The tuning of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control loops was an important change at HollyFrontier’s Navajo Refinery in Artesia, N.M. Its hands-on, “mandraulic” culture was no longer cutting ...

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 ...

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 ...

Every plant in the process industry most likely has several control loops that do not perform well. Although there are many factors that may negatively affect control loop performance, a few of these ...

Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control is one of the most common types of automatic control used in the power industry. A PID controller continuously ...

ABB has introduced the Loop Tuning Accelerator Service, powered by ServicePort, to reduce the time between diagnosing control loop issues and tuning the loops to improve performance. ABB has ...

Learning the basics can ease loop tuning frustration and ensure stability. During plant operations, it seems that tuning control loops is an ongoing task, which can be a continual frustration to ...

Event-based control systems represent a paradigm shift from conventional time-driven sampling methods by updating control actions only when a significant event occurs. This strategy not only reduces ...

Today’s ac servo systems are much different than those built even 10 years ago. Faster processors and higher resolution encoders are enabling manufacturers to implement amazing advances in tuning ...