Emerson Automation Experts

Managing Change in Process Control: Lessons from Greg McMillan

2026-05-15T13:00:29Z

In this seminar, Process Automation Hall of Fame member Greg McMillan delivers a masterclass on the foundational concepts that drive process control improvement.

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Tuning and Control Loop Performance: Practical Lessons for Process Engineers

2026-05-01T13:00:18Z

Process Automation Hall-of-Fame member, Greg McMillan’s freely available Tuning and Control Loop Performance, presents a field‑tested body of knowledge built on decades of industrial application.

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Plant Walkdown Planning for Turnarounds

2026-02-09T15:44:24Z

Emerson Accredited Service Providers, combined with digital tools, can assist you in collecting and reviewing information to validate your installed base of valves, actuators, and regulators at plant startup or to analyze equipment health in preparation for a shutdown, turnaround, or outage.

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Preventing Desuperheater Nozzle Failures with Routine Testing

2025-08-25T13:00:20Z

Desuperheaters play a critical role in many steam processes, spraying water into steam to protect downstream equipment from overheating. The heart of a desuperheater is its spray nozzle, but these nozzles are often installed and forgotten until they fail, resulting in expensive repairs and downtime.

Our article in the May 2025 issue of Automation.com Monthly, titled “How Desuperheater Nozzle Testing Prevents or Predicts Failures,” describes how to create a cost-effective nozzle testing program that can pay for itself many times over.

A critical and sensitive process

Many steam process loops, such as those found in typical combined cycle power plants, use desuperheaters to lower steam temperatures to safe levels. The desuperheating process is highly sensitive, requiring just the right amount of water to be atomized into a fine mist.

An analysis of combined cycle outages shows that most forced outages result from damage to the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) coils as these usually see the highest temperatures and most difficult process conditions. A common cause of these failures is desuperheaters which either add too little water, too much water, or fail to atomize the water adequately.

HRSG damage occurs quickly and has significant repercussions, costing $2,600,000 USD and four days of downtime to repair on average.

Figure 1. Over temperature damage in pipes from poorly functioning desuperheaters will result in significant pipe and equipment damage, requiring extended outages for repairs.

Nozzle problems

Desuperheater nozzles are designed to distribute a uniform stream of atomized water droplets, but over time they may degrade or plug, disrupting the intended spray pattern and creating water streams that damage piping.

Figure 2. Nozzle plugging or damage can restrict flow.

Clogged nozzles can also severely restrict flow, limiting the desuperheater’s ability to control temperature.

In some cases, erosion can destroy the desuperheater head, allowing water to bypass the nozzle completely, causing catastrophic damage.

A simple solution

Routine inspection and testing of desuperheater nozzles is a straightforward and effective way to avoid the problems described above. Many process plants contract with accredited service providers to perform nozzle flow testing and repairs, either on-site or in local facilities. Implementing a routine nozzle maintenance program is inexpensive compared to the cost of even a single HRSG outage.

Figure 3. Accredited nozzle repair facilities can bring nozzle flow test stands, like the one pictured here, to the site to check all the desuperheaters in a unit during an outage. Flow testing proves nozzle functionality, and any issues can be addressed quickly.

The cost of nozzle neglect

One power plant noticed the valve responsible for controlling the spraywater to the desuperheater was running nearly fully closed, yet the temperature downstream of the desuperheater was being measured well below specification.

An Emerson Accredited Service Provider suggested the unit be taken out of service and immediately flow tested, but the plant continued to run.

Three weeks later, a weld joint cracked on the downstream piping, causing a 10-day outage and costing the plant $250,000, far more than the $13,000 it would have cost to flow test the nozzles.

Following that incident, the plant discovered that six more of their ten desuperheaters required repairs and/or replacement nozzles. The plant instituted a regular nozzle maintenance routine, preventing future failures and dramatically improving desuperheater performance.

Service providers simplify nozzle testing

Like all mission-critical devices, desuperheater nozzles should be regularly tested and maintained to prevent expensive outages and repairs. Many process plants find it best to contract this task to accredited service providers as they have the equipment and expertise to perform nozzle testing, repairs, and replacements.

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Driving Performance with Digital Valve Controllers

2025-05-22T11:30:28Z

Emerson’s Jaime Alvarado Millan, Nathan Krasnovsky, and Naman Tahan teamed up to present, Harnessing the Power of Digital Valve Controllers: Introducing Valve Reliability Suite™ Solutions, at the Emerson Exchange 2025 Conference. Here is their presentation abstract:

Ensuring valve reliability starts with acquiring and analyzing data from your digital valve controllers. However, effectively leveraging this data can be challenging. Time constraints, task prioritization difficulties, and the steep learning curve of new tools often hinder digital transformation efforts. The Valve Reliability Suite™ solutions are the most comprehensive and trusted valve reliability software & service portfolio that provides intuitive, predictive and connected solutions to provide data-driven, actionable recommendations based on the importance of valves.

Offerings include the Plantweb Insight™ Valve Health Application, ValveLink™, and Valve Condition Monitoring. Discover the perfect combination to enhance your plant’s reliability and ensure long-term success.

Jaime kicked off the session by highlighting challenges manufacturers and producers face. These include rapidly approaching scheduled turnarounds, valve-related unexpected outages, ever-increasing operating expenses, and pressure to drive sustainability improvements. The Valve Reliability Suite helps you to address these challenges.

The Valve Reliability Suite consists of the Plantweb Insight Valve Health Application, Fisher ValveLink Software, and Valve Condition Monitoring service. The Valve Health Application provides access to a fleet-wide dashboard with near real-time, read-only valve data. It automatically prioritizes targets and recommends actions with high-level analytics.

