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Contents
A4 Managing process safety with exible I/O
Industrial facilities should approach safety and security holistically by addressing critical requirements from the process control network to the perimeter of the plant.

A9 Protecting researchers, scientists with safety automation

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory upgraded its relay-based safety system with a new control and safety platform.

A4
On the cover
Flexible I/O systems allow separation of safety and process I/O, support SIL-3 requirements, and can be remotely configured and controlled. Courtesy: Honeywell Process Solutions

A12 Tuning thermal PID loops

When dealing with critical temperature applications, PID controllers are a common regulatory approach, but tuning these often requires a different strategy than other types of loops. Auto-tuning features can help if you understand them.

A9

C OMME NT
Applying exibility, safety, and control

Jack Smith
Edit or

he cover story in this issue of AppliedAutomation is as much about I/O as it is about safety. While safety systems are fundamental to critical processes and operations, extrapolating the implications of how flexible and configurable I/O can be applied to more than safety systems could open many doors regarding how engineers approach automation and control projects. This issue also includes a case study about a safety system upgrade at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. Although the labs original 1940s-era relaybased system was functional, it had exceeded its useful life span. The lab upgraded its relaybased safety system with a new control and safety platform based on a safety PLC, which includes a safety controller and distributed safety I/O. The new system provides SLAC with preventive maintenance alerts and diagnos-

tic capabilities that were not possible with the relay-based system. The third article revisits temperature control. Tuning PID control loops can be challenging, and this article offers guidance on proper loop tuning. While most modern temperature controllers employ auto-tune features, units from different manufacturers may not behave the same way. Because control loops are in fact closed loops, tuning is inherently application dependent. The quest for ideal tuning assumes that the system is properly designed. Because the physical environment is part of the loop, the available Btus must be appropriate for the load. As the authors state, The system is tuned well when it heats up and settles quickly at setpoint and when the temperature settles at a new setpoint without oscillating excessively. The authors also point out that quickly and excessively are relative terms.

Applied Automation

June 2013

A3

cover story

Managing process safety with flexible I/O

Industrial facilities should approach safety and security holistically by addressing critical requirements from the process control network to the perimeter of the plant.

By Erik de Groot,

Hon e yw e l l P roc e ss S ol u t i on s

ndustrial organizations are paying closer attention to safety applications for a variety of reasons, including strict industry regulations and widespread reports of safety incidents around the world. Plants need robust safety applications, which encompass all instrumentation and controls responsible for bringing a process to a safe state in the event of an unacceptable process deviation or failure. To manage process safety challengesincluding the role of defense-in-depth strategies for protecting critical plant assetsplant personnel must understand the application of current technologies in the marketplace, as well as new technologies for optimizing overall safety performance and reducing capital and operating costs throughout the project lifecycle.

Operational demands
Industrial facilities are under growing pressure to better manage their process and safety assets. Complying with legislation to safeguard personnel, communities, and the environment is a priority for both legal and ethical reasons. Effective safety applications are needed to enable proactive protection (versus responsive mitigation), help stop events before they happen, prevent injuries, and save lives.

Courtesy: Honeywell Process Solutions

Figure 1: Defense-in-depth is inherent in safety and security best practices, which integrate independent layers of protection.

Plant projects around the world are becoming larger and more complex. Greenfield construction often involves multiple engineering procurement contractors, while brownfield projects must be completed with minimal downtime. Operations of all types seek on-time or early start-up, as well as earlier-than-planned production to accelerate returns. In the process industries, operations such as oil and gas platforms, liquefied natural gas carriers, and floating production, storage, and offloading units typically face space, weight, and power constraints for automation equipment such as I/O devices. In addition, these operations must ensure a sufficient number of spares for the lifecycle of the installed asset. At greenfield sites, building adequate control room infrastructure is a high priority. This makes moving control and safety functionality to the fieldas well as necessary hardwarea desirable alternative to traditional approaches. At the same time, users must cope with burdens such as time-consuming hardware configuration and programming, late design changes, frequent maintenance, and the need to reduce copper wiring connecting sensors, transmitters, and other devices with the control room. Brownfield facilities also deal with issues related to spares availability, not to mention the need to install additional homerun cables as part of any expansion project. Today, there is now a clear paradigm shift in the process industries from safety system cost to total cost of ownership. Current system architectures can be either centralized, distributed, or a combination of both. Each approach has its advantages and challenges. Many operations continue to employ outdated safety solutions implemented in PLCs, control systems, or other legacy platforms. Due to the continuous improvement aspects of ISA-84: Standards for Use in Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals and IEC61511: Functional safety: Safety instrumented systems for the process industry sector, plants are finding it necessary to replace these systems with a modern safety instrumented system (SIS). The need to execute safety instrumented functions that werent previously implemented or identified is also driving the implementation of SIS technology.

