When should I use
proportional control instead of on-off control?
Proportional control will
always provide more accurate control of your process, but
the controller and metering pumps will be a little more
expensive. Here are some guidelines to determine if you can
save the money or not.
On/ off control can generally be used for applications
where the response time of the system to chemical additions
is fast, and/or where the acceptable range of the pH/ORP is
wide. In a small, well mixed tank, on/off control can
maintain the pH within 0.1 or so of the set point. In a
well designed industrial wastewater pretreatment system,
where there is sufficient residence time of the water
flowing through the tank, and the acceptable level of pH
may be ± 0.5 or more, on/off control will also be fine.
Use proportional control whenever there is an extremely
tight control range (± 0.1 or less), where there are long
delays between adding the chemical and detecting the
addition, or when the set point is at an inflection point
in the titration curve such that when a small addition is
made the pH changes dramatically.
