Software package for process controllability analysis

The scope of the paper relates to the introduction of the concepts and functionality of controllability analysis for chemical processes (Perkins, 1989) and the development of a user friendly software package, to be referred to as the Process Controllability ToolBox (PCTB). Process and control engineers in industry may use PCTB to assess plant design alternatives on the basis of their controllability. Alternatively, this can be achieved using dynamic simulation techniques, but with two disadvantages. First, dynamic simulation of a wide range of scenarios is very time consuming and secondly closed loop simulation would require models of actuators and measurement instruments as well as the need for control system structure and parameter tuning to be fully developed for each design option. Whilst there is little doubt that such simulations should be performed to verify the final design, there is a need for a less elaborate technique to aid the process engineer in screening alternatives at an earlier stage in the design process. The PCTB quantifies the inherent controllability characteristics of the plant alternatives on the basis of their mathematical model and provides insight to be used in choosing the best design.