ValveLink Software provides comprehensive diagnostics for control valve troubleshooting, tuning, and calibration. It aids in root-cause analysis of individual valves. The Valve Condition Monitoring service enables remote monitoring of critical valve applications with diagnostic analysis, tag-specific guidance, and periodic reports from the valve experts. It provides deep-dive analytics done by experienced Emerson experts.

The Valve Health App enables you to see whether the entire valve fleet is healthy. The team’s walk-arounds can be reduced, staff can minimize safety risks, and have confidence to catch issues before they become critical.

Nathan next came up to discuss ValveLink. He shared how it works with DeltaV and Ovation through an AMS plugin. It also works with other control systems and runs on Windows-based operating systems. It communicates through HART and Foundation Fieldbus. The software communicates with the Fisher FIELDVUE digital valve controllers.

He described the Status Monitor function to determine the status of the valve assembly. It includes a dashboard, a monitor function, and alerts.

Online diagnostics monitor the operation of the FIELDVUE positioner and detect issues before they become problems, all without disturbing the process. These diagnostics check for supply pressure, relay adjustment, travel deviation, I/P and relay integrity, and air mass flow.

The final area of ValveLink is offline tests to move the valve and determine performance, friction, and more. Check out the Effective Use of FIELDVUE DVC6200 Instrument Diagnostics document for information.

Naman next came up to discuss the Valve Condition Monitoring service. It provides customers access to Emerson Valve Experts to review, analyze, and recommend actions based on control valve data. These experts review data, report findings, and discuss recommendations with the customer.

Visit the Valve Reliability Suite Solutions section on Emerson.com for more information on these solutions and improving the reliability of your operations.

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Valve Services for LNG Startup and Commissioning Podcast

2024-11-20T15:00:43Z

Some of the largest greenfield projects going on throughout the world are liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants. These huge projects liquefy natural gas for transport across the globe. Regasification plants take in the LNG and convert it back into natural gas for distribution throughout the pipeline network.

In this podcast, Devin Cloud with one of Emerson’s Impact Partners, John H. Carter, and their ControlWorx Premier Service Provider organization, joins me to discuss one very successful project in the state of Louisiana along the Gulf of Mexico. The teamwork between the LNG producer, engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) contractor, and the Emerson team enabled planning, startup and commissioning challenges to be quickly addressed to keep the project advancing successfully.

Give the podcast a listen and visit the Valves, Actuators and Regulators for the Entire LNG Value Chain section on Emerson.com for more information on the important valve solutions for reliable and efficient LNG operations. And, the service provider locator section can help you find your accredited valve, actuator & regulator provider in your area.

Transcript

Jim: Hi, everyone. I’m Jim Cahill with another Emerson Automation Experts podcast. Today, we’re on another episode in our four-part series that explores the role of control technologies in helping drive efficient and reliable LNG production.

Emerson’s valves, regulators, and actuators empower the entire LNG value chain from the liquefaction process to transport in terminals, and from project startup and commissioning to long-term facility operations and maintenance.

I’m joined today by ControlWorx‘s Devin Cloud to talk about how an LNG liquefaction customer gained confidence in the startup and commissioning of their greenfield plant. ControlWorx is one of Emerson’s premier service providers covering valves, regulators, and actuators, among other Emerson solutions. Devin has been a project manager for valve services for over 12 years. Welcome, Devin.

Devin: Hey, Jim. Thanks for having me. I’m happy to be here. Let me say, I’ve listened to several podcasts. I think even my kids have listened to several podcasts in the truck. So, very excited about this opportunity. So, thank you for having me.

Jim: All right. Let’s hope we have something that even the kids can get into about LNG here.

Devin: Let’s hope so.

Jim: So, could you give a brief description of the startup and commissioning services required for control valves, isolation valves, and actuators at an LNG plant?

Devin: I think I’ll start off on this one as saying, for the LNGs that we’ve been doing this in our territory, hindsight, looking back is, we had to rethink what we thought we knew. And so, what I mean by that is, when we start…we say startup and commissioning services. And we’ve done this often. We’ve done it at many customer sites. And our company has done it way before I come along, you know? We think about the traditional flushing trim. You may have a control valve in. It comes with flushing trim or hydro trim. We give onsite resources to go out there and change the trim out to running trim. We may have calibrations. A valve gets installed, calibrate it to make sure it’s working properly. Do the loop checks on it.

And so, all of those things for the LNG markets in our territory, that still stands true. But we also had to… This being a true greenfield project, EPCs that we haven’t dealt with before, an end user that is a customer that’s not…hasn’t ever been a customer before, there’s a lot of challenges that come up to there. And so, while we’re doing all these things of traditional startup and commissioning, we had to kind of put our mindset in the construction phase, right? As the general contractors are out constructing this, how do we help them install valves? And the simplest things. Install valves the right way. How do we make sure that the preservations of the valves, they’re not laying in the yard getting full of dust? And we’re talking about critical valves, expensive critical valves to the process. Installing bolts and nuts.

And so, if you…the general contractor, they’re doing the best they can. And these things are…they’re big, they’re nasty. They’re galling threads, putting them in, which ultimately causes delays, ultimately causes setbacks and, of course, some very costly repairs. And then the spare parts. I think startup and commissioning is also the recommended spare parts that Emerson offers. And not just recommending. It’s what are we doing with the spare parts when they get onsite? Where are they going in the warehouse? How are they being tracked?

