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    • PITOPS – System Identification & PID/APC Optimizer
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    • SUPERTUNE   – Fully Automatic Auto-Tuning Software
    • COLUMBO   – Closed-Loop Multivariable MPC Identifier
    • APROMON   – Online PID/APC Monitoring & Diagnostics Software
    • PIPROMASTER   – Industrial Process Control CBT e-Book
    • PIOPCMASTER   – Practical Industrial OPC Training e-Book
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      • POLYESTER FIBER
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Blog

Industrial Practical Hands-On Process Control Training

October 12, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

PiControl Solutions is a worldwide industry leader and a great to learn practically and effectively about the Process control system which is needed in the modern control room environment. Receiving training for this specific process has become critically important today – more so than before – because so many new process control engineers, DCS technicians and PLC technicians, control room operators are entering the industrial control room environment. At the same time, many baby boomer engineers, technicians and operators are retiring or have retired.

On Process Control Training

PiControl’s industrial process control training is very hands-on, practical and avoids and eliminates the complex mathematics that is taught in academic schools and college and focuses only on the specific needs in the control room environment.

If you were frustrated by Laplace domain or frequency domain or discrete domain or Z domain – do not worry!  PiControl’s training does not say a word on these complicated things.  PiControl training talks in seconds, minutes and milliseconds – all training and calculations are done entirely in the time domain.

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The training starts with the primary process control, PID tuning training, advanced process control (APC), model predictive control (MPC), plant safety and plant security, plant cybersecurity, good process control safety concepts, OLE for process control (OPC) and many more practical process control training topics.

The training process at PiControl offers using three formats – online process control training, Vimeo video based flex schedule process control training, or conventional classroom-based process control training.  All three formats offer unique options and benefits.  ContactPiControl for more information.

For more information, please see:
TRAINING COURSES
Click Here

Filed Under: PID Tuning Software, Uncategorized

NEW Release – PID Tuning Training Simulator (SIMCET) Version 8.2

November 21, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

PiControl is proud to announce the release of the PID Tuning Training Simulator SIMCET version 8.2

SIMCET converts your computer into a DCS/PLC style real PID controller.  The new SIMCET has over 80 PID tuning examples covering numerous chemical processes – oil refining, chemicals, petrochemicals, cement, electric power, polymer, polyethylene, laboratory reactors, air separation, and many others.

Change setpoints, change tuning and view the changes in control action in real-time mode.  Get a true feel of PID tuning on your computer as if you are in a real plant tuning real PIDs. SIMCET is a must for all control engineers and DCS/PLC technicians in control rooms and also great value in research and teaching in colleges. A leader in PID tuning, system identification, and process control, PiControl solutions is proud to offer a new generation of PID tuning and APC software.

If you have any further questions, contact us online or give us a call at 832-495-6436.

Filed Under: Blog, PID Tuning Software

PID Tuning Software and Process Control Training Review

November 13, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

This is one of the latest reviews from an industrial process control professional, praising and recommending PiControl Solutions process control training, PID tuning training, and OPC training. We can safely say he is a VERY satisfied customer!

“I knew absolutely nothing in process control before getting to know PiControl Solutions. However, their excellent simple to understand training coupled with practical simulation software gave me the knowledge that I earnestly sought for, as well as confidence in facing my world. I have successfully completed the PID 100, APC 200, and OPC 500 courses and will recommend it to anyone who seeks training in process control. It is indeed the best place to be.”

Click here for more information about our training software. If you have any further questions, contact us online or give us a call at 832-495-6436.

Process Control Training Review

Filed Under: Blog, PID Tuning Software, Testimonials

New Software from PiControl Solutions!

November 10, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

The Value of PID Tuning, CLPM, and System Identification Software

PID tuning optimization, monitoring, and advanced process control are increasingly important today.  Many plants do not use software and tools in these areas because the software is often too complex, expensive, not robust or not practical enough in the control room environment.  Colleges continue to teach process control theory in the ancient Laplace, frequency domain or the complicated Z (discrete) domain- all not practical and not effective in the control room environment.  Subsequently, few plants tune PID loops using modern effective methods.  Even fewer plants monitor the control quality of PID loops in online or offline manner.  Many PID loops are not optimally tuned.  They may work “satisfactorily”, but with tuning optimization, the performance could be much better, but there is lack of awareness of the potential and the resulting benefits.

