Overview

This practical course covers all the essentials of process control and tools to optimize the operation of your plant and process, and regards the process, from the primary measuring device, through the controller, right down to the final control element as a chain with important links. Controllers need to be carefully matched to the process to work optimally; this matching procedure is called tuning. Controllers that are not correctly configured and tuned will not perform optimally and will not reduce variability in the process as they should. It is aimed at engineers and technicians who wish to have a clear, practical understanding of the essentials of instrumentation and final control elements typically found in common loops. It incorporates loop tuning, as well as how to optimize the operation of their particular plant or process. Mathematical theory has been kept to a minimum with the emphasis throughout on practical applications and useful information.

But it does not stop there. Advanced Process Control (APC ) is an essential part of the modern plant. Small differences in process parameters can have large effects on profitability; get it right and profits continue to grow; get it wrong and there are major losses. Many applications of APC have pay back times well below one year. APC does require a detailed knowledge of the plant to design a working system and continual follow up along the life of the plant to ensure it is working optimally. Cascade Control, Feedforward control, control with long dead times, IMC and MPC are all considered, with respect to different applications. At the end of this course you will have the skills to troubleshoot / tune / deal with / understand a wide variety of process loops.

The Programs

1. Calculating the process gain
2. Dealing with P, I and D, both individually as well as in combinations, in various loops
3. Stability aspects
4. Ziegler Nichols open loop tuning
5. Ziegler Nichols closed loop tuning
6. Cohen-Coon tuning
7. Pessen tuning for some / no overshoot
8. Trial and error tuning
9. Saturated and non-saturated output limits
10. Cascade control
11. Cascade control with one primary and two secondaries
12. Ratio control
13. Feedforward control
14. Dead time compensation
15. Gain scheduling
16. Model predictive controller

Practical Exams

MODULE 1: PROCESS CONTROL INTRODUCT ION& CONCEPTS

Topic 1.1: INTRODUCT ION,  BAS IC TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
Definitions of process variable, controlled variable and manipulated variable
Process gain, dead time and time constants
Speed, stability and robustness
Process noise

Topic 1.2: BASIC CONTROL CONCEPTS
Typical manual control
Processes, controllers and tuning
First, second and third order processes
Resistive, capacitive and inertia aspects of a process
Practical Demonstration: PID controllers - P, I and D modes of operation

MODULE 2: LOOP TUNING PRINC IPLES AND STAB ILITY

Topic 2.1: BASIC PRINCIPLES OF CONTROL SYSTEMS
Open loop control
Feedback control
On and off control
Modulation control

Topic 2.2: STABILITY AND CONTROL MODES OF CLOSED LOOPS
Cause of instability in control loops
Change of stability through PID control modes
Methods to improve stability
Principles of closed loop control tuning
Different rules compared
Rules of thumb in tuning
Practical Demonstration: Ziegler-Nichols Open Loop Tuning Method

MODULE 3: SENSORS, TRANS MITTERS AND CONTROL VALVES

Topic 3.1: INTRODUCT ION TO SENSORS AND TRANSMITTERS
Selection and specification of devices
Pressure transmitters
Flow meters
Level transmitter
Temperature sensors

Topic 3.2: INTRODUCTION TO CONTROL VALVES
Basic principles
Rotary and linear control valves
Control valve characteristics and specifications
Hysteresis
Stiction
Practical Demonstration: Ziegler-Nichols Closed Loop Tuning

MODULE 4: SPECIALIZED CONTROLLER SETTINGS AND GOOD PRACTICE

Topic 4.1: IDEAL PID VS REAL PID
Non-field-interactive or ideal PID
Field-interactive or real PID
Selection of ideal or real PID
Choice of saturated vs non-saturated output limits

Topic 4.2: GOOD PRACTICE FOR TUNING OF CLOSED LOOP CONTROL
Good practice for common loop problems
Flow control loop characteristics
Level control loop characteristics
Temperature control loop characteristics
Pressure control loop characteristics
Other less common loops
Practical Demonstration: Pessen - Some and No Overshoot

MODULE 2: LOOP TUNING PR INCIPLES AND STABILITY

Topic 5.1: CASCADE CONTROL
Equation types for cascade control
Initialisation and PV-tracking
Use of multiple outputs in cascade control
Tuning procedure for cascade control

Topic 5.2: FEEDFORWARD CONTROL
Feed forward balance - a control concept
Ratio control
Combined feedforward and feedback Control
The problem of long dead-time in closed loops
Practical Demonstration: Tuning a loop with long lead-times

MODULE 6: EXPERT SYSTEMS AND ADVANCED CONTROL WITH IMC & MPC

Topic 6.1: EXPERT SYSTEMS AND MODEL BASED SELF TUNING CONTROLLERS
Self tuning loops
Adaptive control
Fuzzy logic control
Gain scheduling

JUSTIFICATION OF ADVANCED CONTROL
Advanced vs classical control
Advanced on-line control vs statistical process control
Comparison of pay back time on real examples

INTERNAL MODEL CONTROL (IMC)
Open loop model in parallel with the process
Control system in two blocks
Equivalence with a classical controller
Disturbances rejection and control
IMC and delays and feed forward

Topic 6.2 MODEL PREDICT IVE CONTROL (MPC)
Single input/output vs multivariable control
Example on a binary column causality graph
Constraints and planning ahead
Different models
Practical Demonstration: Model Predictive Control

NB: The course description of all EIT "Certificate" courses has been changed to "Professional Certificate of Competency". Some course brochures are not yet updated. The actual certificate received by successful students will include the new title.

