Because Controllers are uni-directional in GoldSim and because the behavior of your process my change significantly (e.g., on a seasonal basis), depending on the process, you may need just an Inflow Controller, just an Outflow Controller, or in many cases, multiple Controllers (controlling both inflows and outflows). For example, suppose you had a pond that had both inflows (rainfall) and outflows (evaporation) that you had no control over. Under some circumstances (when rainfall was high and evaporation low), the pond could exceed its target (and you would want to pump out of it), and in other circumstances (when rainfaill was low and evaporation was high) it may drop below its target level (and you would want to pump water into it).
This would require two Controllers (one for the pump removing water and one for the pump adding water). The structure would look something like this:
In more complex systems, you may have multiple Inflow Controllers and multiple Outflow Controllers (e.g., to represent different pumps, spillways, etc.).
An example model that has both an Inflow and an Outflow Controller (InflowOutflow.gsm) can be found in the General Examples/Controllers folder in your GoldSim directory (accessed by selecting File | Open Example... from the main menu).
It is also worth noting that some systems may have multiple process variables that are being monitored and impacted by multiple Controllers. For example, the inflow (or outflow) for one pond may not be a function of that pond’s volume, but the volume in a different pond.
- Basic Controller Inputs
- Browser View of a Controller
- Comparing the Different Methods: Which Type of Controller Should I Use?
- Constraints on the Output of Controllers
- Controlling a Process Using Multiple Controllers
- Defining a Deadband Controller
- Defining a Proportional Controller
- Defining a Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) Controller
- Defining a Target that Represents an Upper or Lower Limit
- Turning a Controller On and Off
- Understanding Controllers
- Using a Proxy for the Process Variable When Defining a Controller
- Using Controller Elements