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instructors will discuss many unpublished, unique, and successful designs.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

o What is a process?

o Steady-state operations

o Four parts of a control loop

o Disturbances

o Controller action

 Measurements

o Flow

 Head type, orifice, venturis, etc.

 Averaging pitot tube

 Magnetic

 Coriolis

 Vortex shedding

 Thermal

 Sonic

 Variable area

 Positive displacement

 Turbine meters

o Level

 Head

 Conductance

 Capacitance

 Nuclear

 Sonic

 Radar

o Temperature
  Dial thermometers

 Thermowells

 RTDS

 Thermocouples

 Surface measurements

 Filled systems

o Pressure

 Pressure gauges

 Gauge transmitters

 Absolute pressure transmitters

 Control valves

o Reciprocating

o Rotary

o Valve flow characteristics

o Installed characteristics

o Reduced trim

o Diaphragm actuators

o Piston actuators

o Positioners

o Sizing

o Noise, flashing, and cavitation

 Feedback controllers

 Tuning modes of feedback controllers

o Proportional or gain

o Integral or reset

o Derivative or rate
 o PID equations

o Feedback video

 Tuning of feedback controllers

o Benefits of good tuning

o When is tuning required?

o Effects of PID modes

o What is ideal tuning?

o 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

o Static feedforward

o Three element boiler controller

o Discrete input feedforward

o Dynamic feedforward

 Scaling

 Adaptive gain

o Tuning adaptive gain controllers

o Process changes
 o Error squared control

o Transmitter failure detection and control

o Event and time control

o Limiting tool using adaptive gain

 Dead time

o Control with dead time

o Pure dead time

o Apparent dead time

o Tuning dead time processes

o Smith dead time predictor

o 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 Storage Tanks course is intended for engineers and inspectors working for Owner-Users in
the refining/petrochemical and comparable industries. Engineers serving in a maintenance or
reliability role whose responsibilities include the evaluation of storage tanks will also benefit.