Process Monitoring and Control for Technicians & Engineers

Introduction

Today technical staff at a modern process plant often face a bewildering array of process equipment, sensors, control valves, computer hardware, and software packages, yet with all these complexities, it is important to run the plant so that it achieves profitability, satisfies environmental regulations, minimizes energy consumption, and avoids hazardous situations. The effective operation of computer-based control systems is critical to realize the above objectives; thus, it is important to have well-trained engineers and technicians to support such systems.

Objectives

This course will help plant technical staff to integrate the many disparate pieces of information they know about process control loops so that they can have a unified view of instrumentation, field communications, control strategies, process dynamics, loop tuning and performance, complex control systems, and practical control applications. This course will help plant technical staff to describe the important types and elements of process control and basic functioning and elements of a feedback control loop. List the most commonly controlled process variables. List references to standards applicable to process monitoring and control. Provide examples of how bad designs making good control difficult.

This course will help plant technical staff to explain how process control acts as a protection layer for a specific process. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of process control types. Identify critical alarms. This course will help plant technical staff to know what are recommend types of process control and alarm configuration for specific process controls.

Training Methodology

This is an interactive course. There will be open question and answer sessions, regular group exercises and activities, videos, case studies, and presentations on best practice. Participants will have the opportunity to share with the facilitator and other participants on what works well and not so well for them, as well as work on issues from their own organizations. The online course is conducted online using MS-Teams/ClickMeeting.

Who Should Attend?

Instrumentation Engineers, Instrumentation Technicians, Chemical Engineers, Plant Engineers, Plant Technicians, Process Technicians, Process Engineers.

Course Outline

Module 1   Introduction

Module 2   background and historical perspective

• Plant Structure
• Plant Organization
  • Process Areas
  • Process Equipment
  • Plant Operator
  • Supporting Department
  • Work Practices
• Early Control Systems
• Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
•  Operator Interface
• System Installation
• External System Interfacing
• Modern Control Systems
• The Impact of Standards

Module 3   Measurements

• Magnetic Flowmeter
• Vortex Flowmeter
• Flow Based on Differential Pressure
• Coriolis Mass Flowmeter
• Pressure Measurement
• Temperature Measurement
• Level Measurement
• Other Measurement Techniques

Module 4   On-Line Analyzers

• Sampling vs. In-situ Analyzers
• Flue Gas O2
• Liquid Stream pH and ORP
• On-line Estimator

Module 5   Final Control Elements

• Regulating Valves
• Damper Drives
• Variable Speed Drives
• Blocking Valves

Module 6   Field Wiring And Communications

• Traditional Device Installation
• HART Device Installation
• Fieldbus Device Installation
• Wireless HART Installation

Module 7   Control and Field Instrumentation

 Documentation

• Plot Plan
• Process Flow Diagram
• Piping and Instrumentation Diagram
• Loop Diagram
• Tagging Conventions
• Line and Function Symbols
• Equipment Representation
• Documentation Examples

Module 8   Operator Graphics

• Display of Alarm Conditions
• Dynamic Elements
  • 8.2.1 Dynamos
• Displays
• Process Performance Monitoring
• Process Graphic Data Interfaces

Module 9   Process Characterization

• Process Structure
• Process Definition
• Pure Gain Process
• Pure Delay Process
• Pure Lag Process
• First Order PlusDeadtime Process
• Integrating Process
• Inverse Response Process
• Process Linearity
• Workshop Exercises – Introduction
• Workshop – Process Characterization
  • Workshop Directions
  • Workshop Review/Discussion

Module 10   Control System Objectives

• Economic Incentive
  • Ammonia Plant Example
• Safety, Environmental Compliance, Equipment Protection
• Balancing Complexity with Benefits

Module 11   Single-Loop Control

• Manual Control
  • Implementation
  • I/O Processing
  • Analog Input
  • Status
  • Manual Loader Function Block
  • Analog Output
• Feedback Control
  • Proportional-Only Control
  • Proportional-Integral (PI) Control
  • Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) Control
  • Control Structure
  • Controller Action
  • Back Calculation
• PID Block Implementation
  • PID Form and Structure
  • Mode
• Pulsed Outputs
  • Duty Cycle Control
  • Increase-Decrease Control
  •  Process Action
  • Workshop – Feedback Control

Module 12   Tuning and Loop Performance

• Initial Loop Tuning
• Manual Tuning
• Automatically Establishing Tuning
  • Auto-tuning Application
  • Simulation of Response
• Commissioning – Sticky Valves and Other Field Challenges
• Characterizing Loop Gain
• Pairing of Parameters, Decoupling
• Workshop – PID Tuning
• Workshop Discussion

Module 13   Multi-Loop Control

• Feedforward Control
  • Dynamic Compensation
  • Alternate Implementations
  • Workshop – Feedforward Control
  • Workshop Discussion
• Cascade Control
  • Benefits
  • Example – Superheater Temperature Control
  • Implementation
  • Workshop – Cascade Control
• Override Control
  • Override Operation
  • Example – White Liquor Clarifier
  • Example – Compressor
  • Implementation
  • Workshop – Override Control
  • Workshop Discussion
• Control Using Two Manipulated Parameters
  • Split-range Control
  • Valve Position Control
  • Ratio Control

Module 14   Model Predictive Control

• MPC Replacement of PID
• Commissioning MPC
• MPC Replacement for PID with Feedforward
• MPC Replacement for PID Override
• Using MPC to Address Process Interactions
• Layering MPC onto an Existing Strategy
• MPC Applications
• Workshop – Model Predictive Control

Module 15   Process Simulation

• Process Simulation Techniques
• Developing a Process Simulation from the P&ID
• Simulating Process Non-linearity
• Other Considerations
• Workshop – Process Simulation

Module 16   Applications

• Inventory Control
• Batch Processes
• Continuous Processes
• Combustion Control
• Distillation Control
• Coordination of Process Areas
• Difficult Dynamics, Process Interaction