A4 June 2013

Applied Automation

Implementing layers of protection

Ensuring the safety and security of personnel, equipment, and the environment is a priority for every industrial facility. This effort goes far beyond simply installing fail-safe controllers or an advanced SIS solution. In fact, to mitigate the risk of serious incidents, it is important to consider safety and security from all aspects of a plants operation. Industrial facilities should take a holistic approach to industrial safety and security, addressing critical requirements from the process control network to the perimeter of the plant. This approach is intended to increase situational awareness of production processes and improve response to emergency situations arising from safety- or security-related incidents. When properly implemented, this approach helps protect people, assets, and the environment while sustaining a high level of operational and business performance. At the core of best practices for integrated safety and security is defense-in-depth with independent layers of protection (see Figure 1). This strategy is included in the IEC 61511 standard, which stipulates that every layer of protectionincluding both control and safety systems should be unambiguously independent. Some of the reasons for this basic requirement are to avoid commoncause faults, minimize systematic errors, and provide security against unintentional access. With a layered solution, some layers of protection are preventive in nature (e.g., emergency shutdown), and some are there to mitigate the impact of an incident if it occurs (e.g., fire and gas protective systems or emergency response systems). Other layers of protection can deter incidents in the first place, or provide detection, alerting, and associated guidance.
Courtesy: Honeywell Process Solutions

Maintaining segregated systems

One of the major achievements of process control technology in recent years has been its integration of an increasing number of safety functions within the plant automation environment. The move toward sharing critical information with the process control system through an SIS has brought significant benefits. Industrial organizations are seeking a unified control and safety infrastructure integrated at the controller and HMI level. This solution must comply with key industrial safety regulations as well as applicable cyber security standards. It must also meet industry requirements for high reliability and availability, simplify field device maintenance, and adapt easily to last-minute project engineering changes. Experience has shown the most robust and reliable approach to control and safety integration maintains the well-established separation principle for the basic process control system and SIS. In this way, users can achieve complete operational integration through a single dashboard, using a fully separated safety network for greater protection.
Figure 2: Flexible I/O systems allow separation of safety and process I/O, support SIL-3 requirements, and can be remotely configured and controlled.

Empowering plant personnel

Plant safety requires a comprehensive program for managing operator effectiveness, constant monitoring of distress indicators, and ongoing monitoring and maintenance for asset health. This integrated approach demands not only an understanding of safetys relationship to human error, but also the interrelationships among root causes and interventions by plant systems and site personnel. The layer of protection often missed in the plant safety architecture is the one requiring human intervention. It is essential to equip the operations group with technology and work practices to manage abnormal situations or the eventuality of an incident. In addition, as an experienced