Again, like I said, really go back to the drawing board and rethink what we thought about startup and commissioning to really put ourselves in if I were the customer and I’m looking for a valve vendor or a partner, what would I want for them to do? And we can say, we can say, here’s the box that everything sits in. But really, we had to think outside of that box as well.

So, definitely, a lot of learning and trial and error for us. But really, I would say, the biggest thing we learned is offering solutions and options. Instead of us just saying, “Hey. This is what we can do for you,” it’s listening to the customers and saying, “How can we adapt to your needs with our company and the power of the network and the impact partner network and Emerson behind us to do it?”

So, I know that may have been a little lengthy, but just really rethinking the traditional process for us.

Jim: Yeah. I want to drill in a little bit more to that construction part because that’s really fascinating to get involved in that. So, how did Emerson’s Premier Service Provider network become involved, I guess, in the first place in the construction of this particular greenfield liquefaction plant? And what are some of the key factors that set us apart from some of the other service providers, I guess, that could do that?

Devin: Yeah. This may be a lengthy answer, too. But I have to give all the credit…we have to give all the credit to Kevin White and his Emerson halftime meetings that he puts on. So, what Kevin did in halftime meeting was it brought all of the EPC together, and brought the Impact Partners together. And just by fate, I guess, you would have it is, Kevin is talking about deliveries. And one of the EPC guys was on a Teams call. So, this was about 2020, 2021. So, during the time of COVID, right? A lot of Teams calls. And this one guy kept talking a lot on the Teams call. A lot. And he was from the EPC. And so, I just sent him a direct message. I said, “Who are you? What do you do?” Just as maybe a Hail Mary almost, saying, like, I’m trying to get on site here. So, it turns out that that guy was head of construction for the EPC.

The very next day after that halftime meeting, we had the EPC and we had the end user in our local shop in Southwest Louisiana, talking about… One of the things they told us, they said, “We’ve built LNG sites all over the world. We’ve never had a valve company local willing to help us.” And I think it was probably because maybe they just didn’t know or maybe it was a lot of people like me. Even our competitors like me looking on the outside in, wondering how you get in there. But really, that halftime meeting that Kevin White and the Emerson team set up, all the success that we’re having today for LNG and not just the startup and commissioning services, but the run and maintain has all pivoted from that point from the halftime meeting. So, I can’t stress enough how…the importance…what that’s been to our success.

Jim: Well, that sounds like a great story and the spark to get that collaboration that’s really going there. I guess, can you tell me more? So, once you’re involved in this collaboration with the EPCs and the customer, can you describe some more about the challenges each of them face as part of this huge project?

Devin: Sure. Probably like most projects, they have a deadline. And if you don’t hit the deadline, that costs money some way, whether that be it’s going to cost you additional money for the construction process or maybe that’s lost product that you had expected to get. So, really, the speed of response and the speed of solutions was really our biggest challenge to overcome for this. Even on parts that were delivered on time and made it to the site, you have to think 10,000 plus people working in a remote area, one highway in, one highway out. There’s not many places to store things. And so, parts were getting lost, and valves were getting lost, big valves were getting lost, or misplaced. I can’t say lost. Misplaced.

And then it’s trying to work with the EPCs. And we had EPCs that was in different territories that was all supplying valves or parts to the site. Working with them, getting a bill of sale, right? Here’s the shipment. What all was included in it? For our people, that was boots on the ground, going and putting their eyes on it, trying to bring it to a safe place, making sure that all the parts, if it come in multiple crates, they were all at the same place. And so, that was a challenge.

But I also think that having the support of the network, having Emerson’s backing where we can pick up the phone and call our partners and say, “Hey. What was in this crate? Can you send it to me?” And then being that middleman for the end user and the customers and just saying, “Hey. We shipped it. It’s on site. You signed for it. Here’s the guy’s name that signed for it. It’s up to you now.” We, as a partner, trusted adviser, really trying to go above and beyond, locating these things for them, trying to help manage the things that was ultimately probably their responsibilities. But it was easier for us to do it. And that brought a lot of value to it.

So, I would say, the biggest challenge on that, Jim, is just really speed of response. As soon as they needed something, they needed to commission a line or a system, we had to have all the parts installed. They need to be installed correctly. We had to ensure that the hydro tests were done. We had to ensure that the trim was the right trim. We had to ensure that the valves, actuators were all set up properly, and just give them the confidence that whenever they hit the button to turn it on, that everything was going to work like it was supposed to.

Jim: Wow. That sounds like pretty deep collaboration down to having to track down parts and valves and stuff on a big, huge facility. So, what would you attribute, I guess, that close working…but what really made that relationship successful among all the parties throughout the project?

Devin: Yeah. I think the biggest success on that is we had to turn the EPC into someone they could trust. What I mean by that was…is… If we were in a meeting on site and something had come up, I’m just going to say, “Hey. We need x, y, z valve. The parts for it, we can’t find it. And it needs to be in, installed and commissioned by tomorrow.” When we left that meeting, it was us trying to find a solution, and then it was 20 other engineers they had in the room trying to find a solution.

And so, by us coming and not just… Well, first, we had to give a solution, right? And then we had to give a solution that met their timeframe, but was also bringing options as well, saying, “Hey. Here’s a good, better, and best path. The best path is this, but here’s the good.” And so, we had to beat… And again, I’ll go back to speed of response. We had to beat their own people trying to find a solution. And we had to give them options so they could make the best decision for them.

And so, I’ll make one key point in all of this to end. Little did we know at the time, but the guy that was on the Teams call that ended up being our champion from the EPC, that was the guy in his team that we had to win over for the trusted adviser. He ended up being the end user. So, he switched hats. And he went over to corporate end user, which at that point, it’s, “Hey. These people are my go-to people.” The Impact Partner has saved us this many times. This is how much money they saved us.

