and improve housekeeping. A simple way of looking at selection of control options is to find the cheapest option that results in the desired amount of exposure reduction. It is not actually that simple, however, because the various options differ in ways other than cost and degree of control. Some of the other factors to consider in selection of control options are operabiUty, rehabiUty, and acceptabihty. 

The use of state-selective chemistry has been an experimental tool to elucidate the dynamics of chemical reactions, but its appHcation to practical chemical process control to enhance yields of specific products is ia the developmental stage. 

The four process control parameters are temperature, pressure, flow, and level. Modem process level detection systems are varied and ubiquitous in modem chemical plants there are thousands of processes requiring Hquid level indication and Hquid level control. From accumulators to wet wells, the need for level devices is based on the need for plant efficiency, safety, quaUty control, and data logging. Unfortunately, no single level measurement technology works rehably on all chemical plant appHcations. This fact has spawned a broad selection of level indication and control device technologies, each of which operates successfully on specific appHcations. 

Defining the requirements for a pilot-plant control system is often difficult because process plant experience for comparison and evaluation is commonly lacking and the design is frequentiy performed by personnel inexperienced in either instmmentation systems or pilot-plant operations. The isolated and often intermittent nature of pilot-plant operations also inhibits evolution and promotes individual unique installations. This compHcates the selection process. 

Specialty Aluminas. Process control (qv) teclmiques permit production of calcined specialty aluminas ha nng controlled median particle sizes differentiated by about 0.5 ]lm. Tliis broad selection enables closer shrinkage control of high tech ceramic parts. Production of pure 99.99% -AI2O2 powder from alkoxide precursors (see Alkoxides, metal), apparently in spherical form, offers the potential of satisfying the most advanced appUcations for calcined aluminas requiring tolerances of 0.1% shrinkage. 

While the single-loop PID controller is satisfactoiy in many process apphcations, it does not perform well for processes with slow dynamics, time delays, frequent disturbances, or multivariable interactions. We discuss several advanced control methods hereafter that can be implemented via computer control, namely feedforward control, cascade control, time-delay compensation, selective and override control, adaptive control, fuzzy logic control, and statistical process control. 

Other types of selective systems employ multiple final control elements or multiple controllers. In some applications, several manipulated variables are used to control a single process variable (also called split-range control). Typical examples include the adjustment of both inflow and outflow from a chemic reactor in order to control reactor pressure or the use of both acid and base to control pH in waste-water treatment. In this approach, the selector chooses from several controller outputs which final control element should be adjusted (Marlin, Process Control, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1995). 

The selection of controlled and manipulated variables is of crucial importance in designing a control system. In particular, a judicious choice may significantly reduce control loop interactions. For the blending process in Fig. 8-40(d ), a straightforward control strategy would be to control x by adjusting w, and w by adjusting Wg. But... 

External control of the process is achieved by devices that are specially designed, selected and configured for the intended process-control application. The text below covers three very common function classifications of process-control devices controllers, final control elements, and regufators. 

Valve Application Technology Functional requirements and the properties of the controlled fluid determine which valve and actuator types are best for a specific apphcation. If demands are modest and no unique valve features are required, the valve-design style selection may be determined solely by cost. If so, general-purpose globe or angle valves provide exceptional value, especially in sizes less than 3-inch NFS and hence are very popular. Beyond type selection, there are many other valve specifications that must be determined properly in order to ultimately yield-improved process control. 

Introduction An accurate quantitative analysis of the discharge of pollutants from a process must be determined prior to the design and/or selection of control equipment. If the unit is properly engineered by utilizing the emission data as input to the control device and the code requirements as maximum-effluent limitations, most pollutants can be successfully controlled. 

The fact that batch processes are not carried out at steady state conditions imposes broad demands on the control system. The instrumentation and control system have to be selected to provide adequate control for a wide variety of operating conditions and a wide variety of processes. In addition, basic process control and shutdown systems have to deal with sequencing issues. This chapter presents issues and concerns related to safety of instrumentation and control in batch reaction systems, and provides potential solutions. 

Astley, J., Shepherd, A., Whitfield, D. (1990). A Review of UK and International I owledge and Practice in the Selection of Process Control Operators. In E. J. Lovesey (Ed.), Ergonomics Setting Standards for the 90 s. Contemporary Ergonomics, 1990. London Taylor and Francis. 

The selection of controls for space heating a building shows how the overall efficiency of the process can be improved. Whether or not it is cost effective to do this must be examined in detail. At its most basic, such a system might include one or more LPHW boilers, a single thermostat in the heated space controlling the circulating pump on/off, and domestic hot water from a calorifier. 

If changes have been made to the process (e.g. if incoming water quality cannot be maintained or other uncertainties arise concerning the corrosion behavior of the construction materials) it is possible to incorporate coupons or probes of the material into the plant and monitor their corrosion behavior. This approach may be used to assist in the materials selection process for a replacement plant. Small coupons (typically, 25 x 50 mm) of any material may be suspended in the process stream and removed at intervals for weight loss determination and visual inspection for localized corrosion. Electrical resistance probes comprise short strands for the appropriate material electrically isolated from the item of plant. An electrical connection from each end of the probe is fed out of the plant to a control box. The box senses the electrical resistance of the probe. The probe s resistance rises as its cross-sectional area is lost through corrosion. 

The instrument has been evaluated by Luster, Whitman, and Fauth (Ref 20). They selected atomized Al, AP and NGu as materials for study that would be representative of proplnt ingredients. They found that only 2000 particles could be counted in 2 hours, a time arbitrarily chosen as feasible for control work. This number is not considered sufficient, as 18,000 particles are required for a 95% confidence level. Statistical analysis of results obtained for AP was impossible because of discrepancies In the data resulting from crystal growth and particle agglomeration. The sample of NGu could not be handled by the instrument because it consisted of a mixt of needles and chunky particles. They concluded that for dimensionally stable materials such as Al or carborundum, excellent agreement was found with other methods such as the Micromerograph or visual microscopic count. But because of the properties peculiar to AP and NGu, the Flying Spot Particle Resolver was not believed suitable for process control of these materials... 

---