Applied Automation

June 2013 A5

cover story
and the complexity of I/O by incorporating more intelligence and programmability into their solutions. With the advent of flexible I/O systems, process manufacturers can now integrate more safety devices while simplifying installation and maintenance (see Figure 2). These systems employ innovative technology that allows instant configuration of I/O channels without additional hardware. They enable maximum architectural flexibility, lower cost of ownership, support SIL-3 application requirements, and are ideal for facilities that must integrate equipment, units, and other assets spread over wide geographic distances. Developments in I/O technology offer an opportunity to Integrating robust security liberate safety and process I/O, as well as control cabinets, from channel-type dependency. This concept enables An industrial site is not truly safe without the right secumultiple remote locations to be controlled out of a single rity. Thats why defense-in-depth must include physical centralized unit, with each channel of I/O individually softsecurity layers that reach not only beyond the perimeter ware-configured either as analog input fence, but also into the very heart of the (AI), analog output (AO), digital input control room. The integrated physical With the advent of flexible (DI), or digital output (DO). It reduces security element brings together oftendisparate technologies to improve situaI/O systems, process manu- wasted I/O space and provides savings on both installation and operational tional awareness and operator reaction facturers can now integrate costs because users no longer have to time during an event or site emergency. worry about having enough modules for In addition, digital video solutions, tightmore safety devices while AI, AO, DI, or DO configurations. The ly integrated with plant DCS, can now simplifying installation and I/O connection can easily be configallow cameras to function as process uredand reconfiguredat any time. sensors. These systems can integrate maintenance. Plants that implement these technoloat the database level so alarms, events, gies can also standardize on a univerand digital recording triggers are native sal cabinet with a generic configuration because any field to the control system. signal can be connected to any I/O channel. Engineers are To ensure a sound protection strategy, the network and able to reduce documentation cost by knowing how much database infrastructure should also include built-in cyber I/O needs to be supported, as well as its installation space security solutions. This includes an embedded and certirequirement. fied firewallalthough cyber security goes well beyond Some I/O systems are designed to support electronic thisstarting within the end-users business network and (soft) marshalling, which allows the I/O module to be extending to the core of the control architecture. mounted close to the process unit to reduce or eliminate Using smart, flexible technology the need for homerun cables, marshalling panels, junction boxes, and field auxiliary rooms. With this new way Process safety applications present a range of operaof I/O deployment, field wires can be terminated on any tional challenges. In recent years, new technologies and I/O module or channel, regardless of signal type. It elimiproducts have emerged to address some of these issues, nates the scrambling needed in conventional marshalling but in many cases they are limited and provide only partial approaches, thus reducing hardware complexity associsolutions. Plant owners are seeking feature-rich solutions ated with installing, commissioning, and maintaining the they can configure to meet their unique requirements. The system, resulting in savings on marshalling cabinets, interneed to accommodate legacy systems as well as new panel wiring, cabinet space, power requirements, and the installations has underlined the necessity of compatibiltraditional time needed to deploy these items. ity and configurability. The current business climate also By employing a flexible I/O approach, late changes demands products that keep capital and maintenance resulting in costly project delays can now be done through costs at a minimum. remote access rather than manipulating hardware in the Within the plant control and safety architecture, the I/O field. What previously took days or even weeks can be subsystem is responsible for inputting hundreds or often accomplished in minutes. Every day gained in the project thousands of different process measurements and other schedule is an extra day of production. Because only one inputs into the system, and outputting control signals to a type of I/O module is needed for each project, engineers large number of final control elements. I/O represents one need only worry about I/O countnot I/O mix. of the most significant parts of the system infrastructure, The latest technology advancements also limit the and, traditionally, a significant cost element. However, amount of training required for plant personnel. Only one automation suppliers are working to reduce both the cost workforce transitions and domain knowledge is potentially lost, it becomes increasingly important to transform that knowledge into institutional procedures and practices. The operator should be properly equipped to recognize an event, as well as be capable of properly evaluating the situation and responding accordingly. Operator effectiveness afforded by common and consistent HMIs across the entire operation, knowledge capture through automation of procedural operations, and an advanced alarming capability allow people to better prevent and respond to abnormal situations.

A6 June 2013

Applied Automation

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cover story
category of I/O is needed to meet all of the input/output requirements on a typical SIS project. There are fewer interconnections with this type of solutionand consequently fewer failuresso testing and installation are easier. surveillance for on-land facilities that allow significant savings over camera-only based solutions are expanding the scope and range of safety devices that can be integrated into the system in other areas.

Moving applications to the field

Most recently, automation suppliers have developed safety logic solvers designed to execute safety applications independently in the I/O module. Users can distribute safety logic into the field in close proximity to the process while maintaining a transparent overview. Such logic solvers safeguard the process even in the event of interruption in communication with the SIS. This approach is ideally suited to highly distributed applications, and reduces cost while increasing process availability and efficiency. For example, in the upstream oil and gas industry, oil field operators can now implement a safety solution whereby the I/O module at each wellhead is integrated into the SIS and DCS, but can also act as a dedicated logic solver for the head if the central connection is lost. In effect, another layer of redundancy and separation is added to the system. Meanwhile, pipeline integrity solutions and radar video