But really, ultimately leading up to that and those successes was, I think, too, is getting those people to the shop. Getting them up to our local shop, meeting not just the sales team, meeting the operations team, meeting the technicians that was going to work on their things, meeting the inside sales and support team. I think that was a huge success and the collaboration is it wasn’t just me. It wasn’t just my sales partner. It was everyone involved. And everyone involved was bought into the messaging and into the idea of this is a new customer for us. They could be very good for us in the long term. We’re going to put our best foot forward.

Again, the success on that wasn’t just the sales team and the sales effort. It was truly a combined effort from the company, from our company and from the Impact Partner network and the Emerson network as well.

Jim: Yeah. It sounds like those broad relationships established because there’s a million things that can come up and go wrong in a project that paid dividends and really fostered that great collaboration.

Devin: Sure. Every day.

Jim: I understand that the Premier Service Provider network helped this customer well beyond the installation commissioning phase, design phase for that matter, including suggested maintenance plan for after the plant was running. Could you explain a little more about key components of that maintenance plan?

Devin: Sure. And I think this opportunity that we have and that we’re doing now… And I’ll explain about what it is. But really, we wouldn’t have this opportunity if we didn’t do such a good effort and our best foot forward on the startup and commissioning side of it. So, that really built trust and goodwill.

This being, of course, a greenfield project and a new customer, there were no procedures for them to follow. There’s no maintenance practices. There’s no PM [preventive maintenance] best practices in place. Once they started up and they’re loading a boat of LNG, it’s, hey, things are starting to break now. Very quickly. And so, any time a project is built so quickly, it’s procured & engineered from all around the world, there’s a lot of white label valves and actuators that you get out there that you have to work on, you have to get started up. But when you start running, you start to have a lot of issues with these things very quickly.

And so, from the startup and commissioning phase of it, we never left site. And the site allow us to go in and have the conversation with them and saying, “Hey. We’re good at this. This is what we do on every day. We can make your valves and actuators reliable. And here’s what a best in class looks like.” I thought that was going to be a very hard sale. But like I said, after the startup and commissioning success, those conversations were very easily had. The customer bought into it very easily.

Now, the doing and implementing of course is not as easy as the selling piece on it. They’ve allowed us to put a base plan in place, of developing maintenance strategies, and doing a lot of diagnostics and preventative maintenance and reliability type solutions in order to say, “Hey. On these set of valves, these set of actuators and this system, here’s what a PM, preventative maintenance structure should look like.” And given it’s kind of the lead way to work with them of being evergreen.

So, we did tell them. So, we may not get it right on the first pass. But as a partner, I think we can get it right together. And then that led into a little bit more. That led into, “Hey. We want you to start looking at our spare parts strategy. Because we have one, but we don’t know if it’s the best.” And so, that led us into having on site project manager, crews both from all crafts. Whether it be isolation actuation, control valves or pressure management, we have crews on site that’s nested, embedded into their maintenance facility, their maintenance shops. We have offices there. So, it’s just like we’re one of them now. So, it’s still evergreen. We’re still learning from it. It’s still growing, but the customer is very happy. And we’re happy to have a customer like that as well.

Jim: Yeah. A cryogenic project, that’s such a tough, challenging process. It’s got to be so hard on all the assets. So, it sounds like all the diagnostics that you can get to put it to use and have that preventative plan in place to keep the production rolling there. So, it sounds like that was a real good deal for them to drive the reliability that they sought there.

Devin: Yes, sir. Absolutely.

Jim: I saw a quote from this customer that said, and I quote, “The Premier Service Provider network delivered tailored solutions that perfectly aligned with our needs, collaborating closely with our team and the EPC. Their expertise extended beyond installation, helping us build a reliable long-term maintenance strategy for our plant.” That’s a pretty impressive quote. Can you explain why overall this was so positive?

Devin: Sure. It wasn’t done overnight, Jim. You don’t get that kind of thing overnight. So, we go back to, I guess, mention the halftime meeting in early 2020, mid-2020. The same person that we’re dealing with on the construction side now is the same person that we’ve developed a four-year history with of just him throwing out so many problems, and his team throwing out so many problems. And I’d like to say we’re successful with every one of them. But we did. We were always there. We always answered the phone. We blanketed the account, the site with a presence.

I’m not going to name all of our people. There are so many people from the John H. Carter ControlWorx team that was just there all the time, ready to execute, ready to do something. Nights, weekends, it didn’t matter.

And I think, over a long period of time, those type of goodwill and actions and willing to…what’s the right thing here? It’s really willing to go above and beyond. But just you never knew what the customer is going to throw you. You never knew it. And our team had never…they never said, “Hey. Look. That’s not my job. I’m not going to do that.” But I think the longevity of that has built the relationship to where it is now, to where this is a customer that I could call up right now and say, “Hey. Give me some information on this,” or, “Hey. I want to come on site tomorrow and talk about this,” and they’re going to say, “Yeah. Absolutely.” We’ve earned that trust.

Now, keeping that trust, we have to…it’s the same message. We have to continue to keep a foot on the gas. Anytime we look at it or we look at it as a burden when the phone rings at 9:00 at night or we’re about to walk into church on Sunday, we used to look at it as a burden. They could easily go down the street and find someone else. Just always being there for them, I think, has earned us that right. To get a quote like that from a customer, it’s something to be proud of. And we are very proud of it.

Jim: Yeah. It sounds like it’s the accumulation of being there, challenge by challenge, a huge greenfield project. There’s a million things that can go wrong. And it’s just being part of that team to make it happen. So, I can see how that trust has been built. And like you said, you got to keep going day in and day out to keep that trust. That’s an important thing.

