ABSTRACT
The first step in any process control study is forming a sufficiently comprehensive understanding of the process to be controlled and its dynamics. Modeling is one of the elements in this activity and perhaps the most important one. A model helps create an abstraction of the process and, in turn, is the source of additional insight into its behavior. In this chapter, key aspects of mathematical modeling are developed using the fundamental laws, setting the stage for developing input–output models for control design and analysis purposes. Specifically, these include the principles of modeling, that is, basis, assumptions, consistency, solution, and verification. In addition, the fundamental conservation laws are introduced as tools for constructing dynamic models.