A new process safety landscape

Operational managers in process plants must address a host of pressing demands: worker safety, environmental stewardship, process uptime, and conservation of plant resourcesand the list goes on. These challenges are stretching the limits of existing resources and expertise. With innovations in automation technology, plants can optimize process safety systems in a wide range of installations, improve overall safety performance, and reduce capital and operating costs throughout the lifecycle of their projects. Erik de Groot is marketing manager of safety systems for Honeywell Process Solutions. He has been active in the process industries in both process development and automation for 26 years, including 16 years with Honeywell where he started as an application engineer in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He has a Bachelors degree in chemical engineering from the HTS Hilversum, the Netherlands.

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Case study: safety systems

Protecting researchers, scientists with safety automation

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory upgraded its relay-based safety system with a new control and safety platform.

T
Courtesy: Siemens Industry Inc.

By Chris Sheehy, Siem e n s

In du st r y In c .

hey barrel through the 2-mile tunnel and hit a wall at nearly the speed of light. This is no hightech fender bender. Its no accident at all. Worldclass researchers have gleaned life-changing discoveries from these ultra-fast, microscopic collisions for more than half a century. Top scientists from around the globe apply months, even years in advance for the opportunity to further study lifes smallest particles at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. The main attraction for most researchers is the opportunity to experiment with the worlds most powerful X-ray laser, created through electrons riding the accelerators coveted beam. The remarkable X-ray imaging tool, SLACs Linac Coherent Light Source, is a recent addition that has helped transform the facility into a multipurpose lab and

the ultimate proving ground for more scientists than ever before (see Figure 1). Demand is so strong that SLAC is providing 24/7 access to the accelerator beam and is expanding the facility to more than double the number of experiments that can be done simultaneously. Breakthrough discoveries, such as the latest cancer treatments and a better understanding of viruses, fuel cells, and the sun and stars, can be traced back to research done at the SLAC National Accelerator Lab. The high-powered X-ray laser allows scientists to look at molecules in a way that was not possibleeven conceivablea few years ago, said Enzo Carrone, deputy director of the labs instrumentation and control division and head of the safety systems department.

Ensuring safety, uptime

However, scientific advancements do not come without some challenges. Our top priority is protecting scientists and staff from potential radiation hazards produced by the accelerator, said Carrone. We also must ensure the beam is up and running. Without safety and the beam, little science can be conducted here. SLAC has an impeccable safety record, but the expanding and increasingly complex operation required a new level of safety and control. The labs original 1940s-era relay-based sysFigure 1: The X-ray scattering end-station at SLACs Linac Coherent Light Source soft X-ray beam line is a vacuum chamber and sample environment that enables researchers to probe how electrons behave in special materials, such as magnets or high-temperature superconductors.

