Control SystemInstrumentationProcess Control

what is cascade control?

A simple control system drawn in block diagram form looks like this:

 

Information from the measuring device (e.g. transmitter) goes to  the controller, then to the final control device (e.g. control valve), influencing the process which is sensed again by the measuring device. The controller’s task is to inject the proper amount of negative feedback such that the process variable stabilizes over time. This flow of information is collectively referred to as a feedback control loop.
To cascade controllers means to connect the output signal of one controller to the setpoint of another controller, with each controller sensing a different aspect of the same process. The first controller (called the primary, or master) essentially “gives orders” to the second controller (called the secondary or slave) via a remote setpoint signal.

 

 

Thus, a cascade control system consists of two feedback control loops, one nested inside the other:

A very common example of cascade control is a valve positioner, which receives a command signal from a regular process controller, and in turn works to ensure the valve stem position precisely matches that command signal. The control valve’s stem position is the process variable (PV) for the positioner, just as the command signal is the positioner’s setpoint (SP). Valve positioners therefore act as “slave” controllers to “master” process controllers controlling pressure, temperature, flow, or some other process variable.

 

The purpose of cascade control is to achieve greater stability of the primary process variable by regulating a secondary process variable in accordance with the needs of the first. An essential requirement of cascaded control is that the secondary process variable be faster-responding (i.e. less lag time) than the primary process variable.

 

 

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