Techniques and tools of advanced control for the process

New ISA publication explains the concepts, techniques and tools of advanced control for the process industry, and furnishes practical examples of application and capabilities with web-based workshops

A new book that explains the concepts and terminology of advanced control, and highlights the advanced control tools and techniques most widely and effectively applied in the process industry has been added to the International Society of Automation's (ISA) Bookstore.

Authors: Blevins, Wojsznis & Nixon

Advanced Control Foundation: Tools, Techniques, and Applications by Terrence L. “Terry” Blevins, Willy K. Wojsznis and Mark Nixon is designed to help control engineers and process engineers gain a more thorough understanding of the concepts and capabilities of advanced control products and solutions, which have been proven to reduce variation in plant operation, achieve production targets and improve plant production. The first print run of this book made it to the ISA's bookstore at September's Automation Week but it really hit the big-time at Emerson's User Group Meeting in October, where Susan Colwell, ISA's Publications intrepid Publications Development Manager, reported that the "ISA Bookstore has been hopping since early a.m!.." highlighting this book.

“The book is ideally suited to process and control engineers who have a sound understanding of conventional control techniques but have little or no background on advanced control,” says Blevins, who was instrumental in establishing Emerson Process Management’s Advanced Control Program and, along with his co-authors, has extensive experience in the design and startup of advanced control solutions. “It provides practical examples that allow readers to quickly become familiar with the advanced control techniques commonly utilized in the process industry today. In addition, the web site that accompanies the book  presents workshops on commercially available solutions that apply the advanced control concepts and techniques outlined in the book.“

The three authors draw on their decades of collective experience in designing and applying advanced process control systems across industries, namely oil and gas, refining, chemicals, pulp and paper, cement, steel and mining. Together, the authors have developed numerous innovative process control products, written well over 100 technical papers, and introduced more than 150 patents.

The book is primarily targeted to control engineers responsible for the commission, installation and maintenance of control systems and the advanced control tools installed in process plants, and to process engineers charged with improving process operations and efficiency. It’s also highly relevant to engineering students interested in how advanced control is utilized in the process industry.

The book explains in detail the primary advanced control techniques that are most commonly used in the process industry for: monitoring control system performance; on-demand and adaptive tuning; model predictive control; linear programming (LP) optimisation; data analytics for batch and continuous processes; fuzzy logic control; neural networks; and advancements in proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controllers for use with wireless measurements.

Each chapter is designed to quickly educate readers on various technologies and how they are applied. Examples are used to clearly illustrate the requirements for successful applications. A section of each chapter is dedicated to in-depth explanations of the mathematical basis for each technology.

Since some automation professionals work with distributed control systems (DCS) that do not support advanced control, a chapter of the book outlines techniques that can integrate advanced control tools into existing control systems. In addition, another chapter addresses how dynamic process simulations can be created in a DCS to support checkout and operator training on the use of advanced control.

All three authors are employed by Emerson Process Management, a global supplier of process automation services and technologies. Blevins, a principal technologist at the company, is responsible for more than 50 patents and has written over 70 papers on process control system design and applications. He is the US expert to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) SC65E WG7 function block committee that is responsible for the IEC 61804 function block standards. He is a voting member and chairman of ISA SP104-EDDL (Electronic Device Description Language) committee and is the technical advisor to the United States Technical Advisory Group (USTAG) for the IEC65E subcommittee.

Blevins authored seven sections of the Process/Industrial Instruments and Controls Handbook, contributed to the Instrumentation Engineer’s Handbook: Process Control and Optimization, and co-authored Advanced Control Unleashed and Control Loop Foundation, which are among ISA’s top-selling books.

He received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Louisville in 1971 and a master of science degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University in 1973. In 2004, Blevins was inducted into Control Magazine’s Process Automation Hall of Fame.

Wojsznis has been developing advanced control products --- with a particular focus on model predictive control, data analytics and auto tuning --- for more than 20 years. In his role with Emerson Process Management, he conducts applied research in the areas of optimization, adaptive control, data analytics and model predictive control.

Wojsznis co-authored ISA’s Advanced Control Unleashed and Control Loop Foundation. Through his career, he has developed computer control systems and applications for the cement, steel, mining and paper industries. His work has resulted in more than 30 patents and more than 40 technical papers. He received a control engineering degree from Kiev Technical University in 1964, a master of science degree in applied mathematics from Wroclaw University in 1972, and a doctorate degree from Warsaw University of Technology in 1973.

In 2010, Wojsznis was inducted into Control Magazine’s Process Automation Hall of Fame.

Nixon has been involved in the design and development of control systems throughout his career. He began his career as a systems engineer working on projects in oil and gas, refining, chemicals, and pulp and paper.

From 1995 to 2005, Nixon was lead architect at Emerson Process Management. In 2006 he joined the company’s wireless team, taking an active role in the development of the WirelessHART specifications and the development of the IEC 62591 standardization. HIs current research includes control using WirelessHART devices, data analytics for batch processes, wireless technology in the process industry, web-based user interfaces, operator interfaces and advanced graphics.

He is active in the Center for Operator Performance, WirelessHART, S88, Foundation Fieldbus ISA standards, and ISA101. He has written numerous papers and currently holds over 70 patents. He coauthored WirelessHART: Real-Time Mesh Network for Industrial Automation and has made contributions to the Industrial Instruments and Controls Handbook and Modern Measurement and Final Element Essentials for the Process Industry.

Nixon co-authored the ISA best-selling book, Control Loop Foundation also with Blevins. This is available as a eBook for iPad & Kindle and is also available in Chinese Language.  He received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1982. In 2012, Nixon was inducted into Control Magazine’s Process Automation Hall of Fame.