How can the automation rate of instruments be improved?
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Recently, the company has mandated that instruments improve the level of automatic control in their control loops. The common issues involved are that operators prefer to use manual control, or they feel that automatic control is not effective enough. However, the required level of automatic control is now 95%, while the actual level is only around 80%. What should instruments do next? Should the PID parameters be adjusted, or should we check the control valves, transmitters, and all the instruments in the control circuit? Please offer as many suggestions as possible. Also, regarding temperature, pressure, and liquid level control, how should the PID parameters be set for the Zhejiang University Central Control System?
The level of a company’s self-control capability involves many factors: there are issues related to the habits of the operators, problems with the maintenance of measuring instruments, and it’s also possible that improper tuning of PID parameters leads to unstable control. Over time, when the operators see that these problems cannot be resolved, they gradually lose the willingness to use automatic control systems. To resolve this issue, it is necessary to communicate and collaborate more closely with the process engineering team. While strengthening the maintenance of instrumentation equipment, it is also important to study those circuits that cannot be put into automatic mode, identify the reasons for this problem, and take targeted actions to fix it. It is best to have dedicated personnel work together with the process operators during testing and commissioning; in particular, the tuning of PID parameters should be carried out primarily by DCS specialists. It is believed that through joint efforts, a good improvement in the level of automatic control can be achieved.
Adding to what was said on the second floor: there are also issues related to process design. When operating at low or high degrees of opening for extended periods, it’s necessary to communicate more. In the future, advanced control systems will need to be implemented, as well as solutions for situations such as screen blackouts. Improving the level of automation is fundamental.
An improved control rate is first achieved through a reasonable control scheme, secondly by accurate readings, and thirdly by proper tuning of the loop parameters
Once the PID tuning for automatic control is completed, it is handed over to the process team; the process engineers must adjust the parameters promptly in response to changes in operating conditions, otherwise by the time the automatic control technicians arrive, it will probably be too late. There is a saying that process engineers know the most about instruments, while instrument engineers know the most about processes. Is that the reasoning?