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Course Fees

What are the fees for my country?

The Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) provides distance education to students located almost anywhere in the world – it is one of the very few truly global training institutes. Course fees are paid in a currency that is determined by the student’s location. A full list of fees in a currency appropriate for every country would be complex to navigate and, with today’s exchange rate fluctuations, difficult to maintain. Instead we aim to give you a rapid response regarding fees that is customised to your individual circumstances.

We understand that cost is a major consideration before a student commences study. For a rapid reply to your enquiry regarding courses fees and payment options, please enquire via the below button and we will respond within 1 business day.

Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) Certificate Course Payment Options

Please contact us with your location for certificate fees in the relevant currency. Certificate fees include all live webinars with a professional instructor, 4 technical manuals (as searchable eBooks), course materials, software, postage, assignments and ongoing support. All you need to participate is an internet connection, computer and headset. We have group discounts available for our 3 month certificates.
 

Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) Advanced Diploma Course Payment Options

Three payment options are available for the Advanced Diploma courses;

OPTION 1 - PAY UPFRONT

Pay total amount upfront to receive a 5% reduction in fees.

OPTION 2 - PAY IN  SIX INSTALMENTS BY CREDIT CARD

Pay in 6 equal instalments over 18 months. First payment at least two weeks before the course starts, then the remaining five every 3 months. Payment dates will be set ahead of time and provided at the start of the course. You would receive the 30 technical reference eBooks in batches over the duration of the course.

OPTION 3 - PAY IN  MONTHLY INSTALMENTS BY CREDIT CARD

Pay in even installments for 18 months. First payment at least two weeks before the course starts, then one on the same date every month for the remaining period. This option incurs a 2% administration fee. You would receive the 30 technical reference eBooks in batches over the duration of the course.

Discounts are available for group bookings

For a rapid reply to your enquiry regarding courses fees and payment options, please contact us with your name, email address, course title(s), and location using the form below, and we will respond within 1 business day.
 

Courses

1. Vocational Graduate Diploma of Project Management in Industrial Automation
2. Master of Business and Project Management in Industrial Automation
3. Advanced Diploma of Industrial Automation 
4. Advanced Diploma of Electrical and Instrumentation (E & I) Engineering for Mining
5. Advanced Diploma of Electrical and Instrumentation (E & I) Engineering for Oil and Gas Facilities
6. Professional Certificate of Competency in Hazardous Areas for Engineers & Technicians
7. Professional Certificate of Competency in Instrumentation, Automation and Process Control
8. Professional Certificate of Competency in Process Control Incorporating Loop Tuning, and Advanced Control Strategies
9. Professional Certificate of Competency in Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and SCADA Systems
10. Professional Certificate of Competency in Safety Instrumentation Systems for Process Industries
11. Professional Certificate of Competency in Control Valve Sizing, Selection and Maintenance

In order to meet the exacting demands of the oil and gas, mining, manufacturing and downstream processing industries, modern plants are equipped with systems and devices which are needed to measure and regulate variables such as temperature, pressure, flow, humidity, liquid level, velocity and density.  Industrial Automation provides the technology to control and monitor a process plant using such concepts as feedback, cascade, feedforward and advanced process control. Here at the EIT, we have developed advanced training and diplomas in Instrumentaion and Control.

There is a critical shortage of automation, instrumentation and control engineers, technicians and technologists around the world now due to the retirement, restructuring and rapid growth in new technologies and industries.  The respected ISA organisation estimated that at least 15,000 new automation engineers are needed annually in the USA alone.  In keeping with the philosophy of the EIT, students in this school are exposed to the practical, up-to-the-minute knowledge and skills demanded by leading industries worldwide, with online instrumentaion courses - The EIT doesn't just cater to a generic student body, instead all of our instrumentation courses online are specific to industry, for example mining engineering.

Students in the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) School of Automation study subjects which include: process control, instrumentation, control valves, process plant layout and piping design, tuning of process loops, SCADA, PLCs, advanced process control (APC), boiler control, hazardous areas, safety instrumentation (IEC 61511 and IEC 61508), HAZOPs, industrial data communications, networking, deviceNet and Fieldbus, industrial wireless, radio telemetry systems, shielding/EMC/EMI and noise reduction. 
 

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