Devin: That’s right. Yes, sir.

Jim: So, let’s start winding things down a little bit. So, what lessons can LNG producers learn from this case about selecting their service providers and planning for commissioning?

Devin: So, I would say that them understanding the power of the network. Our Emerson and impact partner network, it goes far beyond what any others can offer. And we say this a lot amongst ourselves. We say, there’s no one else that can do the things that we can do, that can offer the services, the products. They don’t even come close to the things that we can do. They may do one thing, they maybe do two things, but nothing near. If you put all of our tools and all of our skills and all of our trades in the box, there’s nothing that compare to it.

So, just by understanding that… That’s a broad statement. For someone to really understand it, I think they would have to live it. And whenever problems are risen to the top, the network is the best place to help solve those problems. When LNG producers have problems, it’s companies like ours, it’s companies like the Emersons that have been in the business a very long time that we know the customers a long… we know the products, we know the processes. And even the LNG markets are still…they’ve been around for a while. But there’s a big boom for them. We’re still learning. So, the ones that we’re building here in Louisiana, you can bet that the network is learning from those things. So, we don’t have to start from scratch when the next one is being built.

We’re specialists in the valve world and in the actuation world. And we’ve learned this from the couple that we’re doing now for the startup and commissioning is you can go get cheap labor to install your valves, to set up your valves. But if you got the mindset a valve is a valve, then you’re probably going to get bit in the butt at some point in time on it because these are highly engineered, specifically designed valves for this specific application.

And so, I think that’s probably the biggest advice going forward is really the network. And the network just continues to learn from each other. And then our people are trained. They’re highly trained. Our engineers are very good at what they do. And so, I think you mix those two things together, you’re going to be successful with it. I think that’s the best outcome you could get and ask for.

Jim: Yeah. I think the learnings from the services network just in doing these kind of projects, that’s shared among the network and even on the technology front like our first podcast in this series was about some of the critical valves in there for that cooling process, the JT control valves in there. So, that’s the kind of thing the experience that not only in the services, but goes into the technologies that we can bring for this industry. And it is something. Right now, it’s growing. And a lot of greenfield projects going on there.

Devin: Yes, sir.

Jim: That’s, I think, a great kind of summation of all that. So, I guess, finally, where can our listeners go to learn more about some of the things we’ve discussed?

Devin: Right. They can go to Emerson.com/LNGvalves. And if they’re like me, they’ll get their kids involved and listen to these podcasts. So, thank you, Jim. I’ve enjoyed this.

Jim: Well, Devin, I really appreciate you coming on, sharing your expertise, telling us some of those stories, very engaging here. And I know there’s also…you can go to Emerson.com/ValveServices for more about the whole services aspect of what we can bring. So, thank you so much for joining us today, Devin.

Devin: All right, Jim. Thank you.

-End of transcript-

The post Valve Services for LNG Startup and Commissioning Podcast appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

If it Weren’t for Deadtime…

2024-06-21T19:27:04Z

One of Greg McMillan‘s favorite sayings in his illustrious process automation career was something to the effect of, “If it weren’t for deadtime, I wouldn’t have a job.” Just do a search on “Greg McMillan” “deadtime”, and you’ll see how much of his expertise he’s shared on this subject over the years.

I mention this because his and Peter Morgan’s recent ControlGlobal.com article is titled Deadtime compensation opportunities and realities. The article explains the:

…benefits of implementing controller integral action by using filtered, positive feedback.

…

In this article, we discuss how adding deadtime to the reset feedback signal improves loop performance when there’s deadtime in the process or when the process response is characterized by an equivalent deadtime and lag.

They highlight common misconceptions that include:

…the idea that deadtime compensation eliminates the effect of deadtime, disturbances are on the process output/process variable, the Smith Predictor is the solution, deadtime compensation is best reserved for deadtime dominant processes, and performance improvement requires turning on deadtime compensation.

The article highlights the issues and opportunities with deadtime compensation and Smith Predictors as they apply to different process dynamics–unmeasured load disturbances, lag-dominant processes, integrating processes, deadtime dominant processes, etc.

ISA standard form PID with positive feedback integral mode enabling external reset feedback (dynamic reset limit).

They cite studies by Greg Shinskey on deadtime compensation using external reset feedback (ERFB). The test results:

…show deadtime compensation via ERFB can improve performance for a wide spectrum of processes, and reveals the tuning adjustments needed and robustness observed. Surprisingly, the ability to handle the inevitable changes in process gain is increased.

Read the article for how the controller was configured for these tests, the process models used including self-regulating and integrating processes, stability margins, adding derivative action, and the authors’ conclusions.

Also, make sure to check out these recent posts where Greg makes three of his numerous books available for free as PDF files. These posts include:

The post If it Weren’t for Deadtime… appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

If it Weren’t for Deadtime…

2024-06-21T19:27:04Z

I mention this because his and Peter Morgan’s recent ControlGlobal.com article is titled Deadtime compensation opportunities and realities. The article explains the:

…benefits of implementing controller integral action by using filtered, positive feedback.

…

In this article, we discuss how adding deadtime to the reset feedback signal improves loop performance when there’s deadtime in the process or when the process response is characterized by an equivalent deadtime and lag.

They highlight common misconceptions that include:

…the idea that deadtime compensation eliminates the effect of deadtime, disturbances are on the process output/process variable, the Smith Predictor is the solution, deadtime compensation is best reserved for deadtime dominant processes, and performance improvement requires turning on deadtime compensation.

