Allan Kern

Allan Kern, P.E., is owner, APC Performance LLC. He has over 30 years of advanced process control (APC) experience and has authored numerous papers on cost-effective APC solutions. He is the inventor of an inherently adaptive control algorithm and a model-less method of multivariable control. He is a 1981 Chemical Engineering graduate of the University of Wyoming and has professional engineering licenses in Control System Engineering and Chemical Engineering.

latest from Allan Kern

APC 2.0 spotlight, part 1: What is APC 2.0?

March 7, 2025

Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Understanding the critical role of metrics for advanced process controls

Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Understanding APC limits and targets

Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Understanding the matrix for APC improvements

Courtesy: APC Performance

Multivariable control as a core competency

Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Process Instrumentation & Sensors

Changes in store for advanced process control

October 31, 2020

Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Automation, Controls

Feedforward: Not as popular as expected, again

August 28, 2020

Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Process Instrumentation & Sensors

Understanding the role of multivariable control in industrial process operations

April 4, 2020

Courtesy: Control Engineering webcast, Advanced process control: Past, present and future.

Advanced process control: More answers

January 15, 2020

Figure 1: Multivariable control matrix for an atmospheric crude distillation column, based on operation-driven design practice. The matrix is smaller than traditional crude column applications. It addresses primarily column pressure and product inferential quality control, which are often the most valuable objectives of this application – and often the ones found “unclamped” in existing large-matrix applications. Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Operation-driven matrix design

December 2, 2019

Figure: Rate-predictive control (RPC) is inherently adaptive (think naturally self-tuning) to changes in process gain. In the top graph, process gain is 1.0, while in the bottom graph, process gain is 2.0. Control performance remains “perfect,” with no change to RPC tuning parameters. Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Advantages of RPC and limits of model-based control

September 9, 2019

Figure 3: An alarm priority matrix shows potential the severity of consequences versus time-to-respond. Courtesy: APC Performance

10 alarm management tips for the busy control engineer

July 12, 2019

Model-less multivariable control (XMC) automates the way operating teams have always carried out multivariable constraint control and optimizaton manually. Notably, this method does not require detailed models or embedded optimizers. XMC uses patented rate-predictive control (RPC) internally. Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Process Instrumentation & Sensors

Model-less multivariable control benefits

April 30, 2019

Figure: Rate-predictive control (RPC) uses a pre-set move rate, and tapers the move based on the PV’s predicted (apparent or already manifest) value. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has hundreds of patents for process control; as of this writing, RPC is the only one with the claim of being inherently adaptive. Courtesy: APC Performance LLC

Process Instrumentation & Sensors

What is rate-predictive control?

March 26, 2019