Event Category: Introduction to Instrumentation & Process Control

Course Description

This three-day training course will provide a broad, practical introduction of instrumentation and process control. The course was developed and based on the instructors’ experiences. The instructors will discuss many unpublished, unique, and successful designs.

This training course covers application, hardware, installation, and performance of process measurement instrumentation and control valves. The instructors will discuss advantages and disadvantages of various flow, level, pressure, and temperature measurement techniques. The principles of operation for each device will be presented, and potential problem areas will be stressed. This course also provides practical, useful applications for tuning and applying feedback and feedforward controllers in the processing industries, without requiring advanced mathematics.

The course also covers how to implement adaptive or scheduled gain to improve control and provide non-continuous control to provide better productivity and efficiencies in the plants.

Course Benefits

• Learn the parts of a control loop and process considerations
• Learn advantages and limitations of process measurements
• Learn applications of reciprocating and rotary control valves
• Learn applications of diaphragm and piston control valve actuators
• Gain understanding of the tuning modes for a feedback controller
• Tune a feedback controller on a computer simulator
• Learn to tune an error squared level controller
• Gain familiarity with advanced control methods
• Learn how to scale feedforward and adaptive gain controllers

Course Outline

• Introduction
  • What is a process?
  • Steady-state operations
  • Four parts of a control loop
  • Disturbances
  • Controller action
• Measurements
  • Flow
    • Head type, orifice, venturis, etc.
    • Averaging pitot tube
    • Magnetic
    • Coriolis
    • Vortex shedding
    • Thermal
    • Sonic
    • Variable area
    • Positive displacement
    • Turbine meters
  • Level
    • Head
    • Conductance
    • Capacitance
    • Nuclear
    • Sonic
    • Radar
  • Temperature
    • Dial thermometers
    • Thermowells
    • RTDS
    • Thermocouples
    • Surface measurements
    • Filled systems
  • Pressure
    • Pressure gauges
    • Gauge transmitters
    • Absolute pressure transmitters
• Control valves
  • Reciprocating
  • Rotary
  • Valve flow characteristics
  • Installed characteristics
  • Reduced trim
  • Diaphragm actuators
  • Piston actuators
  • Positioners
  • Sizing
  • Noise, flashing, and cavitation
• Feedback controllers
• Tuning modes of feedback controllers
  • Proportional or gain
  • Integral or reset
  • Derivative or rate
  • PID equations
  • Feedback video
• Tuning of feedback controllers
  • Benefits of good tuning
  • When is tuning required?
  • Effects of PID modes
  • What is ideal tuning?
  • Methods of tuning
    • Trial and error
    • Intelligent trial and error
    • Open loop with response curves
    • Closed loop
    • Reverse response – shrink and swell
    • Predetermined
• Cascade, ratio, and override controllers
• Advanced controllers
• Video on advanced control
• Feedforward control
  • Static feedforward
  • Three element boiler controller
  • Discrete input feedforward
  • Dynamic feedforward
    • Scaling
• Adaptive gain
  • Tuning adaptive gain controllers
  • Process changes
  • Error squared control
  • Transmitter failure detection and control
  • Event and time control
  • Limiting tool using adaptive gain
• Dead time
  • Control with dead time
  • Pure dead time
  • Apparent dead time
  • Tuning dead time processes
  • Smith dead time predictor
  • Adding process lag

Course Outcome

Upon completion of the course, students will have a basic understanding of the following:

• Techniques and methods for flow, level, pressure, and temperature measurement
• Basic operating principles and responses of feedback controllers
• Methods for tuning feedback controllers and advanced controllers
• Operating principles of cascade, feedforward, and adaptive controllers
• Impacts of process time delays

Who Should Attend

This course is a good introduction and review for instrument engineers.  However, it will be valuable for all types of engineers, technicians, operations personnel and others involved to assist in using the full power of instrumentation in designs and also useful to identify problems in the design stage.  It will provide knowledge to engineers who are consulted for troubleshooting operation problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does My Course Registration Fee Cover?
Course registration fees include the following:

• Bound course notes containing all lectures and presentation handouts
• Refreshments, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack

Course registration fees DO NOT include the following:

• Copies of API or ASME codes, standards, and recommended practices. To buy API Documents, contact IHS Global, Inc. here
• Travel-related expenses including airfare, lodging, and car rental, if applicable

Do Attendees Earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for Participation in the Course?
Yes. Students who successfully complete the training course will earn PDHs.

Do I Need to Bring the Reference Standards to the Course?
No. Each student will receive a comprehensive set of course notes, and the instructors will have electronic versions of the standards available if needed.

Do I Need a Calculator for the Example Sessions?
Yes.

Does E²G Provide Assistance With Students Requiring a U.S. Visa?
Yes. It is requested that attendees that require a U.S. Visa register for the course at least two months prior to the course. Upon confirmation of registration and course fee payment, E²G will provide the attendee with a Letter of Invitation for use in obtaining a U.S. Visa.

Does E²G Have a Cancellation Policy Regarding Enrollment?
Yes. E²G reserves the right to cancel a course if minimum enrollment is not reached and to modify the agenda and/ or faculty when circumstances are beyond our control.

Does E²G Have a Policy With Regard to Refund of Fees in the Event of a Cancellation of Registration for Students?
Yes. The cancellation policy for refund of course registration fees is as follows:

• Up to 14 days prior to the course: 75% of registration fees are refunded.
• 13 to 6 days prior to the course: 50% of registration fees are refunded.
• Within 5 days prior to the course: 25% of registration.