Process control loops are at the heart of critical control systems. Deploying and maintaining them in properly tuned scenarios results in higher efficiency, better quality, improved safety and more consistently reliable operations.
Control loops are a critical part of manufacturing and other process control systems. Whether controlling critical temperatures, flows, pressures or nearly countless other potential elements, a system that keeps the behavior and relationship between setpoints and variables predictable and optimized will add value in many ways. Process control loops and systems may produce minimally acceptable results whether they’re properly tuned or not, but the long-term impact of optimization will pay dividends that far exceed the costs of the tuning effort.
The overarching goal of all process control is to deliver predictability and stability to any operation. Ensuring that a system’s loops respond to changes and disturbances as expected helps deliver output that achieves manufacturing goals and compliant performance. In a manufacturing environment, the primary results of proper performance come in the form of maximum potential output and consistent product quality. Furthermore, a process that behaves optimally will incur the lowest possible costs in the form of utilities and raw ingredient usage. Operations that exist consistently around reasonable but tight tolerances require only minimal changes in energy, thus reducing waste in that regard. This also greatly reduces the potential for unnecessary quantities of product ingredients or waste associated with product damage due to manufacturing operations.
Properly tuned control loops reduce long-term operating costs. Equipment controlled without excessive oscillations delivers smooth and consistent operation, free from wild fluctuations and resultant physical effects of variables swinging around a setpoint. For example, the actuator associated with a closed loop flow control will enjoy a longer service life between potentially costly rebuilds or replacements when its normal operation consists of gentle, minor adjustments as opposed to regular overreaction. This results in the most efficient operation in the near term while reducing downtime or malfunctions associated with more abusive operating scenarios.
Safety initiatives are also enhanced when equipment responds appropriately to process deviations, thus preventing unsafe operating conditions for both personnel and equipment. In-control processes are the foundation for process optimization efforts, allowing for fine-tuning and predictable evolution of operations.
Loops and systems that may have delivered optimized performance in the past can also benefit from periodic inspection and verification. Conditions can change significantly based on environmental factors, ingredient properties, and general wear and tear over time. These and other factors may create the need for specialty tuning situations or universal adjustments after an extended period.
Process control loops will remain at the heart of critical control systems. Deploying and maintaining them in properly tuned scenarios results in higher efficiency, better quality, improved safety and more consistently reliable operations.
Randy Otto is the CEO of ECS Solutions and brings more than 25 years of experience in diverse industries, including manufacturing and custom assembly machine manufacturing.
Edited by Anna Steingruber, associate editor for WTWH Media.
