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APC275: Advanced Process Control Scheme Implementation in DCS or PLC

Contact Us Today: info@PiControlSolutions.com, Tel: (832) 495 6436

Duration: 3 Days Classroom or 21 hours Online
Audience: Process Control Engineers, Advanced Process Control Engineers, Instrument Engineers, Lab Technicians, DCS/PLC Technicians, Managers and Supervisors.
Prerequisites: 2-year or 4-year degree in engineering or operations. A few months of plant/ engineering experience is desirable, but not required.
Course Material: Software Products used in Course – Pitops, Simcet and Training Slides.

Course Description: This course continues the knowledge and skills building from PID100, APC200 and DCS450.  PID100 and APC200 are required courses and it is nice to complete DCS450 before taking this course.  This course covers the design of control schemes and implementation inside a DCS or PLC.  The course covers how to design and implement various advanced control schemes using real plant examples.  The course shows you how to conceptualize the design of APC schemes for maximizing production rates, minimizing utilities, developing schemes to improve the plant’s operating efficiencies, protecting equipment from overloading and avoiding shutdowns.  The course discusses how to build both standard and custom function blocks inside any DCS or PLC.  This includes batch control, continuous control and sequence control.  The course takes specific examples of how to build complex and advanced control schemes using a variety of standard and custom blocks in the DCS or PLC that were covered in APC200 and DCS450.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will have the skills to design and build continuous and batch control schemes inside any DCS/PLC.  They will have the ability to look at a process flow diagram or P&ID and based on operations goals and objectives, design and implement the appropriate control schemes inside any DCS or PLC.  Students will also have the skills to mathematically compute the various tuning parameters and control parameters for the control schemes.  The course teaches how to provide automation to stabilize the process operation, how to maximize production, minimize cheaper byproducts, minimize utilities, minimize environmental emissions, increase the profit margins and improve key performance indicators.  You can develop many powerful APC schemes in any DCS or PLC with the knowledge from this course and achieve the goals and objectives of plant management.  The following topics are covered in this course:

  • Using PV transforms for linearizing nonlinear processes
  • Ratio control for pure mixing versus complex processes
  • Adaptive tuning – as function of PID Output
  • Median temperature controller in a reactor
  • Average temperature controller in a distillation column
  • Distillation reflux mass balance controller
  • Signal validation for use in closed loop control
  • Analyzer validation logic
  • Constraint override control for limiting equipment
  • Rate maximizer – with delta temperature and characterizer on valve
  • Online heat balance control
  • MW power feedforward control scheme
  • Cross firing limiting control
  • Lab update bias correction
  • Online mass balance controller

APC275 Question & Answers

APC275 is an advanced process control (APC) course designed for Process Control Engineers, Advanced Process Control Engineers, Instrument Engineers, Lab Technicians, DCS/PLC Technicians, Managers, and Supervisors. It builds on knowledge from PID100, APC200, and DCS450, focusing on designing and implementing advanced control schemes in a DCS or PLC.

Students must have completed PID100 and APC200, while DCS450 is recommended for a better understanding. A 2-year or 4-year degree in engineering or operations is required, and some plant or engineering experience is desirable but not mandatory.
The course utilizes Pitops, Simcet, and training slides to teach APC concepts. These tools help students develop and test advanced control schemes in a simulated environment before implementing them in real plant operations.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Design and implement continuous and batch control schemes in a DCS or PLC
  • Analyze P&ID diagrams and create control strategies based on operational goals
  • Compute tuning parameters for optimal process stability
  • Maximize production, reduce utility costs, and improve plant efficiency
  • Develop custom function blocks for advanced process automation

APC275 teaches how to conceptualize, design, and implement control strategies to:

  • Maximize production rates
  • Reduce energy and utility costs
  • Minimize environmental emissions
  • Enhance plant efficiency and protect equipment

Constraint override control is a technique that prevents equipment from exceeding safe operational limits. In APC275, students learn how to design and implement these controls in a DCS or PLC to avoid shutdowns and equipment damage.

Students learn to build standard and custom function blocks for:

  • Batch control, which handles processes that occur in cycles (e.g., chemical reactions)
  • Continuous control, which maintains stable process conditions over time (e.g., refining operations)

Adaptive tuning adjusts PID parameters based on process conditions. APC275 covers how to implement adaptive tuning in a DCS or PLC to improve process stability and performance.

Students learn to use PV transforms to linearize nonlinear processes, making control strategies more predictable and effective.

Signal validation ensures accurate process data by detecting sensor faults and eliminating unreliable measurements. In APC275, students learn how to implement analyzer validation logic to improve control system reliability.

The course covers online mass balance controllers, which monitor and adjust material flow to optimize process efficiency and prevent material imbalances.

APC275 covers various strategies, including:

  • Rate maximizer control (optimizing production based on temperature and valve characteristics)
  • Distillation reflux mass balance control (improving separation efficiency)
  • Cross-firing limiting control (preventing thermal imbalances in combustion systems)

APC275 teaches how to implement online heat balance control to monitor energy distribution, minimize heat loss, and optimize thermal efficiency in industrial processes.

By applying APC strategies learned in the course, students can:

  • Maximize production rates
  • Reduce waste and byproducts
  • Optimize resource utilization
  • Lower operational costs and increase efficiency

APC275 provides hands-on training with real plant examples, teaching students how to design custom APC solutions inside any DCS or PLC. The knowledge gained helps engineers improve process automation, stability, and profitability.

Yes. APC275 emphasizes the translation of operational goals into control logic. It enables engineers to collaborate more effectively with operations teams by designing control schemes that align with throughput, safety, and efficiency targets.

Absolutely. APC275 supports digital transformation by equipping engineers with skills to implement smart control logic, adaptive tuning, and real-time validation, all of which are foundational for autonomous operations and advanced analytics.

Yes. Students will receive examples of documentation formats, naming conventions, and configuration templates that support standardization, version control, and knowledge transfer across teams and shifts.

The course is ideal for industries like chemicals, refining, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, and utilities—anywhere that process control, optimization, and safety are critical.

Yes. By mastering end-to-end APC design and implementation, engineers gain systems-level thinking that supports plant-wide optimization, control strategy audits, and cross-functional project leadership.

Many APC schemes taught in this course focus on energy efficiency, reduction of waste byproducts, and minimizing environmental emissions, helping companies meet both regulatory and ESG targets.


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