Vance J. VanDoren, Ph.D., P.E., Control Engineering
Articles
How Communications Help Integration Projects Succeed
As much as 80% of project problems are due to a lack of proper communications between the client and the integrator, according to the results of a recent survey in which the 1800+ system integrators listed in Control Engineering's Automation Integrator Guide were asked to share their top tips for ensuring the success of an automation project. See graph. Link to more help.
Process Controllers Predict the Future
A feedback controller can steer a process variable toward the desired setpoint only if it can somehow predict the future effects of its current control efforts. A model-based controller does so with the help of a mathematical representation of the process’s behavior. A well-tuned PID loop uses an implicit model characterized by the values of the controller’s P (proportional), I (int...
Get the Most from a System Integrator
What you don’t find out now can sneak up on you later. That’s why it’s critically important to ask system integrators the right questions before partnering on an automation project. To help with this challenge, Control Engineering asked its System Integrator of the Year award winners to reveal the questions their best clients ask during the process of selecting an integrator,...
Understanding PID Control
Familiar examples show how and why proportional-integral-derivative controllers behave the way they do.