Control Engineering’s most clicked articles in July 2024 included stories on the salary survey, PID tuning, mining safety, SCADA system management and more. Miss something? You can catch up here.
Hot topics in Control Engineering, for July 2024, for stories posted in the last three months included stories on the salary survey, PID tuning, mining safety, SCADA system management and more. Links to each article below.
1. Results are in: Control Engineering Career and Salary Survey, 2024
Benefits and salaries increased. Leading automation technologies help resolve economic challenges and workforce shortages.
2. PID spotlight, part 5: What does good and bad controller tuning look like?
PID controllers have visual cues that you can use to identify performance problems. Improperly set controller gain, integral, and derivative offer unique patterns that you can use to guide your efforts to improve controller performance. See seven takeaways for better PID tuning.
3. PID spotlight, part 6: Deadtime? How to boost controller performance anyway
Lengthy deadtime adversely affects the PID control of any process. Knowing the process lag/deadtime ratio will tell how well (or not) a PID controller will work. Can your PID controller be a hero? See “Quick-start PID tuning tips to tune many controllers quickly” and 10 graphs to help.
4. Improving underground mining safety with millimeter wave technology
A professor began a project to design and deploy an emerging imaging and networking technology to improve safety and overcome hazardous conditions of underground mines.
5. How to automate webcast preview: The mechanics of loop tuning
The Aug. 1 Control Engineering webcast on “The mechanics of loop tuning” will cover six things you should look for before you start tuning, tips for working with operators, how to avoid upsetting the process while tuning and how to finish a loop-tuning session properly.
6. Improve SCADA systems by analyzing alarm system health
Alarming is fundamental to a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. However, its effectiveness is lost when it is implemented poorly. Improve the alarm system to improve the system’s operation.
7. Power quality, harmonics: How to select a variable frequency drive (VFD)
Part 2: Understand the advantages of 36-pulse input drive topology in medium-voltage (MV) motor applications and how medium-voltage VFD design mitigates harmonics and improves power quality.
8. Understanding edge technology complexities and choosing the right device
Users should make sure the edge technology they choose fits their application and can withstand modern manufacturing’s many challenges. Fourteen capabilities an ideal edge device should have are highlighted.
9. Deploying custom HMIs with the right development tool
Selecting an HMI development tool with the right features helps developers speed up their process and minimize errors.
10. Building an enterprise framework for SCADA system for better results
Replacing a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system allowed California American Water to improve efficiency, compliance and reporting at a facility that had endured many challenges.
