Tuning individual and interacting PID controllers

PID Optimizer is the easy-to-use PID loop tuner that allows you to tune your single and multiple interacting PID loops quickly and efficiently.

Examples of interacting loops are all PID controllers around distillation columns, superheaters in boilers, furnaces (e.g. in refineries and ethylene), and beyond.

Tuning is done based on engineering specifications like optimal tracking or disturbance rejection with minimal overshoot or minimum robustness. These specifications are the things that matter for your process stability and efficiency.

In day-to-day operation, PID controllers:

  • Often set in manual mode, or are put in manual during large disturbances
  • Cause process oscillations due to bad tuning or sub-optimal control strategies
  • Tuning rules like Ziegler-Nichols, Lambda and Kappa-Tau give reasonable results in many cases
    • For loops that have a direct effect on product quality, energy consumption or overall plant throughput, real optimal tuning is needed. Then you need the APC Suite from Orise.
  • Are tuned based on a time consuming trial and error approach. This can result in long startup times for grass root plants.
  • Interact with each other, posing a challenge to the control engineers

The Benefits of PID Optimizer:

  • Tune PID controllers for optimal setpoint tracking (rise time, settling time, energy) and/or disturbance rejection (settling time, energy).
  • Apply constrained tuning
    • E.g. maximum overshoot, minimal robustness, high frequency gain, etc.
      Tuning based on open loop and closed loop test data (introduced in version 24.4)
  • Powerful model identification. The controller interactions are identified based on step testing data.
    • E.g. All interactions between the controllers of a distillation column are modeled.
  • No trial and error “detuning” needed with interacting PID controllers
  • Define maximum overshoot, robustness, settling time as optimization targets
  • PID Optimizer generates PID parameters for your DCS
    • All common DCS and PLC templates are known
    • Templates can be generated for less common or new DCS/PLC systems.
  • Automatic reporting: Keep track of all tuning activities on every PID loop
  • Tune ALL your controllers “First time right”
  • Flexible licensing schemes, fit to your needs.

Have a look at the PID Optimizer workflow

Interested in getting an overall impression of PID Optimizer?

Test it out for yourself using our free download here:

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