Advanced Process Control. Beyond Single Loop Control

This expanded new edition is specifically designed to meet the needs of the process industry, and closes the gap between theory and practice. Back-to-basics approach, with a focus on techniques that have an immediate practical application, and heavy maths relegated to the end of the book Written by an experienced practitioner, highly regarded by major corporations, with 25 years of teaching industry courses Supports the increasing expectations for Universities to teach more practical process control (supported by IChemE)

Practical Process Control (loop tuning and troubleshooting). This book differs from others on the market in several respects. First, the presentation is totally in the time domain (the word «LaPlace» is nowhere to be found). The focus of the book is actually troubleshooting, not tuning. If a controller is «tunable», the tuning procedure will be straightforward and uneventful. But if a loop is «untunable», difficulties will be experienced, usually early in the tuning effort. The nature of any difficulty provides valuable clues to what is rendering the loop «untunable». For example, if reducing the controller gain leads to increased oscillations, one should look for possible interaction with one or more other loops. Tuning difficulties are always symptoms of other problems; effective troubleshooting involves recognizing the clues, identifying the root cause of the problem, and making corrections. Furthermore, most loops are rendered «untunable» due to some aspect of the steady-state behavior of the process. Consequently, the book focuses more on the relationship of process control to steady-state process characteristics than to dynamic process characteristics. One prerequisite to effective troubleshooting is to «demystify» some of the characteristics of the PID control equations. One unique aspect of this book is that it explains in the time domain all aspects of the PID control equation (including as the difference between the parallel and series forms of the PID, the reset feedback form of the PID equation, reset windup protection, etc.) The book stresses an appropriate P&I (process and instrumentation) diagram as critical to successful tuning. If the P&I is not right, tuning difficulties are inevitable. Developing and analyzing P&I diagrams is a critical aspect of troubleshooting.

Focusing on the practical implementation of the methods of process modelling and control, this book provides readers with rapid access to the methods described, while including the theoretical background necessary. Throughout, the essential knowledge is built up from chapter to chapter, starting with laying the foundations in plant instrumentation and control. Modelling abilities are then developed by starting from simple time-loop algorithms and passing on to discrete methods, Laplace transforms, automata and fuzzy logic. In the end, readers have the means to design simple controllers on the basis of their own models, and to use more detailed models to test them. With its clarity and simplicity of presentation, and illustrated by more than 200 diagrams, this book supports self-study and teaches readers how to apply the appropriate method for the application required, and how to handle problems in process control. Bridging theory and practice, over 200 exercises and solutions can be found in the accompanying «Applied Process Control: Efficient Problem Solving», to develop the problem-solving abilities of process engineers.

Bridging theory and practice, this book contains over 200 practical exercises and their solutions, to develop the problem-solving abilities of process engineers. The problems were developed by the author during his many years of teaching at university and are kept brief, taken from the fields of instrumentation, modelling, plant control, control strategy design and stability of control. The algorithm flows and codes, which are mostly based on MATLAB?, are given in many cases and allow for easy translation into applications. Since the text is structured according to «Applied Process Control: Essential Methods», all of the necessary background information on the underlying methods can be easily and quickly found in this accompanying book.

The book focuses on process control in the petroleum and refinery industries, with an emphasis on problem solving. The author explores various real life examples and relays the lessons learned from his career in this area. He explains many new yet straightforward concepts without the use of complex mathematics. This handy go-to emphasizes single and well-established process engineering principles that will help working engineers and operators switch manual control loops to automatic control.

Examines real life problems and solutions for operators and engineers running process controls Expands on the first book with the addition of five new chapters as well as new troubleshooting examples Written for the working operator and engineer, with straightforward instruction not hinged on complex math Includes real-life examples of control problems that commonly arise and how to fix them Emphasizes single and well-established process engineering principles that will help working engineers and operators switch manual control loops to automatic control

Automated Continuous Process Control pulls together–in one compact and practical volume–the essentials for understanding, designing, and operating process control systems. This comprehensive guide covers the major elements of process control in a well-defined and ordered framework. Concepts are clearly presented, with minimal reliance on mathematical equations and strong emphasis on practical, real-life examples. Beginning with the very basics of process control, Automated Continuous Process Control builds upon each chapter to help the reader understand and efficiently practice industrial process control. This complete presentation includes: A discussion of processes from a physical point of view Feedback controllers and the workhorse in the industry–the PID controller The concept and implementation of cascade control Ratio, override (or constraint), and selective control Block diagrams and stability Feedforward control Techniques to control processes with long dead times Multivariable process control Applicable for electrical, industrial, chemical, or mechanical engineers, Automated Continuous Process Control offers proven process control guidance that can actually be used in day-to-day operations. The reader will also benefit from the companion CD-ROM, which contains processes that have been successfully used for many years to practice tuning feedback and cascade controllers, as well as designing feedforward controllers.

So why another book on process control? Process Control: A Practical Approach is a ground-breaking guide that provides everything needed to design and maintain process control applications. The book follows the hierarchy from basic control, through advanced regulatory control, up to and including multivariable control. It addresses many process-specific applications including those on fired heaters, compressors and distillation columns. Written with the practicing control engineer in mind, the book: Brings together proven design methods, many of which have never been published before Focuses on techniques that have an immediate practical application Minimizes the use of daunting mathematics – but for the more demanding reader, complex mathematical derivations are included at the end of each chapter Covers the use of all the algorithms, common to most distributed control systems This book raises the standard of what might be expected of even basic controls. In addition to the design methods it describes any shortcuts that can be taken and how to avoid common pitfalls. Proper application will result in significant improvements to process performance. Myke King’s practical approach addresses the needs of the process industry, and will improve the working practices of many control engineers. “This book would be of value to process control engineers in any country.” – Mr Andrew Ogden-Swift, Chairmain, Process Management and Control Subject Group, Institution of Chemical Engineers, UK “This book should take the process-control world by storm.” – Edward Dilley, Lecturer in Process Control, ESD Simulation Training

Process Identification and PID Control enables students and researchers to understand the basic concepts of feedback control, process identification, autotuning as well as design and implement feedback controllers, especially, PID controllers. The first The first two parts introduce the basics of process control and dynamics, analysis tools (Bode plot, Nyquist plot) to characterize the dynamics of the process, PID controllers and tuning, advanced control strategies which have been widely used in industry. Also, simple simulation techniques required for practical controller designs and research on process identification and autotuning are also included. Part 3 provides useful process identification methods in real industry. It includes several important identification algorithms to obtain frequency models or continuous-time/discrete-time transfer function models from the measured process input and output data sets. Part 4 introduces various relay feedback methods to activate the process effectively for process identification and controller autotuning. Combines the basics with recent research, helping novice to understand advanced topics Brings several industrially important topics together: Dynamics Process identification Controller tuning methods Written by a team of recognized experts in the area Includes all source codes and real-time simulated processes for self-practice Contains problems at the end of every chapter PowerPoint files with lecture notes available for instructor use

Describing the principles and applications of single input, single output and multivariable predictive control in a simple and lively manner, this practical book discusses topics such as the handling of on-off control, nonlinearities and numerical problems. It gives guidelines and methods for reducing the computational demand for real-time applications. With its many examples and several case studies (incl. injection molding machine and waste water treatment) and industrial applications (stripping column, distillation column, furnace) this is invaluable reading for students and engineers who would wish to understand and apply predictive control in a wide variety of process engineering application areas.