How Should Control Loop Performance Issues Be Prioritized?

By Control Guru | January 7, 2015

There are many paths to Heaven or so the saying goes. With a growing array of automation technologies, such a philosophical expression can be applied to process control and plant-wide optimization. Whether the goal is focused on uptime, throughput, or quality, control loop monitoring and diagnostic solutions provide meaningful insight into a facility’s performance. The insights gained from these technologies enable practitioners to proactively address bothersome issues before they become costly problems, and lead somewhere other than Heaven.

Read More

Why is Zeigler-Nichols the Wrong Choice for Your PID Controllers?

By Control Guru | October 28, 2014

In 1909 Henry Ford famously offered customers any color of his Model T automobile as long as their choice was black. Ford’s “one size fits all” philosophy worked remarkably well at the turn of the 20th Century. For sure, the general population’s improved financial means, its appetite for mobility, and of course a dearth of alternative low-cost options played a role. In contrast, a “one size fits all” approach to PID controller tuning doesn’t work so well in today’s complex, multi-process production environments

Read More