What’s the Big Deal with TuneVue?

You may have read references to TuneVue on this blog or seen it listed on our corporate website.  If you’re still curious about what it is, then there’s a simple answer: TuneVue is a powerful optimization utility within our PlantESP plant monitoring software. It evaluates a production facility’s existing process data in order to both identify specific control loops that require tuning and recommend the parameters needed to achieve optimal performance.
TuneVue may sound like some advanced version of auto-tune, but it’s so much more.  Consider the following aspects of TuneVue:

Capture

At a typical production facility output changes are an everyday occurrence.  With each manual adjustment to output or automatic Set Point change the cause-and-effect data that’s needed to first model then tune a PID controller is automatically captured.  TuneVue isolates each of these data sets for analysis and for potential optimization of the associated controller.

In contrast to auto-tune the TuneVue utility doesn’t require additional upsets to the process.  It does all of the work – from analysis to recommendations – using a plant’s existing data.

Model

Real-world process data is highly variable.  It’s oscillatory.  It’s noisy.  For years engineers had to steady a process before their tuning software could accurately model the associated dynamics.  TuneVue utilizes a proprietary modeling capability that eliminates that requirement.  It accurately models process dynamics even in the absence of a steady-state using the same innovation found in LOOP-PRO.

TuneVue is distinct from auto-tune in that it’s not limited to use with loops that are already steady.  What’s more, it isn’t a “black box” as each TuneVue model fit is put on display.

Recommend

A typical production facility will experience hundreds if not thousands of output changes every day.  Each has the potential for improving PID controller performance.  By isolating each change, fitting a model, and calculating tuning parameters, TuneVue fully automates the process.  It then leverages its analysis to recommend tuning parameters that suite the loop’s unique control objective (i.e. aggressive vs. moderate vs. conservative).

TuneVue is constantly on the watch for opportunities to optimize whereas auto-tune simply isn’t.  In large plants TuneVue’s “always on” attribute is essential to maintaining optimal control.

There are other continuous monitoring tools on the market that actively model and capture output changes.  For sure, they are an improvement over auto-tune.  That said those tools cannot handle the highly dynamic nature of real-world production processes.  TuneVue is the only one proven to handle real-world data, and that’s what makes it such a big deal for those in pursuit of optimal control.