ISA standard form PID with positive feedback integral mode enabling external reset feedback (dynamic reset limit).

They cite studies by Greg Shinskey on deadtime compensation using external reset feedback (ERFB). The test results:

…show deadtime compensation via ERFB can improve performance for a wide spectrum of processes, and reveals the tuning adjustments needed and robustness observed. Surprisingly, the ability to handle the inevitable changes in process gain is increased.

Also, make sure to check out these recent posts where Greg makes three of his numerous books available for free as PDF files. These posts include:

The post If it Weren’t for Deadtime… appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Tuning and Control Loop Performance—Freely Available Educational Resource

2024-06-06T13:00:42Z

As promised, here is the third book of the three books Automation Hall of Fame member Greg McMillan, a renowned expert in the field, has generously made available to you. If you missed the earlier posts, check out Centrifugal and Axial Compressor Control and Process Control Case Histories.

This book is Tuning and Control Loop Performance. In the abstract section, Greg describes this book.

This book provides the knowledge to eliminate the misunderstandings, realize the difference between theoretical and industrial application of PID [proportional-integral-derivative] control, address practical difficulties, improve field automation system design, use the latest PID features, and ultimately get the best tuning settings that enables the PID to achieve its full potential.

The book provides up to date comprehensive concepts and extensive details on the practical application of not only the PID but all of the automation system components that affect loop performance from a user’s viewpoint that is not available elsewhere in the literature. The book starts with a summary of the essential fundamentals.

You will gain a:

…foundation of the PID functionality, the major types of process responses, the dynamics that originate in the automation system, and the major tuning rules. Since the complex interrelationships and common misconceptions can be overwhelming, a unified methodology provides the focus and procedures to tackle the most challenging applications.

The book contains 15 chapters and 13 appendices. Each chapter is summarized with the key points Greg makes to improve your knowledge of how to drive performance improvements. Here’s a list of the 15 chapters:

Fundamentals
Unified Methodology
Performance Criteria
Effect of Process Dynamics
Effect of Controller Dynamics
Effect of Measurement Dynamics
Effect of Valve and Variable Frequency Drive Dynamics
Effect of Disturbances
Effect of Nonlinearities
Effect of Interactions
Cascade Control
Advanced Regulatory Control
Process Control Improvement
Auto Tuners and Adaptive Control
Batch Optimization

Building on the knowledge and experience of Greg’s long and successful career, he hopes this book will provide you with best practices to carry forward in your organization. Greg is now retired but still active on LinkedIn, so let him know what you have gained from this and the other books he’s made freely available.

The post Tuning and Control Loop Performance—Freely Available Educational Resource appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Tuning and Control Loop Performance—Freely Available Educational Resource

2024-06-06T13:00:42Z

This book is Tuning and Control Loop Performance. In the abstract section, Greg describes this book.

This book provides the knowledge to eliminate the misunderstandings, realize the difference between theoretical and industrial application of PID [proportional-integral-derivative] control, address practical difficulties, improve field automation system design, use the latest PID features, and ultimately get the best tuning settings that enables the PID to achieve its full potential.

The book provides up to date comprehensive concepts and extensive details on the practical application of not only the PID but all of the automation system components that affect loop performance from a user’s viewpoint that is not available elsewhere in the literature. The book starts with a summary of the essential fundamentals.

You will gain a:

…foundation of the PID functionality, the major types of process responses, the dynamics that originate in the automation system, and the major tuning rules. Since the complex interrelationships and common misconceptions can be overwhelming, a unified methodology provides the focus and procedures to tackle the most challenging applications.

Fundamentals
Unified Methodology
Performance Criteria
Effect of Process Dynamics
Effect of Controller Dynamics
Effect of Measurement Dynamics
Effect of Valve and Variable Frequency Drive Dynamics
Effect of Disturbances
Effect of Nonlinearities
Effect of Interactions
Cascade Control
Advanced Regulatory Control
Process Control Improvement
Auto Tuners and Adaptive Control
Batch Optimization

The post Tuning and Control Loop Performance—Freely Available Educational Resource appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Centrifugal and Axial Compressor Control – Freely Available Educational Resource

2024-05-10T13:00:44Z

Update: The third freely available book is in the blog post, Tuning and Control Loop Performance—Freely Available Educational Resource.

We continue with our free educational book offerings today. The publication rights have been officially returned from Momentum Press to the author, Gregory K. McMillan, who has decided to make the book available for free to help advance knowledge and achievement in process control.

The first post in our series of three, Freely Available Educational Resource—Process Control Case Histories, proved to be hugely popular, both in visits to the blog post and engagement across social media sites.

Greg’s book, Centrifugal and Axial Compressor Control, delves into the complex control challenges associated with these types of compressors, particularly in surge conditions. This is a unique opportunity to learn from a true industry leader.

Compressor anti-surge control is a topic that remains among the most visited posts here on the blog. In this book’s introduction, Greg highlights the challenge.

The cost of machinery damage and process downtime due to compressor surge and overspeed can be from thousands to millions of dollars for large continuous chemical or petrochemical plants. This text demonstrates how to select the proper control schemes and instrumentation for centrifugal and axial compressor throughput and surge control. More material is devoted to surge control because surge control is more difficult and the consequences of poor control are more severe.

Greg shared with me that the book has incredibly valuable and innovative surge models and control systems. He developed the DeltaV Mimic Foundation compressor surge model from equations in this book. There are likely few other high-fidelity dynamic first-principle surge models that are freely available.

Here are important learning objectives.

