What is Cascade Control?

What is Cascade Control?

A quick visual guide for instrumentation beginners.

Why It’s Needed

Why It’s Needed

Single-loop control reacts slowly to disturbances → unstable process

The Core Idea

The Core Idea

Cascade control uses two controllers for faster correction

How It Works

How It Works

The Master Controller controls the main process variable → sends setpoint to the Slave Controller

What the Slave Does

What the Slave Does

The slave controller corrects disturbances before they affect the main loop

Simple Example

Simple Example

Temperature (master) controls → Steam Flow (slave) Result: stable temperature even with steam fluctuations.

Benefits

Benefits

✓ Faster disturbance rejection ✓ Better stability ✓ Improved product quality

Cascade control = two loops working together — one protects the process, the other reacts in advance

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