Another related area of high value and benefits to chemical plants is system identification.  System identification involves identifying the dynamic response between manipulated variables and controlled variables.  System identification using transfer functions is a practical and effective method.  Unfortunately, almost all system identification- transfer function identification is done using the age-old ARMAX method –  autoregressive moving average with exogenous inputs.  ARMAX method is too complex for use in the control room by busy engineers and technicians.  Subsequently, system identification (transfer function identification) skills and usage is poor in chemical plants.  A few Ph.D. control engineers in core engineering or in research departments may use ARMAX but it is not widely used otherwise.

For successful and effective process control in industry, two areas are critical and essential – first is system identification and second is controller design and tuning. Accurate system identification is a prerequisite for good controller design.  Due to the challenges and limitations on the practical success of system identification, dynamic models are rarely available and this precludes the mathematically scientific and precise design of the closed-loop controller.  Often the age-old trial-and-error method of tuning or determination of other APC (advanced process control) parameters is used with little chance of correctness and good control quality performance.  Guess work on PID controller loop tuning and APC parameters results in poor control quality, often oscillations or sluggish control followed by the control room operator turning off the advanced process control scheme or putting the PID control loop in manual mode.  A plant then could run in this mode with many PID loops and APC schemes in manual/inactive state for years and even decades.

In recent times, many experienced process control engineers have retired.  Many new, young and inexperienced process control engineers, DCS technicians, PLC technicians and control room operators have entered chemical plant control rooms.  Lack of modern, effective and practical process control tools has resulted in many missed opportunities in maximizing plant performance and plant profits.  Production rates are maximized effectively, waste and utility consumption are not minimized.  Avoidable mistakes and plant shutdowns due to poor process control impacts plant performance metrics.

PiControl Solutions LLC is a global leader in the development and sales of modern software for PID tuning, system identification, APC (advanced process control) design/implementation and process control training for process control engineers, DCS/PLC technicians, operators and managers.  PiControl has four key software tools that address the current needs of the industry and trains on deficits left by academic colleges.  The process control software algorithms are new, novel and modern and work better than ARMAX method and better than currently known and used PID tuning methods.  The same software used in control rooms for making PID control improvements and APC implementation can be used for training plant personnel.  Furthermore, the same tools can be used in academic colleges for teaching semester based process control courses at both undergraduate and graduate process control curriculum and also for process control academic research.

The new PiControl software offers the following four main functions:

  1. PITOPS Closed-loop system identification (closed loop transfer function identification) with PID control loops in automatic or even cascade modes without any step changes.  This is a great improvement over the current tools that require open-loop step tests on the OP (output) with PIDs in manual or step tests on the SP (setpoint) in auto mode.  PiControl algorithm can identify open-loop transfer functions with completely closed-loop data with controllers in cascade mode. This is a modern-day breakthrough invention and a new capability previously considered difficult if not impossible.
  2. The closed-loop system identification software PITOPS described above is multivariable – so multiple open-loop transfer functions can be simultaneously identified with completely closed-loop data with controllers in cascade mode.  Most existing tools that advertise closed-loop transfer function identification are only SISO (single input single output) and even then the final results show significant uncertainty.  PiControl technology is MIMO (multiple input multiple output) and completely closed-loop without the need for step tests.
  3. Many of the PID tuning criteria used currently like IMC (internal model control), Ziegler Nichols, Cohen-Coon, Lambda tuning and others are based on an equation for calculating the proportional gain, integral tuning parameter, and derivative tuning parameter.  In contrast, PITOPS from PiControl technology allows custom configuration of the PID control loop with conditions as seen in the real DCS followed by PID tuning optimization.  In this method, a typical setpoint change is configured in the actual engineering units seen in the DCS (not percent units) plus typical noise is configured and also ramp, pulse and sinusoidal disturbances mimicking the real unmeasured disturbances and PID loop interactions and potential fighting with neighboring PID loops.  PiControl’s PID tuning optimizer then minimizes the error for this custom control configuration comprising the SP change and the various disturbances.  Furthermore, the optimizer allows imposing a ROC (rate of change) on the control valve movement or the slave PID controller’s setpoint movement to avoid jerking and disturbing the downstream unit, equipment, and process.  These functions are novel, new and unmatched by known technology, algorithms, and competitor software.
  4. PiControl has developed new algorithm and software called APROMON (advanced process monitoring) for quickly and easily monitoring the PID control quality of all the PID controller loops in any factory or manufacturing plant.  The monitoring tool can be installed in just half a day using direct OPC connectivity to any DCS or PLC equipped with an OPC server.  PiControl’s new algorithm – TAD (true amplitude detection) is a major breakthrough in its ability to reliably detect oscillations, instability, and hunting without getting fooled by the noise and squiggles that are present in process data.  The monitoring tool reports over 25 statistical and process control quality criteria including integrated error, standard deviation, variance, control valve diagnostics, stiction, hysteresis, PV signal problems, excessive control valve movement, low onstream factor, PID control loop interaction, PP, PPK, and others.

