Loop Signatures 1: Introduction to the Loop Problem Signatures series May 2020, Michael Brown Control Engineering Over the years I have had many requests to write a book giving more detailed explanations of some of the problems I have encountered in my work on practical loop optimisation. I am by nature and inclination ...
Control loop: Case History 175 Oversized valve disrupts good control January 2021, Michael Brown Control Engineering This article provides good insight into the dangers of using largely oversized valves, and into the importance of understanding practical control, and how your controllers work.
PMV D30 smart digital positioner from V&A January 2021, Valve & Automation While pumps, seals and valves frequently get most of the attention, it is often the actuators and positioning solutions that are running the show.
Case History 174: The importance of setting up your controller properly October 2020, Michael Brown Control Engineering It always amazes me that so few people really understand the workings of their feedback controllers. I have met only a few who really understand the practicalities of control blocks.
Loop Signatures 3: Process Dynamics – process gain September 2020, Leaderware If one wishes to control a process, then it is important to have a reasonable understanding of the process itself and certainly one should also be aware of the external influences that can act on it.
Virtual commissioning evolves into a model-driven digital twin August 2020 The primary goal of the commissioning process, whether physical or virtual, is to bring a completely integrated, assembled, and validated mechanical, electrical, and controls software production system into operation.
Loop Signatures 2: The two classes of processes. July 2020, Michael Brown Control Engineering This article will discuss the two classes of processes called self-regulating and integrating (or ramping) processes. This subject is absolutely vital to regulatory control, but strangely is seldom taught ...
From the editor's desk: The virtual business assistant 8 June 2020, Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) Have you ever wished someone would automate the daily grind of routine tasks and set you free to focus on the more engaging aspects of your job?
From the editor's desk: The virtual business assistant June 2020, Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) Enter robotic process automation (RPA), a disruptive workplace technology that uses software “robots” to mimic many of the repetitive interactions human beings have with their computers. It performs such ...
Case History 172: Interesting controls in a copper extraction plant. June 2020, Michael Brown Control Engineering In my 30 years devoted to optimising controls in industrial process plants in many countries, I thought that I had seen all the possible process dynamics that one would encounter. Imagine my surprise ...
The emergence of a new future in the energy sector April 2020 Adaptively complex and persistent challenges in Africa are driving the need for a new future in the energy sector. Lack of access to energy, (more than 600 million people in Africa with no access to energy) ...
Case History 171: Instability in a metallurgical plant March 2020, Michael Brown Control Engineering I have written several articles about the unique problems I have encountered, specifically in the mining processing industry. This article is about some experiences in a mining operation where recently ...
Case History 170 January 2020 As mentioned in earlier articles, the integral (or I term) in the controller is a brilliant thing. It is an extremely elegant and simple solution for eliminating offset in control. However, like everything ...
Beyond Capex and Opex November 2019 How do we finance IT? We identify a need, we test the waters with a PoC (proof of concept), then we get the green light after we prove the value. We know roughly how much it will cost by looking at the ...
The technology landscape: insights from 2019 conferences November 2019, SAIMC Industry leaders and governmental agencies across the globe recognise technology as the cornerstone for economic development. President Cyril Ramaphosa famously posited: “The clear implication for South ...
Case History 169: Tuning a very difficult temperature control loop November 2019 As I have mentioned in previous articles, Greg McMillan, one of the world’s top control experts, has said that he finds temperature control loops generally the worst optimised processes as most people ...
