POWER June 2017 - 21

3. Sharp-dressed man. Long-sleeved
shirts and leather gloves are appropriate safety
gear throughout power plant environments.
Courtesy: Workrite Uniform Co.
PID Loop Tuning Pocket
Guide Released
Proportional-integral-derivative (PID)
control is one of the most common types
of automatic control used in the power
industry. A PID controller continuously
calculates an error value as the difference
between a measured process variable
and a desired setpoint.
By tuning three parameters, a PID
controller can deal with specific process
requirements. The proportional term refers
to the amount added to the output
based on the current error, the integral
term refers to the amount added to the
output based on the sum of the error, and
the derivative term refers to the amount
subtracted from the output based on the
rate of change of the error.
Even though it has a relatively simple
algorithm, there are many subtle variations
in how the structure is applied in
the industry. This has probably resulted
in confusion for plant engineers and operators,
who are often happy to leave
control loops in a suboptimal configuration
rather than spend time improving
the process. The mentality can be, " Let's
leave well-enough alone. "
According to ControlSoft Inc.-a
strides have been made in the area of FR
denim. A variety of FR denim options are
now available, offering the look and feel
workers have always appreciated about a
good pair of jeans-without sacrificing
safety. Beyond these advances in FR denim,
FR clothing manufacturers are continuously
creating a variety of other new
shirt, pant, and outerwear styles to bring
current apparel trends and preferences to
the FR workwear market.
If workers like the way their FR clothing
looks, fits, and feels, they are more
likely to wear it consistently and correctly.
And since PPE is the last line
of defense against painful, potentially
costly injuries-and can even be the
difference between life and death-it is
worth investing in options that deliver
the protection workers need along with
the comfort, functionality, and style they
want.
-Mark Saner is FR technical manager
for Workrite Uniform Co. (www.workrite.
com).
June 2017 | POWER
provider of advanced process control,
performance monitoring, and process
diagnostic tools-about 80% of control
loops in plants today are not optimally
tuned. The company says it finds around
25% of control loops have factory-default
settings in place and some 65% have less
variation in manual mode than they do in
automatic.
However, there are some relatively
easy ways to improve the situation. ControlSoft
recently released an updated PID
loop tuning pocket guide. The twelvepage
pamphlet includes a short, easyto-use
guide for tuning PID loops, along
with updated controller
references
for
many of the more common controllers
on the market today. The pocket guide
is available for free at: bit.ly/PID-Guide.
Visitors are required to enter contact information
prior to viewing or downloading
the guide.
ControlSoft also markets INTUNE tuning
software to assist with PID control
loop tuning. The tool is said to reduce
the time required to tune PID loops by
up to 70%. It connects to most input/
output devices and their associated controllers
using OPC technology. A full year
of technical support is provided with the
software purchase. ■
-Edited by Aaron Larson,
POWER's executive editor.
www.powermag.com
21
Please visit us:
Valve World Americas
Houston, June 20 - 21
Stand 1022
FLEXIBILITY
FIRST
Electric actuators for all types
of industrial valves
Reliable and long-term service.
AUMA offers a comprehensive
actuator portfolio.
■ Customized solutions for all
types of power plants: from
CHP to large-scale power
plants
■ Variable speed for high
precision control
■ Interfaces to all conventional
ieldbus systems
■ Service worldwide
Find out more on our
automation solutions
www.auma-usa.com
http://www.bit.ly/PID-Guide http://www.auma-usa.com http://www.workrite http://www.powermag.com
POWER June 2017

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