All PiControl software works entirely in the time domain with no complex or advanced math and can be learned and installed in just a few minutes to no more than a few hours.  PiControl vision is to offer amazing new, novel and modern tools to help control room personnel and help bridge the gap between academic colleges and industry.  PiControl also offers a wide variety of practical industrial process control courses covering PID tuning, system identification, advanced process control (APC), model predictive control (MPC), plant safety, cyber security, OPC (OLE for process control), industrial statistics, DCS and PLC. If you have any further questions, contact us online or give us a call at 832-495-6436.

Filed Under: Blog, CLPM Monitoring, PID Tuning Software

What Makes Our PID Tuning Software So Impressive?

November 2, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

PITOPS PID tuning, APC design, and system identification software use the latest technology along with modern and powerful tools in professional control rooms and colleges.  PITOPS has the following functions that distinguish and separate it from the competition:

  • Works entirely in the simpler time domain (no need for laplace and Z-domain knowledge)
  • Works with super-fast dynamics like compressors and turbines in milliseconds
  • Works with super-slow PID loops like Online Analyzer Controllers scanning in minutes and with very slow settling times of over 5 hours
  • Works with highly oscillatory data in closed-loop auto/cascade modes
  • Identifies transfer functions even if data has large noise and unmeasured disturbances
  • Identifies control valve stiction
  • Includes stiction during PID tuning optimization
  • Works on MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) systems, multiple cascades, and multiple masters going to a selector and fan-out PID systems
  • Requires far less data (1/5th or less) compared to competitor products
  • Can be used on nonlinear processes for gain scheduling/adaptive control
  • Includes PID output rate of change as an explicit constraint during PID optimization, a unique function unmatched by competitors
  • Supports gap action and deadband on PID simulation and optimization
  • Optimizes tuning based on SP change + Disturbances + Noise as exactly seen and encountered in DCS/PLC – unmatched by the competition
  • Takes 5 minutes to install, 2 hours to learn (user manual is less than 60 pages!)
  • Allows changing transfer function & PID tuning parameters to simulate what-if cases.

Browse the following for more details about our PID training software:

  • PITOPS
  • PITOPS TFI

If you would like to try our PID tuning software for FREE, please contact us online or give us a call at 832-495-6436.

Filed Under: Blog, PID Tuning Software

APROMON – Advanced CLPM Monitoring Software

November 2, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

 

APROMON, an advanced CLPM monitoring software, monitors all PID loops in any manufacturing plant with a DCS or PLC.  APROMON is compact, simple yet powerful.  It can monitor 10-5000 PID loops using direct OPC connection to any OPC server or it can even use Excel.

 

No one can monitor all PID loops daily in a plant. PID control loops can deteriorate over time due to equipment aging, changes in process and operating conditions.  PID control loops can start oscillating or control poorly. APROMON generates daily reports showing all bad PID control loops needing re-tuning and all control valves needing maintenance or replacement.  APROMON can also generate online alerts in real-time identifying and alerting loops that are showing impending problems.

 

APROMON generates a grade of 0-100 for every PID in the DCS or PLC based on 25 control quality and statistical criteria. Unlike competitor tools, APROMON installation takes only half a day and user manual is only 75 pages. Click here to learn more. If you have any further questions, contact us online or give us a call at 832-495-6436.

 

APROMON CLPM Software

Filed Under: Blog, CLPM Monitoring

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