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Lehigh Preserve Institutional Repository Design of a microprocessor-based emulsion polymerization process control facility Dimitratos, John N. 1987 Find more at https://preserve.lib.lehigh.edu/ This document is brought to you for free and open access by Lehigh Preserve. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of Lehigh Preserve. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Design of a Microprocessor-based Emulsion Polymerization Process Control Facility A research report written in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Chemical F:ngim·ering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania by John N. Dimitratos June 1987 ,. Design of a Microprocessor-based Emulsion Polymerization .. ,_.,,-•• ·, ,, -i •:>:.·.:':' Process Control Facility ' A research report written in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania by John N. Dimitratos June 1987 •1 to my father and my brother there art times when it is hard to decide what should be chosen at what price, and what endured in return for what reward. Perhaps it is still harder to stick to the decision Aristotle (384-322 B.C) Ethics, Book Ill. Abstract The explosion of microcomputer technology and the recent developments in software and hardware products introduce a new horizon of capabilities for the process control engineer. However, taking advantage of this new technology is not something easily done. H the process control engineer has to undertake such a project soon he will have to deal with the different languages the software engineer and the plant operator use. Specific knowledge and understanding of the new concepts that the evolving microprocessor technology introduces 1s required. Besides, the industrial standards, experience and operator terminology are necessary for the implementation of process control computer system application. A process control microcomputer system for emulsion polymerization reactor control was designed and implemented. The process control objective is to produce emulsion copolymers with prerequisite "tailor-made" properties, and the computer facility will be used to implement and test different control strategies for this purpose. The real-time design considerations for the necessary process control software and hardware are presented in this work. The properties of microcomputer real-time operating systems are discussed along with essential features of the programming environment, high-level languages and special A survey of the available multitasking executive application software. environments was carried out and their general hardware requirements and computing capabilities are presented. Strategies for input/output operations and interfacing techniques are summarized. A plethora of information concerning microprocessor-based interfaces and programmable controllers which became available during the implementation of the process computer control system is also included. Acknowledgments The specific application is presented , which demonstrates that employing a distributed intelligence architecture . , microprocessors can be effi ec t'1ve Iy used for There are no words to describe my debt I owe to my beloved brother for th e dcs1gn of a mic rocomputer process control system . Carefully selected process his love, support and dedication and I really now feel poor without it. He was control software verifies the I genera trend, that microcomputers can become the one who strongly encouraged me in flying overseas and start my studies va Iuable and cost effective . partners m process control app 1·1cat1ons. • here and to whom I owe so much. I would like to thank my mother for her understanding, patience and strength all these years I am abroad and for everything she did for me. Many thanks to my advisors Dr. C. Georgakis, Dr. M. El-Aasser and Dr. A. Klein, who were motivating and encouraging me all this time, providing all the technical assistance and knowledge which put "flesh and bones" in this project. I really appreciate their support and understanding in the difficult moments of my stay here. Many thanks also to Dr. Cordeiro for sharing with me his concerns and experience and to the Process Modeling and Control Center (PMC) and Emulsion Polymers Institute (EPI) for their financial support. I would like also to thank our technicians Ken Earhart, Jack Williams, Mathew Chaumers ("Scotty"), and Gil Kauffman whose advice throughout the course of this project was really valuable, and all those people in the Chemical Engineering Department, PMC and EPI offices, who had to deal with my demanding requests everyday. Finally ] owe many thanks to my special friends D. and S. Vlassopoulos, ) D. and M. Lagoudas, T. Alevizos, J. and A. Michopoulos for making my stay here an enjoyable one. To all my friends in EPI and PMC. ! \. I Table of Contents 1. Introduction 6 2. Software Considerations for ProceSB Control Applications 9 2.1 Operating Systems and Real-time Design Considerations 9 2.2 Programming Languages 17 2.3 Application Programs and