ChBE 4411 Process Control
Fall 2019
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
ChBE 4411 Fall 2019 Syllabus
Process Control
Course objectives:
This course introduces two basic concepts: (1) Process dynamics and various forms of
mathematical models to express them, including differential equations, Laplace transfer
functions, and frequency response plots, and (2) Analyze, design and tune feedback /
feedforward controllers in the context of various control strategies used to control chemical and
biological processes. The design and analysis are mostly for linear systems and connection to
nonlinear systems is made by introducing the concept of linearization around a chosen operating
point.
Course outcomes:
1. Understand and discuss the importance of process control in process operation and the role
of process control engineers.
2. Understand and design the modern hardware and instrumentation needed to implement
process control.
3. Develop mathematical models of chemical and biological processes by writing unsteadystate mass and energy balances.
4. Recognize and fit various simple empirical models that are used for designing controllers.
5. Analyze linear dynamical systems using matrix algebra and Laplace transforms.
6. Design and tune feedback controllers.
7. Analyze stability and performance of feedback loops using Laplace and frequency domain
techniques.
Office hours
Time and Location
Friday 10–11 am in 1212 ES&T
Instructor: Prof. Martha Grover
martha.grover@chbe.gatech.edu
Co-instructor: Prof. Sally Ng
ng@chbe.gatech.edu
Graduate teaching assistant: Patrick Harris
patrickharris@gatech.edu
Undergraduate course assistant: Thomas Wang
zwang776@gatech.edu
Additional support: Stefani Kocevska
skocevska@gatech.edu
Recitation: Wednesday at 6 pm in L1255
ES&T, and office hours by appointment
Tuesday 11 am–12 pm in 2320 ES&T
Monday 10–11 am in 2320 ES&T
Exam review sessions, and office hours by
appointment
Lecture time: 1:30–2:45 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Boggs B9
Textbook: Seborg, Edgar, Mellichamp, and Doyle, Process Dynamics and Control, 4th edition,
Wiley, 2016.
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ChBE 4411 Process Control
Fall 2019
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Course website: All material will be posted on the course site on Canvas. Piazza will be used for
discussion and is primarily a way for students to discuss with each other. Instructors and TAs
will also participate in discussions.
On-line quizzes: We will have 13 online quizzes. The quiz dates are given in the schedule on the
next page, and are due at 1:15 pm. You will take each quiz on Canvas after watching a 5–10
minute screencast. There are also questions embedded in the screencast, but these are for
practice and are not graded. The lowest two scores will be dropped.
In-class quizzes: We will also have at least six in-class quizzes throughout the semester, and the
dates may not always be announced. Your lowest two scores will be dropped.
Exams: Exams will be closed book and closed notes. You may have a note sheet (one-side
only). You may also bring your previous note sheets to subsequent exams.
Homework: Homework will be assigned weekly, due on Tuesdays at midnight. All homework
will be submitted on Canvas. Solutions will be posted on Canvas. One randomly selected
homework problem will be graded, on a scale of 0-5. If you feel that you deserve more points
based on your performance on the ungraded problems, you may submit a petition to Prof. Grover
for one additional point. This petition must include a rationale and must be submitted within one
week.
Extra credit: The top three most active contributors on Piazza will receive extra credit of 1%
toward their final grade.
Honor Code: Students are expected to follow the policies outlined in the Georgia Institute of
Technology Academic Honor Code (on-line guide at www.honor.gatech.edu). Students are also
expected to report honor violations as detailed in the code. Calculators will be permitted during
exams, but programming and use of formulas or other information via such calculators during
exams is prohibited. For homework assignments, it is expected that students perform the acutal
assignments on their own, although it is fine to consult with other students.
Grade breakdown for course
Exam 1
Exam 2
Final exam
Online quizzes
In-class quizzes
Homework
20%
20%
30%
10%
10%
10%
Amendments and additions to this syllabus will be posted on Canvas.
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ChBE 4411 Process Control
Fall 2019
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Date
8/20
8/22
8/27
8/29
9/3
9/5
9/10
9/12
9/17
9/19
9/24
9/26
10/1
10/3
10/8
10/10
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10/17
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10/29
10/31
11/5
11/7
11/12
11/14
11/19
11/21
11/26
12/3
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Topic
Online quiz
Intro to process control
Building models of process dynamics
Solving models of process dynamics
Linearization of nonlinear models
Laplace transforms
Simulink for transfer functions
State space models
First-order and second-order processes
Higher-order processes
Exam review
Exam 1
Modeling from data
Introduction to feedback control
Overview of control system design
Stability of closed-loop systems
PID: Direct synthesis method
Fall break
PID: Ziegler-Nichols tuning and relay autotuning
Degree of freedom analysis
Frequency response analysis
Control system design based on frequency analysis
Exam review
Exam 2
Feedforward control
Ratio control
Cascade control
Multivariable control
Model predictive control
Statistical process control
Review for final exam
Final exam: Thursday December 12, 2:40–5:30 pm
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Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Reading
1, 9
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4
3
6.5-6.6
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6.1-6.4
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
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Q12
Q13
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