Control System

Overview

What is a CONTROL SYSTEM?

A control system is a device, or set of devices, that manages, commands, directs or
regulates the behavior of other devices or systems to achieve a desired results.
An interconnection of components forming a system configuration that will provide a
desired response.
They can range from a home heating controller using a thermostat controlling a
boiler to large Industrial control systems which are used for controlling processes or
machines.
Control Algorithm describes the nature of operation or procedure to obtain the
output as a
function of the input.

Types of Control System

1. Open-loop Control System
Input

. In an open loop control system, the control

action from the controller is independent of
the "process output.

Controller

Process

. Example: A central heating boiler controlled only by a timer, so that heat is

applied for a constant time, regardless of the temperature of the building.
Input: Controllers manual operation
Control Action: switching on/off of the boiler
Output: building temperature

Output

Types of Control System

2. Closed-loop Control System
. In a closed loop control system, the control action from the controller is dependent on
the process output. Also called as Feedback Control System.
. designed to automatically achieve and maintain the desired output condition by
comparing it with the actual condition. It does this by generating an error signal which is
the difference between the output and the reference input. In other words, a closedloop system is a fully automatic control system in which its control action being
dependent on the output in some way.

Feedback system

A feedback loop is a common and powerful tool when designing a control system.
Feedback loops take the system output into consideration, which enables the
system to adjust its performance to meet a desired output response.

A closed loop controller therefore has a feedback loop which ensures the controller
exerts a control action to give a process output the same as the "Reference input"
or "set point".

Negative vs Positive Feedback

system
Negative Feedback

Positive Feedback

Often used in industrial automation and

Often used in audio amplification system
design. The most useful type of feedback
When we subtract the value of the
output from the value of the input (our
desired value), we get a value called the
error signal. The error signal shows us
how far off our output is from our desired
input

Positive feedback has the property that

signals tend to reinforce themselves, and
grow larger. In a positive feedback
system, noise from the system is added
back to the input, and that in turn
produces more noise.

Negative vs Positive Feedback

system

Basic operation of Feedback

Control
Think of what goes on in a hot water thermostat:
The temperature of water is measured.
The comparison of the measured and required values provides an error, example:
to hot or to cold
On the basis of error, a control algorithm decides what to do.
- Such algorithm might be:
If the temperature is too high then turn the heater off.
If it is too low then turn the heater on.
The adjustment chosen by the control algorithm is applied to some adjustable
variable, such as the power input to the heater.

Feedback Control Properties

Afeedbackcontrolsystemseekstobringthemeasured
quantitytoitsrequiredvalueorset-point.

Thecontrolsystemdoesnotneedtoknowwhythemeasured
valueisnotcurrentlywhatisrequired,
onlythatisso.

Therearetwopossiblecausesofsuchadisparity:

- Thesystemhasbeendisturbed.
- Thesetpointhaschanged.Intheabsenceofexternal
disturbance,achangeinsetpointwill
introduceanerror. Thecontrolsystemwillactuntilthemeasuredquantity
reachitsnewsetpoint.

HVAC Control Systems

Figure 1contains an illustration of a basic
HVAC control system.
Warm air flows through a finned-tube
cooling coil, where heat is transferred
from the air passing over the tubes and
fins to the refrigerant flowing through
the tubes.
A valve is used to vary the amount of
cold water flowing through the coil and,
therefore, the cooling capacity of the
coil.

This basic control system includes a

process or plant, a controlled
variable, a sensor, a controller, a
controlled device, and a controlled.

HVAC Control Systems

Control System

Hvac System

The PLANT is the system or process being controlled.

The air conditioning system

The CONTROLLED VARIABLE OR PROCESS VARIABLE (CV/PV) is

the parameter being measured and controlled.

The temperature of the air leaving the

cooling coil

The SENSOR measures the condition of the controlled variable and

sends an input signal to the controller.

In this example, the controller input

is the signal from the temperature
sensor.

The CONTROLLER is the brain of the system. It compares the

measured condition of the controlled (or process) variable to the
desired condition (set-point), and transmits a corrective output signal
to the controlled device.

In this example, the controller

output is a 0 to 100% signal to the
actuating valve.

The CONTROLLED DEVICE OR ACTUATOR is the component that

reacts to the output signal from the controller and takes action to
vary the controlled agent.

In this example, the controlled device

is the actuating valve.

The CONTROLLED AGENT is the medium that is manipulated by the

controlled device.

In this example, the controlled agent is

the chilled water. As the valve opens,
chilled water is allowed to flow through
at a higher rate.

Comparison of Open-loop and Closedloop system in Hvac

Figure 2: Open-loop
block diagram
In open-loop control, the designer assumes that there is a fixed
relationship between outside air temperature and the
building's heating requirement

Comparison of Open-loop and Closedloop system in Hvac

Figure 3: Closed-loop block

diagram
In the closed-loop system in Figure 3, the controller compares
the temperature of the air leaving the coil to the desired setpoint and adjusts the valve to achieve the desired
temperature.

Controller Algorithm
Before I introduce to you about various controllers in detail, it is very essential to know
the uses of controllers in the theory of control systems. The important uses of the
controllers are written below:
1. Controllers improve steady state accuracy by decreasing the steady state errors.
2. As the steady state accuracy improves, the stability also improves.
3. They also help in reducing the offsets produced in the system.
4. Maximum overshoot of the system can be controlled using these controllers.
5. They also help in reducing the noise signals produced in the system.
6. Slow response of the over damped system can be made faster with the help of
these controllers.

END