Applied Automation

June 2013 A9

Case study: safety systems

tem did a good job, but it was control and safety automation solutions from Siemens Industry well beyond its intended service life. Relays just couldnt proInc. The automation used at SLAC is patterned from control vide the level of intelligent protection and diagnostics support platforms at other DOE science we must have going forward, labs. Our collaboration with the Carrone said. Jefferson Laboratory in Virginia, Maintaining laboratory uptime Brookhaven in New York, and is critical. The cost of factory others allowed us to select a downtime is often measured in hardware platform and design lost labor and product, but you a new safety system within our cant put a price on the loss important one-year timeframe, of a potential scientific breaksaid Turner. We had to quickly through, Carrone said. That and effectively implement an is exactly whats at stake when intelligent security upgrade researchers cant finish a projcapable of handling the comect because the accelerator is plexities of a multipurpose lab. down. We strive for 98% beam The ability to share ideas with availability, considering the colleagues who had already huge impact it can have on scimade similar upgrades made ence and discovery. the difference and made it posThe accelerator has been sible to meet our lofty objecdown for hours at a time before, tives. causing lengthy delays in critiThe safety PLC is the brain cal experiments, said Kristina behind our new PPS, Carrone Turner, manager of SLACs said. Under the hood, the safety Personnel Protection System PLC uses a Siemens S7-300F (PPS) upgrade. We needed a safety controller and ET 200S Figure 2: Access to the accelerator tunnel at SLAC new platform capable of extractdistributed safety I/O to monitor National Accelerator Laboratory is monitored by the new ing a new level of insight and and manage personnel access safety PLC, which includes a safety controller and distrib- to and from the accelerator knowledge from the accelerauted safety I/O. tor system. We had to find an tunnel (see Figure 2). Safety intelligent solution to enable requirements have never been us to better understand our operation and help us greatly greater, as radiation hazards have increased inside the reduce downtime by anticipating issues before they occur. underground lab with the addition of new beams and adjaThese accelerator machines cost hundreds of millions cent experimental areas. of dollars, and theyre meant to be here for decades to The high-powered X-ray beam can split into as many as enable important research, Carrone said. We must have six separate beam lines within the same enclosed area. a control and safety solution that allows us to look 30-plus We no longer have just one laser source and a couple years into the future with confidence. Our relay-based of beam destinations, Turner said. We now have two architecture had run far beyond its course. Our fast-growhazard sources. Were putting in a third and discussing a ing lab had to have a flexible and scalable architecture to fourth beam within that 2-mile tunnel. meet the ever-changing requirements of real-time scientific Its very important that we make it easy for the accelbreakthroughs. erator operator to understand what beams are running, The home of many life-altering scientific breakthroughs given the new layers of complexity we didnt have a few needed a control platform that would enable accelerator years ago, Turner said. Turner and her PPS colleague operators to manage and monitor the increasingly complex Matt Cyterski were both accelerator operators before joinlab and its multiple laser beams and radiation sources. At ing the safety systems group. the same time, SLAC needed a safety platform capable Moving forwardsafely of keeping scientists and SLAC staff out of harms way for the foreseeable future. And the laboratory needed its new The new control and safety system enables operators control and safety system in place within a year. to break through old laboratory silos for a facility-wide view into the accelerator operation. It would be unthinkSLAC gets control, safety upgrade able to try to operate and manage our complex accelerator activity without a PLC, said Cyterski. This PLC is the Following a thorough review of system options with sisprimary decision maker that determines when its absoter labs across the country, Carrone and his team selected
Courtesy: Siemens Industry Inc. Courtesy: Siemens Industry Inc.

A10 June 2013

Applied Automation

lutely safe for staff and scientists to move about the experimental areas. The safety PLC has the intelligence to enable operators to not only strictly police the restricted areas of the accelerator lab, but also provide them with preventive maintenance alerts. Sensors that enable the PLCs to manage authorized entry through sealed experimental room doors also detect system issues. In the event of a fault, error, or component outage, the control platform can quickly troubleshoot the problem and identify the culprit for engineering and maintenance crews. The PLC communicates across a ProfiSAFE network, a backbone for distributed safety I/O and other critical inside information related to the accelerator operation, said Marv Guggemos, project engineer for EandM. The California-based automation specialist played an integral role in the PPS upgrade at SLAC. ProfiSAFE is a variation of ProfiNET, which provides deterministic and secure communications via Ethernet. The diagnostics capabilities of the PLC and control platform provide peace of mind for accelerator operators and the countless scientists who converge on SLAC to explore countless possibilities using the beam. We are already designing and implementing new beams and experimental areas within the accelerator lab, Turner said. We had to be absolutely certain that whatever architecture choice we made was the right choice for the next generation of scientists and science.

Chris Sheehy is an account manager with Siemens Industry Inc. Based in Sacramento Calif., he specializes in machine safety, motion control, machine logic, and visualization applications. Over the past 5 years, he

has focused on developing and maintaining Siemens strategic accounts. Sheehy has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

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Conclusion
As more of the original SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory infrastructure is overhauled, the control and safety teams are eager to build on the momentum theyve generated with the new automation platform. The new system has literally helped us pave the way to new and exciting safety and diagnostics applications across our campus, said Carrone.

