#1420 - Applications and Use of Advanced Control Applications

Course Objective

The participants in this class will learn how to apply and tune advanced controllers.  Application of these methods will provide improved control of their processes.

This course presents methods for applying advanced controllers with practical, step by step, successful methods that utilize relationships and reaction curve analysis.  These methods can be easily understood and implemented by the individual.  The participants will be able to apply these methods immediately.

Who Should Attend

Technicians, engineers, operators, trainers, sales personnel, maintenance, management personnel and scientists who are involved in the processing industries:  refineries, chemical plants, power stations, water plants, etc.  Some knowledge of control in the process industry would be beneficial.

Course Description

This course covers the benefits of feedforward, adaptive or scheduled gain, and dead time compensation.  It provides practical, useful ideas of how to tune feedforward controllers in the processing industries without requiring advanced mathematics.  Presents how to implement adaptive or scheduled gain to improve control and provide non-continuous control.  Discusses the methods for handling dead time in a process.  Improved control will provide better productivity and efficiencies.

     Upon course completion, participants will be able to:

• Recognize when advanced controls are beneficial
• Understand what feedforward control is and its benefits
• Run plant test to determine feedforward relationships
• Calculate the feedforward constants
• Understand what adaptive or scheduled gain is and its benefits
• Calculate adaptive gains for non-linear processes
• Apply error squared controllers on level controllers
• Understand how dead time compensators work
• Tune dead time compensators
• Use different methods to improve control of processes with dead time
• Identify when process changes may be needed for improved control

   The course consists of the following main topics and subtopics:

• Review of feedback tuning
• Relationship of controller and process
  • Various parts of processes
  • Interaction of these parts
• Description and benefits of feedforward controllers
  • Test required to obtain feedforward constants
  • Calculation of the feedforward constants
• Description and benefits of adaptive or scheduled gain
  • Methods to tune controllers with adaptive gain
  • Use of adaptive gain to provide control of non-linear processes
  • Using of adaptive gain to provide special effects
• Limits, step changes, transmitter failure protection, surge control, etc.
• Analysis of processes with excessive dead time
  • Dead time compensators
  • Tuning dead time processes with PID only
  • Small changes to a process to provide improved control
• Application of error squared controllers for level control
• Understanding changes that may be required in the process

The following exercises are included in this course

• Individual participants will calculate controller constants based on data from handouts (Note:  Calculators are useful)
• As a class, various methods will be preformed us a PC-based computer program

Course Duration - 1 day