Facilities 20 2.4 Expert Systems 25 3. Operating Systems for the Microcomputer-based Environment 27 3.1 The UNIX Operating System 29 3.2 UNIX Versions for the IBM PC Family 30 3.3 The UNIX-alike operating systems 32 3.4 The non-UNIX Multitasking Operating Systems 36 4. The Process Computer Interface 43 4.1 Basics of 1/0 Operation 44 4.1.1 Serial Interfacing 46 4.1.2 Analog Interfacing 49 4.1.3 Parallel Interfacing 51 4.2 Strategies for Input/Output Data Control 52 4.3 Microprocessor-based Interfaces for Process Control Applications 53 4.4 Programmable Controllers 61 5. A Distributed Intelligence Computer System for Real-time 67 Control of a Polymerization Reactor 5.1 Hardware Components 70 5.1.1 Process-related Peripheral Equipment 70 5.1.2 Interface Hardware 71 5.2 Software Support 75 5.2.1 Development of Communication and Interfacing Software 77 6. Conclusion 84 Appendix A. Software Vendors 86 Appendix B. Programmable Controllers and Manufacturers 90 Appendix C. Computer Interface Manufacturers 102 Appendix D. Standard RS-232C Pins and Signal Definitions 105 - •: ~ List of Figures List of Tables Figure 2-1: The Code Reentrancy phenomenon 16 Table 2-1: Real-time High-level Languages 19 Figure 2-2: Process control application software. 22 Table 3-1: AT&T Versions of UNIX 31 Figure 5-1: Process Control Computer Sy~te'}'l Configuration. 73 Table 3-2: UNIX-alike Operating Systems 33 Figure 5-2: Process Flowsheet with Dynamically Refreshed Real-time 76 Table 3-3: Concurrent Environments for the IBM PC 37 Data Table 4-1: Third party programming and documentation software 65 Figure 5-3: Graphic Display of Controller Faceplates for Different 76 for programmable controllers. Control Loops Figure 5-4: Main Program on the µMAC-5000. 78 Figure 5-5: Interrupt Handler Module on the µMAC-5000 79 Figure 5-6: Procedure ONSPEC_SUPPORT on the µMAC-5000 80 Figure 5-7: Procedure HP3392A COMM on the µMAC-5000, 81 continued. / ,, / f j Chapter 1 Introduction The experience which has been gained during the last two decades on computer process control shows that the digital computer has a promising role to play in this field. Process computers have successfully replaced conventional control systems and application of advanced control concepts such as multivariable control, adaptive control, and dynamic optimization proved that remarkable process improvements are possible. Although, there is no doubt about the genuine role the computers can play in the process control environment, the difficult to trace explosion in hardware and software development over the last few years leads rapidly to redefinition of the overall process control computer system architecture and design. Much of industrial process controls is still being done from a central control room, which from the cost/performance standpoint is an ideal target for a large, central computer. With the availability of relatively inexpensive, dedicated front-ends, embedded computers, microprocessor-based interfaces, integral programming stations and local supervisory micro-computers a new philosophy towards distributed control architectures and local area networks is emerging. The goal of industry is to network all units and segments of the factory, and integrate information with the business environment. ,\ part from questions involved with overall computer system design, there are many questions to be answered in the specification of hardware components and software tools for a local microcomputer based process control system. It is clear that all the partners in the process control environment have to work together under a coordinated discipline and their internal time-scales have to be 6 "~- -~-_;- "-("·. matched with the process time-scales, and not the other way around. Thus, reconfigured with mm1mum cost and work, while it will require only in-house computer applications in the industrial process control environment require as a maintainance. An operating system must be installable on this microcomputer starting basis, real-time processing which by definition is a computer operation which must support a variety of real-time functions, must be interfaceable to a involving a well-timed interaction with the physical world. The solution to the high-level or problem-oriented language, must be transportable and readily real-time processing is embodied in both the available software and the implementable involving a minimum of tedious assembly language programming hardware components for a specific application. and must support multiple-task execution. The most important issue in this case The major decision facing an engineer who wants to install a computer is that the user should not at least have to develop the fundamental operating process control system, is whether to buy a packaged system provided by a system. Communication and interface software for peripheral equipment support suitable vendor or to buy a general purpose mm1 or microcomputer and develop is also necessary along with application packages and proper man-machine a special application software package in-house.