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Applied Automation

June 2013 A11

PID looP tunIng

Tuning thermal PID loops

When dealing with critical temperature applications, PID controllers are a common regulatory approach, but tuning these often requires a different strategy than other types of loops. Auto-tuning features can help if you understand them.
By Jason Beyer and Sean Wilkinson,
Wa t l ow

f you are responsible for working with PID temperature controllers, you have probably already discovered that such loops can be challenging and that the needs of a given controller and application can vary widely. This discussion is intended to help explain how these controllers work and to offer some basic guidance on dealing with a PID temperature controller. Weve done our best to avoid unnecessary jargon while providing basic terminology and definitions that will be helpful when referencing controller manuals and other sources. Bear in mind, though, that controllers vary and applications vary, and we would be remiss if we lead you to believe that our experiences cover all cases or that our advice never goes wrong. Please be careful to consider the unique circumstances of your application as you implement any changes.

change in heater power. Tuning teaches the controller the characteristics of a particular system. The controller captures what it learns in its PID settings. The exact names of the PID settings depend on the controller manufacturer, but they typically are: proportional band or gain, integral or reset, and derivative or rate. Consult the manual to find the PID settings in your controller. The controller cannot know the best values for these parameters until it is tuned because every system is different. When poorly tuned, the temperature can oscillate around the setpoint, be slow to respond to changes, or overshoot the setpoint excessively at start-up or the when the setpoint changes. This impacts productivity by making operators wait, reduces yield, and increases premature failures when products are processed at the wrong temperature.

How do you tune a PID controller?

The simplest way to tune a PID controller is to use its auto-tune feature. Nearly all electronic temperature controllers now have one, but they dont all work the same way. To find out how to best use your controllers autotune, read its manual or call its manufacturer. Some controllers tune while the load heats up from ambient. Some tune around setpoint. Either way, auto tuning adjusts the PID settings automatically, so you dont have to. But before you engage that feature, consider these options and implications: n The temperature may overshoot setpoint while tuning. Controllers that tune near setpoint force the temperature to go up and down. To limit the temperature, set a lower setpoint and observe the tuning behavior. You can tune again at a higher setpoint after confirming that tuning wont cause the temperature to go too high. n There is probably a time limit on the auto tune function, so very slow processes may not tune. Check the PID settings prior to and after tuning. If they do not change, the auto tuning process failed for one reason or another. Thats a good time to get help from the controllers manufacturer. n Defining what is considered good tuning depends on the process. Some controllers have options that customize auto tuning results for your process. For example, certain Watlow controllers allow you to select whether the temperature should get to setpoint in the minimum amount

Why tune controllers?

For optimal results, a PID controller needs to know how much to adjust the heat to achieve a desired temperature change, and how long the temperature takes to react to a

Courtesy: Watlow

The controller has to understand the characteristics of the process through appropriate tuning.

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Applied Automation

of time with a bit of overshoot, or approach setpoint more cautiously to minimize or eliminate overshoot. To get the best results when tuning, make sure conditions are like those at which the system will normally function. Here are our tips for a successful auto-tune implementation: 1. Set the setpoint before starting the auto-tune process. 2. Make sure the systems temperature is stable before starting. 3. Tune the system at the time and location at which it will be used. Tuning in a lab on a summer day in California may not yield the results necessary to control well on a winter night in Minnesota. 4. Tune with the same heater voltage to be used in operation. If the heaters use 240 Vac when tuning but 208 Vac when installed at the users site, the controller will likely have to be tuned again since the change This graph illustrates a well-tuned system responding to a setpoint change in a in power will change the way the heaters context that allows for a moderate amount of overshoot. Once the temperature perform. has reached the new setpoint, both the temperature and power level are stable. 5. Tune with actual product or a reasonable simulation in place. An oven full of at setpoint, tune the loops one at a time with the other metal parts tunes differently than an empty one. loops stable at setpoint. For a controller that tunes while 6. Tune fully assembled and installed systems. A heating from ambient, it may be best to tune the loops machine with its cover panels off can perform differently simultaneously. when covered. 11. If product and heat flows from one temperature con7. Consider all the sources of heat. A batch of powered trol zone to another in a conveyor oven, for example, tune circuit cards in a test oven can significantly change the the loops in that order. way it tunes. 8. Consider all the heat sinks. When is it well tuned? Imagine installing the first machine Consider the range of temin a line where several will share the The system is tuned well when it peratures at which you want exhaust duct. If the vents that will conheats up and settles quickly at setpoint nect to the other machines are closed and when the temperature settles the system to perform well, when you tune the first machine, the at a new setpoint without oscillating and tune at the highest, low- excessively. Of course, quickly and cooling effects of the exhaust may be much greater than after the other excessively are relative terms, and as est, and midpoint; or at each machines are installed and operating. noted above, some processes tolerate 9. Consider the range of temperaoperating temperature if there a little overshoot, allowing the system tures at which you want the system to to change temperature in the minimum are not too many. perform well, and tune at the highest, time, and others do not. In a system lowest, and midpoint; or at each operthat tolerates some overshoot, we look ating temperature if there are not too many. Make a record for responses like those shown in the graphs. For us, the of the PID settings resulting from each trial; controllers typ- key indicator of a well-tuned system is not just that the temically overwrite the previous settings each time you tune. If perature is stable, but that the output power is also stable the trials all control well, use the widest proportional band it should not hunt or oscillate more than a few percent. (lowest gain), the least active integral (lowest repeats per Use software such as SpecView to graph the temperaminute or highest minutes per repeat) and the least active ture, setpoint, and percent heat power. With a graph you derivative (typically the smallest number). can quantify performance by measuring time to setpoint, 10. When multiple temperatures are controlled and the time to stabilize, and oscillation amplitude, if any. This heat from one can affect another, for controllers that tune allows you to measure if the tuning meets your needs.

