Online Process Control (PID/APC/MPC) and Machine Condition Quality and Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics Software - Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Algorithm

APROMON is a continuous real-time (online) Artificial Intelligence (AI) based online software product for monitoring and diagnostics of PID control loops, advanced process controllers (APCs), model predictive controllers (MPCs), machine conditions, measuring sensors and final control elements quality performance. It runs automatically and can be connect to any DCS / PLC / Historian system using typical industrial OPC (OLE for Process Control) communication protocol.

APROMON will give you the answers on all process control, measuring sensor and final control element performance questions, such as:

• Which controllers are not controlling well (sluggish/aggressive/oscillatory)?
• Which controllers have interactions?
• Which controllers have continuous and strong disturbances?
• Which control valves are not working well (too jagged/sticky/over-undersized)?
• Which controllers need better tuning and optimization?
• Which signals need filtering (too noisy)?
• Which controllers have instrument signal problems (frozen/spiky/out of range)?
• Which controllers often change mode or are inactive?
• Which controllers have and for how long saturated MVs/CVs?

And many other diagnostic assistance tips useful for chemical and control room engineers and operators.

APROMON is equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) leading-edge technology for oscillation or a pattern change detection, not matched by any other technology. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms it identifies “True Amplitudes” by decomposing a complex plant signal into its true process signal and isolates any slow drifts, noise and signal strength not related to the process, as shown in Figure 5.

APROMON reliably determines if any of the PID/APC/MPC controllers are starting to become unstable (by having raising oscillation) or if they are hunting (becoming unstable/oscillatory on a long run). This new Artificial Intelligence (AI) feature can become new PLC/DCS alarm, called “Oscillation” or “Pattern Change” alarm, in addition to commonly used PLC/DCS alarms. Also, APROMON can detect whenever a basic PV signal, which is a part of a simple measurement, or any basic or advanced controller is hit by external oscillatory or spiky disturbance.

APROMON is the only software tool that decomposes the total controller output movement into individual P (proportional), I (integral) and D (derivative) contributions, by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) based algorithm. It shows which of the three terms (P, I or D) is dominant and illuminates controller tuning or optimization problems. Oscillations due to high P, or high I, or both can be unambiguously determined allowing the user to easily and quickly stabilize and tune controller performance.

Also, based on the embedded and powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, APROMON has the unique power to automatically convert any controllers, such as: flow, pressure, temperature, level, online analysis, advanced process control (APC) controllers into a simple and single “Grade” factor, just like the grade given by a professor to a student. Grade of 100 indicates the best performance and grades closer to 0 is indication of bad behavior. APROMON calculates and displays 30⁺ different performance criteria for each tag/control point. The Grade reported for each tag is a result of Artificial Intelligence (AI) perturbations of many criteria, as displayed in Figure 3. Text descriptive message explaining the root cause of the problem and providing step wise procedure how to solve the same is for generated for each tag, as shown on Figure 4. These messages, criteria values and grades are extremely valuable and are stored in the historical archival system, which can be easily accessed for months and years.