Process Control Systems

This book provides a basic approach to understanding and effectively applying industrial process control based on the systems concept. It provides an overview of an operating system, then divides it into sections for individual discussion. It covers topics including the operating system, process control, pressure systems, thermal systems, and level determining systems. It also addresses flow process systems, analytical process systems, microprocessor systems, automated processes, and robotic systems.

Process Control Systems (PCS) are distributed control systems (DCS) that are specialized to meet the requirements of the process industries. Many processes and plants of that domain have high safety and availability requirements, are instrumented with a large number of sensors and actuators and show a rather high degree of automation at least in standard operation regimes. There are remarkable differences and cross-discipline interdependencies between chemical-physical properties of the substances, procedures, unit operations, equipment, instrumentation and control strategies. This results in the observation that there hardly any two plants that are identical, even if the products are interchangeable.There are remarkable differences and cross-discipline interdependencies between chemical-physical properties of the substances, prodedures, unit operations, equipment, instrumentation and control strategies. This results in the observation that there hardly any two plants that are identical, even if the products are interchangeable. Thus, it is not surprising, that there is an ongoing discussion if each domain of the process industries, namely chemicals, pharma, pulp & paper, oil & gas, food & beverages and water/waste water treatment should have its own specialized automation system. On the contrary, there are some opinions that PCS architectures that address all of the distinct requirements of the process industries, should even be generic enough to render the distinction between PCS and e.g. DCS for power generation and distribution a merely marketing or historical issue, not a technical one.This text book contributes towards that discussion simply by putting its focus on PCS engineering basics that are common to the different domains of the process industries. The examples and exercises are related to an experimental research plant which serves for the exploration of the interaction between process modularization and process automation methods in the process industries. This makes it possible to capture features of highly specialized and integrated mono-product plants (e.g. chemicals) as well as application areas which are dominated by locally standardized general-purpose apparatus and multi-product schemes (bio-chemistry, pharma). While the theory presented in this text book is applicable for all of the PCS of the different established vendors, the examples as well as most of the screen shots refer to PCS 7, Siemens control system for the process industries. Focusing on a single PCS makes it possible to use this text book not only in basic lectures on PCS Engineering but also in computer lab courses that allow students gaining hands-on experience."

This book is aimed at engineers and technicians who need to have a clear, practical understanding of the essentials of process control, loop tuning and how to optimize the operation of their particular plant or process. The reader would typically be involved in the design, implementation and upgrading of industrial control systems. Mathematical theory has been kept to a minimum with the emphasis throughout on practical applications and useful information. This book will enable the reader to: * Specify and design the loop requirements for a plant using PID control * Identify and apply the essential building blocks in automatic control * Apply the procedures for open and closed loop tuning * Tune control loops with significant dead-times * Demonstrate a clear understanding of analog process control and how to tune analog loops * Explain concepts used by major manufacturers who use the most up-to-date technology in the process control field · A practical focus on the optimization of process and plant · Readers develop professional competencies, not just theoretical knowledge · Reduce dead-time with loop tuning techniques

Publisher Description

This book is a practical guide to the application of control benchmarking to real, complex, industrial processes. The variety of industrial case studies gives the benchmarking ideas presented a robust real-world attitude. The book deals with control engineering principles and economic and management aspects of benchmarking. It shows the reader how to avoid common problems in benchmarking and details the benefits of effective benchmarking.

Introduction to Process Control, Third Edition continues to provide a bridge between traditional and modern views of process control by blending conventional topics with a broader perspective of integrated process operation, control, and information systems. Updated and expanded throughout, this third edition addresses issues highly relevant to today’s teaching of process control: Discusses smart manufacturing, new data preprocessing techniques, and machine learning and artificial intelligence concepts that are part of current smart manufacturing decisions Includes extensive references to guide the reader to the resources needed to solve modeling, classification, and monitoring problems Introduces the link between process optimization and process control (optimizing control), including the effect of disturbances on the optimal plant operation, the concepts of steady-state and dynamic back-off as ways to quantify the economic benefits of control, and how to determine an optimal transition policy during a planned production change Incorporates an introduction to the modern architectures of industrial computer control systems with real case studies and applications to pilot-scale operations Analyzes the expanded role of process control in modern manufacturing, including model-centric technologies and integrated control systems Integrates data processing/reconciliation and intelligent monitoring in the overall control system architecture Drawing on the authors’ combined 60 years of teaching experiences, this classroom-tested text is designed for chemical engineering students but is also suitable for industrial practitioners who need to understand key concepts of process control and how to implement them. The text offers a comprehensive pedagogical approach to reinforce learning and presents a concept first followed by an example, allowing students to grasp theoretical concepts in a practical manner and uses the same problem in each chapter, culminating in a complete control design strategy. A vast number of exercises throughout ensure readers are supported in their learning and comprehension. Downloadable MATLAB® toolboxes for process control education as well as the main simulation examples from the book offer a user-friendly software environment for interactively studying the examples in the text. These can be downloaded from the publisher’s website. Solutions manual is available for qualifying professors from the publisher.