Applied Automation

June 2013 A13

Courtesy: Watlow

PID LOOP TUNING

ing conditions change too dramatically for PID control to adapt, consider using adaptive tuning if your controller offers it.

Courtesy: Watlow

Switching to manual

If you still need to make improvements, you can manually adjust the tuning. Providing detailed instructions on manually tuning PID control is beyond our scope here, but consider the following: If the temperature does not reach setpoint fast enough, you may be able to fix that, but you may have to tolerate a little overshoot and settling time. If it doesnt settle down fast enough, you may be able to fix that, but you may have to tolerate slower responses to setpoint changes. Adjust only one PID setting at a time. Make sure you know which way to adjust each parameter for the desired result. Here is another situation where a process is started up cold. Once the heater Double or halve the PID setting when goes on, the temperature rises steadily until it reaches the setpoint and stabilizes making adjustments. With most controllers, quickly witout any overshoot. The heater power level drops quickly and remains small changes will have negligible effects. at the hold temperature without huting. Change the setpoint to test the systems responsiveness. If auto tuning doesnt work Wait long enough to see the results of each change before making another. How long to wait depends on how If the temperature does not perform to your satisfacquickly the system can respond. Wait three or four cycles tion, consider these possibilities: if it is oscillating. Was auto tuning performed under ideal conditions? Graph the results each time you make a change and Review our tips above. If something was not right, correcord the PID settings on the graph. rect it and try auto-tuning again. This allows you to evaluate whether When the temperature is at The system is tuned well or not your changes are improvesetpoint, if the heat power is not between 10% and 90%, look for a when it heats up and settles ments. Graph the output power. If outproblem such as missing covers or a quickly at setpoint and when put power is oscillating, even if the failed heater. Otherwise, there may be issues with the design or instalthe temperature settles at a temperature is stable, the system is probably not stable. Output power is lation. new setpoint without oscilas close to a crystal ball as you get, If the heat is at 100% and the temperature doesnt increase or lating excessively. Of course, it tells you what the control system is trying to do before the heater makes it never reaches setpoint, shut the quickly and excessively are happen and before the system filters heat off and check that the sensor is the results to the sensor. positioned and connected correctly. relative terms. We hope these suggestions will Otherwise, try to determine why there help improve the performance of your is not enough heating power or why controllers. More extensive discussions of PID tuning there is too much cooling. Tuning is probably not the strategy are available at Watlows website. problem. If the temperature is oscillating, is it due to the Jason Beyer is a technical support specialist for conpower switching method? If the frequency of the osciltrollers and power switching devices with Watlow, where lation is the same as the time proportioning cycle time, he has worked for 32 years. Sean Wilkinson is a prodreduce the cycle time setting if your relay allows it, or uct manager for multi-loop controllers and software with replace the relay with a solid-state power controller that Watlow, where he has worked for 15 years. allows much faster switching. www.watlow.com If the performance is poor because the operat-

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Applied Automation

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