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Understanding Process Control Basics

Process control deals with maintaining the output of a process within a desired range. It uses feedback to constantly monitor and adjust process variables like temperature, pressure, or flow. A process variable is the parameter being controlled, like room temperature. The setpoint is the desired value, like setting the thermostat to 20°C. A controller compares the process variable to the setpoint and adjusts the manipulated variable, such as a heater, to correct any differences. Common controllers are proportional, integral and derivative (PID) controllers. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and distributed control systems (DCSs) are often used to automate process control loops.

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13 views2 pages

Understanding Process Control Basics

Process control deals with maintaining the output of a process within a desired range. It uses feedback to constantly monitor and adjust process variables like temperature, pressure, or flow. A process variable is the parameter being controlled, like room temperature. The setpoint is the desired value, like setting the thermostat to 20°C. A controller compares the process variable to the setpoint and adjusts the manipulated variable, such as a heater, to correct any differences. Common controllers are proportional, integral and derivative (PID) controllers. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and distributed control systems (DCSs) are often used to automate process control loops.

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sandystays
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INSTRUMENTATION TOOLS

What is Process Control ?


Basics June16,2015

Firstweneedtounderstandwhatprocesscontrolisandwhataretheimportanttechnicalterms
and parameters involve in this process. Process control is a statistics and engineering
disciplinethatdealswitharchitectures,mechanismsandalgorithmsformaintainingtheoutput
ofaspecificprocesswithinadesiredrange.
AlsoRead:ProcessControlTermsGlossary
Anexampleaboutheatingupofaroomtemperaturewhichisaprocessthathasthespecific,
desiredoutcometoreachandmaintainatemperature(e.g.20C)definedbyyouoraperson
inside the room and should be kept constant over time. You can always change the setting
[Link]
settingtoyourdesiredtemperature.
Intheexampleabove,thetemperatureistheprocessvariable(PV).At
the same time, it is the input variable since it is measured by a
thermometer and used to decide whether to heat or not to heat up the
[Link](20C)isthesetpoint(SP).
Thestateoftheheater,forexamplethesettingofthevalveallowinghot
watertoflowthroughitorinthecaseofsimpleonoffcontrol,turningthe
heater off and on is called the manipulated variable (MV) since it is
subject to control actions. The first instant is an example of a
Proportionalcontrolsincetheopeningofthevalveisproportionaltothe
[Link]
Derivative and Integral or a combination of the two incorporated with
Proportional or what we call PID. This are all common in controlling
otherparameterssuchaspressure,flowandlevelofamaterial(liquidor
solid).
Acommonlyusedcontroldevicecalledaprogrammablelogiccontroller,
oraPLC,isusedtoreadasetofdigitalandanaloginputs,applyasetof
logicstatements,andgenerateasetofanaloganddigitaloutputs.

ProcessControl

Usingtheexampleinthepreviousparagraph,theroomtemperaturewouldbeaninputtothe
PLC. The logical statements would compare the setpoint to the input temperature and
determine whether more or less heating was necessary to keep the temperature constant. A

PLC output would then either open or close the hot water valve, an incremental amount,
depending on whether more or less hot water was needed or just simply turn the heater off
when the desired temperature is reached and turn it back on when a specified hysteresis is
[Link](DCS)
[Link].
AsaInstrumentationEngineer,[Link]
thistermsduringmycollegedays,[Link]
to pursue what I have studied for and given all the resources and tools on the web. Id say
goodbye to papers and reports and say hello to the world of Automation and the world wide
web.
AlsoRead:UnderstandingaProcessControlLoop

POSTED BY S BHARADWAJ REDDY

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