Only through proper troubleshooting and then solving the underlying problems can control loop performance be improved. Process design certainly plays a role in control loop performance, but experience ...

Systematic methodology is the key to quickly and effectively troubleshooting control circuits. Even the most experienced troubleshooter must rely on a systematic troubleshooting process to solve ...

Power plants–especially coal-fired boilers–pose a set of process control problems unparalleled in other industries. Rapid load ramps, continuous unit demand changes, variable fuel quality and process ...

The challenges of modern process automation are, in a sense, rather basic. Opening, closing, and adjusting valves that control flows and mixing ratios continue to form the foundation of successful ...

Today more and more systems are incorporating microprocessor controllers into their design. Troubleshooting the operation of these controllers can be a little tricky at times, but if broken down into ...

The process control and instrumentation minor emphasizes developing skills and knowledge in theory, software and in the field. Students graduate ready to solve complex control problems in the chemical ...

Across the semiconductor industry, both FD-SOI and finFET transistor technologies are in high volume production, with IC manufacturers looking to extend both technologies to gain additional ...

Nova Chemicals Corp. used a holistic, best-practices approach to help sustain and improve the performance of control system assets at its Joffre, Alta., ethylene plant. This article, the second of two ...

Technology progression within advanced process control (APC) continues to evolve; however, it is the relationship among core APC developments, enabling technologies, and management practices that is ...

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we presented a 3-phase, 480VAC motor circuit with its associated controls (Figure). We stepped through a logical, systematic approach to troubleshoot the main power ...

In this article, as in industry, advanced process control (APC) refers primarily to multi-variable control. Multivariable control means adjusting multiple single-loop controllers in unison, to meet ...