Learn how the compressor characteristics and operating conditions affect the potential for surge, the surge curve, and the surge controller set point.
Learn how the compressor and piping design affect the frequency and amplitude of the flow and pressure oscillations during surge.
Learn how the surge cycles cause compressor damage.
Learn the relative advantages of different types of instruments in detecting surge.
Learn how fast the approach to surge will be and how fast the flow reversal is at the start of the surge cycle.
Learn how to generate the surge curve and the set point for the surge controller for different compressors and operating conditions.
Learn why a backup open loop is needed in addition to the feedback loop for surge control and how to design one.
Learn how fast the transmitter, the controller, and the control valve must be to prevent surge.
Learn how to modify and maintain the control valve accessories to meet the stroking speed requirement.
Learn how the surge and throughput control system designs affect the operating efficiency of the compressor.
Learn how to assess the severity of interaction between the surge and throughput control loops and how to reduce it.
Learn how to use a computer to monitor changes in compressor performance for maintenance and advisory control.

If you’re responsible for managing the performance of your organization’s centrifugal and axial compressors, take advantage of this freely available download and advance your knowledge and expertise. A handy book reader app can help you flag and annotate sections you find valuable.

The post Centrifugal and Axial Compressor Control – Freely Available Educational Resource appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Centrifugal and Axial Compressor Control – Freely Available Educational Resource

2024-05-10T13:00:44Z

Compressor anti-surge control is a topic that remains among the most visited posts here on the blog. In this book’s introduction, Greg highlights the challenge.

The cost of machinery damage and process downtime due to compressor surge and overspeed can be from thousands to millions of dollars for large continuous chemical or petrochemical plants. This text demonstrates how to select the proper control schemes and instrumentation for centrifugal and axial compressor throughput and surge control. More material is devoted to surge control because surge control is more difficult and the consequences of poor control are more severe.

Here are important learning objectives.

Learn how the compressor characteristics and operating conditions affect the potential for surge, the surge curve, and the surge controller set point.
Learn how the compressor and piping design affect the frequency and amplitude of the flow and pressure oscillations during surge.
Learn how the surge cycles cause compressor damage.
Learn the relative advantages of different types of instruments in detecting surge.
Learn how fast the approach to surge will be and how fast the flow reversal is at the start of the surge cycle.
Learn how to generate the surge curve and the set point for the surge controller for different compressors and operating conditions.
Learn why a backup open loop is needed in addition to the feedback loop for surge control and how to design one.
Learn how fast the transmitter, the controller, and the control valve must be to prevent surge.
Learn how to modify and maintain the control valve accessories to meet the stroking speed requirement.
Learn how the surge and throughput control system designs affect the operating efficiency of the compressor.
Learn how to assess the severity of interaction between the surge and throughput control loops and how to reduce it.
Learn how to use a computer to monitor changes in compressor performance for maintenance and advisory control.

The post Centrifugal and Axial Compressor Control – Freely Available Educational Resource appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Control Valve Repairing, Why?

2024-04-08T15:00:38Z

Welcome to our latest blog post. This time, we focus on common control valve repairing reasons businesses have and why successful ones have chosen to invest in proactive maintenance programs for control valves.

As we dive deeper into the topic, we explore professional advice on the signs of a failing control valve, providing a helpful guide for those invested in and newbies curious about the mechanics and maintenance of control valves.

Let’s discuss why control valve repair matters.

Reason 1: Avoiding a Critical Valve Failure

When a control valve fails, it can result in immediate disruptions to the process it controls. These disruptions may include:

Flow interruptions – A failed control valve may lead to sudden interruptions in fluid flow, causing downtime and potentially impacting production schedules.
Pressure fluctuations – Unregulated flow due to a malfunctioning valve can result in pressure fluctuations within the system, jeopardizing equipment integrity and safety.
Temperature variations – Control valves often regulate the temperature of fluids. A failure in temperature control can affect the quality of the end-product or compromise the integrity of the process.
Loss of control – The most significant immediate effect is the loss of control over the process variable (e.g., flow rate, pressure, temperature, etc.), leading to instability and potential hazards.

To avoid a critical valve failure, organizations implement proactive maintenance programs to check on their valves and ensure they are not about to fail with solutions, such as those from Emerson’s Valve Reliability Suite™ Solutions:

Valve Condition Monitoring service offering, in which valve data analysts from Emerson use 10 different trend charts to figure out what issues are happening with the valve. Then, they make direct recommendations to fix the valve and warn the customer if they see a disruption in the valve data, which gives you a better chance to fix the valve before an unplanned outage or shutdown.
Using a software tool like ValveLink™, you or a service provider could use offline scans from the data within a digital valve control (DVC) to determine if the valve has failed. The signature test and the step test would give you the full picture of the valve to warn if the valve is broken.
Use a dashboard, such as Plantweb Insight™ Valve Health Application, to display trends of past health, valve problem explanations, recommended actions, and a recommended time frame to take action to avoid a critical valve failure.

Control Valve Repairing with Control Valve Diagnostics

Reason 2: Reducing control valve variability

Control Valve Repairing: Leakage

A digital valve controller with the ValveLink software can show signs that there is a packing leak or a decrease in friction. If the digital valve controller is Performance Diagnostics (PD) tier, you can run a Friction Test when the valve is running to capture friction values and help you to notice if the valve packing is worn out. Alternatively, an offline test from ValveLink, called a Signature Test, could be run to determine friction levels and produce the same kind of friction values.

For external leaks in a globe valve, the leak could be between the body and bonnet gasket area, through the bonnet packing stem area and the bolting area, and even the body itself if there is a crack or hole. The actuator could leak externally through the diaphragm, tubing, or a crack in the diaphragm casing.

