Course Details

Objective

By end of course participants will be able to understand

• Understand Process Control Basics: Learn the fundamental principles of continuous process control and the importance of feedback control loops in industrial processes.
• Design and Implement Control Loops: Gain skills in selecting and designing control loops, including choosing the right controller type and tuning control parameters.
• Analyze and Tune Controllers: Understand the operation of different types of controllers (PID, PI, PD, etc.) and how to fine-tune them to achieve optimal control system performance.
• Troubleshoot Control Loop Issues: Develop troubleshooting techniques to identify and resolve common issues with control loops, such as instability, oscillations, and poor performance.
• Optimize Process Control Performance: Learn methods for optimizing process control loops to improve process efficiency, stability, and energy usage.
• Ensure Safety and Reliability in Control Systems: Understand the role of control loops in maintaining safe and reliable operations, including emergency shutdown systems and fail-safes.

Content

Day 1: Introduction to Process Control

• Overview of Process Control
  • The role of process control in industrial operations
  • Difference between discrete and continuous control processes
  • Key variables controlled in process industries: temperature, pressure, flow, level
  • Introduction to control loops: Open-loop vs closed-loop control
• Control Loop Basics
  • Elements of a control loop: Sensor, Controller, and Final Control Element
  • Feedback control principle: Measurement, comparison, and adjustment
  • Basic types of control systems: manual control vs automatic control
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• Types of Controllers
  • On/off control
  • Proportional (P) control
  • Proportional-Integral (PI) control
  • Proportional-Derivative (PD) control
  • Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control
  • Characteristics of each type of controller and their applications

Day 2: Control Loop Components and Design

• Controller Types and Selection
  • Choosing the right controller for the process: PID, PI, or PD
  • The role of each term in a PID controller and how they impact control performance
  • Advantages and limitations of different controller types
• Control Loop Design
  • Design considerations for a stable and efficient control loop
  • Configuring sensors, transmitters, and actuators for optimal control loop performance
  • Process dynamics: how the process and control loop interact
  • Understanding the process reaction curve and time constants
• Controller Tuning
  • The importance of tuning controllers for optimal performance
  • Methods of tuning PID controllers: Ziegler-Nichols, Cohen-Coon, and software-based tuning
  • Practical tips for tuning controllers based on process dynamics
  • Response time, overshoot, and settling time considerations

Day 3: Advanced Control Strategies and Techniques

• Cascade Control
  • Basics of cascade control and its applications in multi-variable processes
  • Implementing and tuning cascade control loops
  • Example applications in temperature control and flow control
• Feedforward Control
  • Feedforward control and its role in improving control performance
  • The relationship between feedforward and feedback control
  • When and how to use feedforward control in combination with feedback
• Ratio Control
  • Understanding ratio control and its application in maintaining a fixed ratio between two process variables
  • Design and implementation of ratio control loops
• Multivariable Control
  • Multivariable control systems: principles and benefits
  • Decoupling control systems for processes with multiple interacting variables
  • Model Predictive Control (MPC) as an advanced control technique

Day 4: Control Loop Performance, Troubleshooting, and Optimization

• Assessing Control Loop Performance
  • Key performance indicators (KPIs) for control loop performance: setpoint tracking, disturbance rejection, and control accuracy
  • Analyzing control loop performance using performance metrics
  • Tools for assessing loop stability and efficiency: Bode plots, Nyquist plots, and frequency response
• Troubleshooting Control Loop Issues
  • Identifying common control loop problems: oscillations, instability, excessive offset, and poor performance
  • Common causes of issues: sensor problems, actuator issues, improper tuning, and process disturbances
  • Step-by-step troubleshooting approach: isolating and diagnosing problems
• Control Loop Optimization
  • Techniques for improving loop performance and efficiency
  • Reducing energy consumption and minimizing waste in continuous processes
  • Performance-based optimization strategies: dynamic modeling and real-time adjustments

Day 5: Safety, Advanced Concepts, and Case Studies

• Safety Considerations in Control Systems
  • The role of process control in ensuring safety and reliability
  • Emergency shutdown systems (ESD) and their integration with control loops
  • Fail-safe mechanisms and redundancy in control systems
  • Control loop monitoring for early fault detection
• Advanced Topics and Emerging Technologies
  • Integration of control systems with digital technologies: IIoT, AI, and machine learning for predictive maintenance and optimization
  • Advanced control techniques: Adaptive control, Neural Networks, and Genetic Algorithms
  • Future trends in process control systems and their impact on the industry

NOTE:

Pre-& Post Tests will be conducted.

Case Studies, Group Exercises, Group Discussions, Last Day reviews, and assessments will be carried out.

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Methodology

A highly interactive combination of lectures and discussion sessions will be managed to maximize the amount and quality of information and knowledge transfer. The sessions will start by raising the most relevant questions and motivating everybody to find the right answers. You will also be encouraged to raise your own questions and to share in the development of the right answers using your own analysis and experiences.  Tests of multiple-choice type will be made available on daily basis to examine the effectiveness of delivering the course.

Very useful Course Materials will be given.

• 30% Lectures
• 30% Workshops and work presentation
• 20% Group Work& Practical Exercises
• 20% Videos& General Discussions