Top 5 Control Engineering articles, December 8-14: PID loop tuning, System Integrators of the Year, drum level measurement, more

Articles about PID loop tuning, the 2015 System Integrators of the Year, optimizing drum level measurement, ladder logic, and automation improving beer making were Control Engineering’s five most clicked articles from last week, December 8-14. Were you out last week? Miss something? You can catch up here.

By Chris Vavra December 15, 2014

Control Engineering Top 5 most read articles online, for Dec. 8-14, covered PID loop tuning, the 2015 System Integrators of the Year, optimizing drum level measurement, ladder logic, and automation improving beer making. Link to each article below.

1. Tuning PID loops for level control

One-in-four control loops are regulating level, but techniques for tuning PID controllers in these integrating processes are not widely understood. 

2. 2015 System Integrators of the Year

Maverick, Polytron and Malisko Engineering help lead clients into the new world of automation. CFE Media’s judges have again chosen three companies to receive the 2015 System Integrator of the Year award in three categories: more than $17 million in annual revenue, $10 million to $17 million annual revenue, and up to $10 million annual revenue. 

3. Optimizing drum level measurement

How can steam drum level be controlled to maximize both stability and responsiveness? The best method is to feed forward (FF) the steam flow to the level PID loop and cascade the output of that loop to the setpoint of a boiler feedwater (BFW) and flow loop. 

4. Ladder Logic 101: Where do I start?

For those who are just getting into writing ladder logic and have maybe taken a few classes or seen some examples, it is quite simple to write your own template. 

5. 6 reasons why automation improves beer making

Application Update: A beer equipment manufacturer uses off-the-shelf automation components to build affordable equipment and systems for craft brewers. 

The list was developed using CFE Media’s web analytics for stories viewed on controleng.com, December 8-14, for articles published within the last two months.

– Chris Vavra, production editor, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.


Author Bio: Chris Vavra is web content manager for CFE Media and Technology.