You should also keep in mind there could be an internal leak, such as in a global valve. The leak could be between the valve plug and seat ring as a start. It can also leak internally due to worn-out, eroded, or corroded trim parts based on the process application. There could be a leak through the actuator, as well as in its diaphragm, O-ring, or actuator stem bushings. In all these cases, parts can be replaced without replacing the entire valve. The valve can also leak due to the valve not closing properly, which is covered in more detail in the next section.

Control Valve Repairing: Setpoint Issues

It is important to understand if the control valve is not closing and opening properly. If the valve is not meeting its setpoint correctly, it is a telltale sign that something may be wrong. To run an online test to check the valve is meeting its setpoint correctly, it is recommended to use three tests from the ValveLink software:

ValveLink status monitor
One Button Swipe
PD Profile Test

For offline test options from ValveLink, a signature test and a default step test can show that the valve is not closing all the way. If you need help checking and repairing a valve, you can reach out to a service provider.

Do you want to know which valve services companies Emerson recommends for control valve repair? Please visit our Valve Service Provider Locator webpage to find our hand-picked service providers near you. Learn more about our Accredited Service Provider program here.

The post Control Valve Repairing, Why? appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Control Valve Repairing, Why?

2024-04-08T15:00:38Z

Let’s discuss why control valve repair matters.

Reason 1: Avoiding a Critical Valve Failure

When a control valve fails, it can result in immediate disruptions to the process it controls. These disruptions may include:

Flow interruptions – A failed control valve may lead to sudden interruptions in fluid flow, causing downtime and potentially impacting production schedules.
Pressure fluctuations – Unregulated flow due to a malfunctioning valve can result in pressure fluctuations within the system, jeopardizing equipment integrity and safety.
Temperature variations – Control valves often regulate the temperature of fluids. A failure in temperature control can affect the quality of the end-product or compromise the integrity of the process.
Loss of control – The most significant immediate effect is the loss of control over the process variable (e.g., flow rate, pressure, temperature, etc.), leading to instability and potential hazards.

Valve Condition Monitoring service offering, in which valve data analysts from Emerson use 10 different trend charts to figure out what issues are happening with the valve. Then, they make direct recommendations to fix the valve and warn the customer if they see a disruption in the valve data, which gives you a better chance to fix the valve before an unplanned outage or shutdown.
Using a software tool like ValveLink™, you or a service provider could use offline scans from the data within a digital valve control (DVC) to determine if the valve has failed. The signature test and the step test would give you the full picture of the valve to warn if the valve is broken.
Use a dashboard, such as Plantweb Insight™ Valve Health Application, to display trends of past health, valve problem explanations, recommended actions, and a recommended time frame to take action to avoid a critical valve failure.

Control Valve Repairing with Control Valve Diagnostics

Reason 2: Reducing control valve variability

Control Valve Repairing: Leakage

Control Valve Repairing: Setpoint Issues

ValveLink status monitor
One Button Swipe
PD Profile Test

The post Control Valve Repairing, Why? appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Enhancing the Competency of KIPIC Maintenance Engineers

2024-04-08T05:00:04Z

Whether your maintenance team need to configure and calibrate valves, predict machinery faults, or repair and replace problematic instrumentation, Emerson Educational Services can create suitable training to assist in attaining your specific goals. Emerson is a learning partner that can provide ongoing competency development to drive safe and efficient operations. To create a competency development program, Emerson follows a proven process that starts with Educational Services consultants working with the management team to identify items such as job-role definitions and skills gap analysis, the appropriate training methods such hands-on practical courses, and methods of assessing the training success.

Working with Emerson to design suitable training was the topic of a presentation within the maintenance and reliability stream of the Emerson Exchange EMEA 2024 conference. Hussain Ali, instrument maintenance engineer at Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC), described how the company worked with Emerson to design a competency development program for its maintenance engineers. The presentation gave an overview of the program outline, implementation and key lessons learned.

KIPIC is responsible for operating and managing refining, petrochemicals manufacture and liquefied natural gas import facilities. The company’s Al-Zour refinery is the world’s largest, and the liquefied natural gas import facility project is the first of its kind in the State of Kuwait. KIPIC believes its workforce is the key to accomplishing its mission of “making more possible”, not only for the company, but for the entire oil sector. KIPIC is therefore committed to enhancing the skills and competencies of its employees. This includes helping new employees quickly adapt to their work environment, providing hands-on practice with existing equipment and systems at the refinery, and improving teamwork and soft skill competencies. This dedication to competency development is in accordance with KIPIC’s human resources 2035 objectives and strategies for improving the knowledge and capabilities of the company’s professionals.

Supporting this, KIPIC and Emerson collaborated to design, implement and monitor an in-depth five-week competency development program for maintenance engineers. Initially, eight instrumentation and control engineers from the Al-Zour refinery attended the course, receiving a combined 168 hours of training at the Emerson Kuwait campus. This included live demonstrations and practical hands-on sessions. The course focused on troubleshooting, maintenance, configuration and calibration of temperature, pressure and level instrumentation, tank gauging systems, gas analyzers and control valves.

KIPIC maintenance engineers attend the five-week training course at Emerson’s Kuwait campus.

Final testing saw participants achieving an overall 31% increase in their competency scores.

Feedback from the KIPIC maintenance engineers was very positive, although some areas of improvement were identified. KIPIC is planning to train another group of its engineers and will work with Emerson to create an advanced training program to increase the competency of the first batch of engineers. More topics will be covered in the next phases of training, and the competency program will expand into other areas, such as operations and reliability.

The post Enhancing the Competency of KIPIC Maintenance Engineers appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.