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Home / Blog / The Basics of Process Control Diagrams

The Basics of Process Control Diagrams

In: Blog / 01 Jul 2014 /
Tags: Basics, Block Diagram, Diagrams, I&C, Industrial, Instrumentation and Controls, Process control, Process Control
Diagrams, Skilled Trades, Training

Process Control Technicians are in high demand in industry. As automation continues to advance our capabilities, it also
increases the diculty of maintaining the system. Understanding the complex systems in automation begins with the
basics, such as print reading.
Ablock diagramis a pictorial representation of the cause and eect relationship between the input and output of a physical
system. A block diagram provides a means to easily identify the functional relationships among the various components of a
control system.
The simplest form of a block diagram is theblock and arrows diagram. It consists of a single block with one input and one
output (Figure 1A). The block normally contains the name of the element (Figure 1B) or the symbol of a mathematical
operation (Figure 1C) to be performed on the input to obtain the desired output. Arrows identify the direction of information
or signal ow.

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Figure 1 Block and Arrows
Although blocks are used to identify many types of mathematical operations, operations of addition and subtraction are
represented by a circle, called asumming point. As shown in Figure 2, a summing point may have one or several inputs. Each
input has its own appropriate plus or minus sign. A summing point has only one output and is equal to the algebraic sum of
the inputs.

Figure 2 Summing Points

Atakeo pointis used to allow a signal to be used by more than one block or summing point (Figure 3).

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Figure 3 Takeo Point

Feedback Control System Block Diagram
Figure 4 shows basic elements of a feedback control system as represented by a block diagram. The functional relationships
between these elements are easily seen. An important factor to remember is that the block diagram represents owpaths of
control signals, but does not represent ow of energy through the system or process.

Figure 4 Feedback Control System Block Diagram

Below are several terms associated with the closed-loop block diagram.
The plant is the system or process through which a particular quantity or condition is controlled. This is also called the
controlled system.
Thecontrol elementsare components needed to generate the appropriate control signal applied to the plant. These
elements are also called the controller.
Thefeedback elementsare components needed to identify the functional relationship between the feedback signal and the
controlled output.
Thereference pointis an external signal applied to the summing point of the control system to cause the plant to produce
a specied action. This signal represents the desired value of a controlled variable and is also called the setpoint.
Thecontrolled outputis the quantity or condition of the plant which is controlled. This signal represents the controlled
variable.
Thefeedback signalis a function of the output signal. It is sent to the summing point and algebraically added to the
reference input signal to obtain the actuating signal.
Theactuating signalrepresents the control action of the control loop and is equal to the algebraic sum of the reference
input signal and feedback signal. This is also called the error signal.
Themanipulated variableis the variable of the process acted upon to maintain the plant output (controlled variable) at the
desired value.
Thedisturbanceis an undesirable input signal that upsets the value of the controlled output of the plant.
Figure 5 shows a typical application of a block diagram to identify the operation of a temperature control system for
lubricating oil. Figure 5A shows a schematic diagram of the lube oil cooler and its associated temperature control system.

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Figure 5 Lube Oil Cooler Temperature Control System and Equivalent Block Diagram
For more information on reading process diagrams, sign up for our online training at www.myodesie.com or contact us at
sales@techtransfer.com for a class at your facility.

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