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Blog - Post List

DeltaV Blog: Updated OPC Data Access Server Redundancy Product Data Sheet

Larry Griffin

Provides a fast and efficient means for transferring data between the DeltaV system and OPC Data Access client applications. (400KB PDF) Read the full text.
- 19 Aug 2011
DeltaV Blog: Effect of Mechanical Design – Equipment

Terry Blevins and Greg McMillan

There are numerous examples where equipment design by not taking into consideration dynamics caused poor control. A good equipment design should reflect an understanding of how dynamics affect control loops and the efficiency and capacity of the production...
- 18 Aug 2011
DeltaV Blog: Commissioning Control Systems – Process Interaction

Terry Blevins and Greg McMillan

In many applications, the process equipment is characterized as having multiple manipulated inputs. This type of equipment configuration is often referred to as a multiple input/multiple output process. The process control consists of multiple PID blocks...
- 15 Aug 2011
DeltaV Blog: PID World Tour--The Final Performance

Gregory K McMillan

Read the Conclusion of McMillan, Weiner and Congiundi's Tour of PID World Read the full text.
- 15 Aug 2011
DeltaV Blog: Effect of Mechanical Design – UA

Terry Blevins and Greg McMillan

The product of the overall heat transfer coefficient and area (UA) determines the controllability of temperature processes. The deterioration of the UA is a particular concern for crystallization and polymerization processes. Frosting and fouling can...
- 11 Aug 2011
DeltaV Blog: Commissioning Control Systems – Installed Characteristics

Terry Blevins and Greg McMillan

From a control perspective, it is highly desirable that the process gain be constant. If the process gain is constant, then the same proportional gain may be used over the entire operating range of the control loop. However, if for example the valve characteristic...
- 8 Aug 2011
DeltaV Blog: Effect of Mechanical Design – Pumps and Piping

Terry Blevins and Greg McMillan

The increasing emphasis on saving energy and capital costs can lead to pump and piping designs that inadvertently cause a severe loss of turndown in flow loops and a significant increase in noise , delay, and lag in temperature and pH loops. The deterioration...
- 4 Aug 2011
DeltaV Blog: Commissioning Control Systems – Resolution and Deadband

Terry Blevins

As addressed in my July 18th and July 25th blogs, to achieve best control performance, it is important that the final control element moves to a position that matches that requested by the control system. The minimum size of change in the PID output that...
- 1 Aug 2011
DeltaV Blog: Effect of Mechanical Design – Mixing

Gregory K McMillan

Mixing changes the game. Mixing has a broad impact on disturbances, interactions, and noise. Mixing breaks paradigms on tuning, control, and performance. Mixing is at play in key unit operations offering incredible tightness of control and forgiveness...
- 28 Jul 2011
DeltaV Blog: Commissioning Control Systems – Valve Performance

Terry Blevins

As addressed in my July 18th blog, when a valve positioner is installed on a valve actuator, as long as it is functioning properly it will automatically increase the actuator pressure until the valve moves to a position that matches that requested by...
- 25 Jul 2011
DeltaV Blog: Top Ten Limitations – Analyzers

Gregory K McMillan

Ultimately what we most need to know in each key process stream is the operating condition least measured; composition. We are largely flying blind. Neural networks and projections to latent structure technologies have proliferated because online and...
- 21 Jul 2011
DeltaV Blog: Commissioning Control Systems – Valve Positioners

Terry Blevins

When commissioning a control system, it is important to be aware of whether a regulating valve is equipped with a positioner. If a valve does not have a positioner, then as part of loop commissioning it may be necessary to install a positioner on the...
- 18 Jul 2011
DeltaV Blog: Top Ten Limitations – Setpoints

Gregory K McMillan

A loop is only as good as its setpoint. Most loops are not operating at the best setpoint for 9 major reasons. For sustainable manufacturing we need to understand and address these reasons to achieve better setpoints to reduce the energy, raw material...
- 15 Jul 2011
Operations Management Blog: Chemical Manufacturing Moving to Ends of the Spectrum

Jim Cahill

The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), a global professional membership organization for people who have an interest in and experience in chemical engineering, triennially holds an event, Advances in Process Control 9 (APC 9). This year’s event...
- 12 Jul 2011
DeltaV Blog: Commissioning Control Systems – Input Filtering

Terry Blevins

The method used to process analog inputs and outputs is unique to each control system. Also, controller and IO bus design influence how often measurement and outputs are updated and thus dictate the control execution rate that is supported by the control...
- 11 Jul 2011
DeltaV Blog: More Fun with PID Controllers

Gregory K McMillan

Exploring Just How Flexible and Powerful the PID Controller Can Be Read the full text.
- 11 Jul 2011
Safety Instrumented Systems Blog: Roundup of Process Safety Thoughts and Ideas

Jim Cahill

As we did with the recent energy efficiency post, I wanted to highlight a few key points made in past IEC 61511 safety lifecycle-related posts. This global safety standard provides a performance-based methodology to plan and execute your process safety...
- 7 Jul 2011
DeltaV Blog: Top Ten Limitations – Turndown

Gregory K McMillan

Plant turndown determines how effectively a production unit can minimize inventory and energy costs. As utility rates change with supply and demand, energy efficiency changes with weather, and product demand changes with customer shipments and downstream...
- 7 Jul 2011
DeltaV Blog: Stairway to Heaven

Bruce Greenwald

Many years ago, I was working a startup in Addis, LA and the process control technician explained to me the various titles for the operation’s staff. At the top of the food chain was the title AAGLB. I asked what it stood for. The reply was “Almost A...
- 5 Jul 2011
DeltaV Blog: Commissioning Control Systems

Terry Blevins

The long-term performance of a plant is directly impacted by the care with which the control system is commissioned. Establishing control loop tuning is an important part of the work needed to commission a new plant or an area of the plant in which measurement...
- 4 Jul 2011
Safety Instrumented Systems Blog: Adopting the IEC 61511 Safety Lifecycle Standard

Jim Cahill

I saw a great article from exida‘s Dr. Peter Clarke, Setting the Standard, on how process plants can benefit through proper and careful adoption of the IEC 61511 global safety standard. It’s perhaps the best primer I’ve seen in a while on the safety lifecycle...
- 28 Jun 2011
DeltaV Blog: More Extraordinary PID Innovations

Gregory K McMillan

The Creative Use of PID Controllers for Process Improvement Read the full text.
- 13 Jun 2011
DeltaV Blog: Skinning the Cat with XLReporter

Bruce Greenwald

At what point does control functionality requirements become just too complex to implement in the native control environment? It’s a tough call, because there are so many factors that go into the decision. Converting some massive calculation into the...
- 9 Jun 2011
Safety Instrumented Systems Blog: Confusing Personal and Process Safety?

Jim Cahill

Over at the Process Safety Management (1000+) LinkedIn group is a provocative question, Personal Safety & Process Safety – does management really confuse the two? Do engineers confuse them? The thread began a month ago and has 77 responses and 4 “likes...
- 26 May 2011
DeltaV Blog: Troubleshooting Help

Bruce Greenwald

Not that you need another reason to upgrade your DeltaV system to version 11, but there’s a way cool app in Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 to enhance troubleshooting. It’s called Problem Steps Recorder or PSR for short. What PSR does is record your mouse...
- 26 May 2011