Reflections from a
Computer Science Major
Wandering in process control
for 30 years
A Brief History
• 1970s – 1980s: Minicomputers in direct
digital and supervisory control
• 1980s – present: Programmable
controllers in discrete and analog control
• Mid-1980s – present: personal computers
in supervisory control, human interface,
management
• Right now: distributed, device-based
control; information management
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Typical Application
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Typical Applications
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Design and Configuration
Data Acquisition
Direct (Loop) Control
Alarm Detection
Trend Analysis
Advanced Control
Scheduling and Production Management
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Page: 1-C
Outcomes
• Lower costs
– Energy, raw material
• Throughput
– Improved speed, nameplate capacity
• Safety
• Quality
– Consistency
– Higher profit margins
• New Products
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Some Delivered Benefits
Through Additional Control
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•
•
•
Gas at the King of Beers
Megawatts on Wheels
A Sticky Situation at 3M
7,000,000 Smiles a Day at SKB
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Trends to Consider
• Sensors and Control:
– There are loops that are not controlled
because sensors or controllers don’t exist
• Sensing technology
• Size, Power
– Distributed, interoperable control, (Fieldbus)
• Human Interface
– Centralized “Industrial Nintendos” are giving
way to hand-held devices, Internet browsers
– How to interact with people given limited tools
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Today’s Control Implementation
Visualization
PID
Trending Alarm Management
AI
Optimization
Configuration
PID
AI
Advanced Control
Regulatory Control
Calculations
AO
4 -20 mA
4 -20 mA
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4 -20 mA
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Today’s Control Implementation
Supervisory Software
PID
PID
Regulatory Control
Calculations
AI
AI
Configuration
Visualization
Trending
Alarm Management
PLC
AO
4 -20 mA
4 -20 mA
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4 -20 mA
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Control in the Field With FOUNDATION Fieldbus
Visualization
Trending
Alarm Management
Advanced Control
Optimization
Fieldbus
PID
PID
AI
AI
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Regulatory Control
Calculations
AO
13
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Trends to Consider
• Networking
– Wiring sensors and controls are
expensive
– Self-discovering, self-correcting,
secure instrumentation networks
are being developed
– Can we apply WiFi, Bluetooth,
low-end networks
(e.g. 9600 baud serial over radio)
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Trends to Consider
• Information Management
– What is “real time”?
– How to handle, relate, archive and retrieve
different, asynchronous data
• e.g. process continuous & event, human demand
– After MRP there was ERP. ERP begat
“supply chain management” which begat
“customer relationship management”
• Is there a successor on the horizon?
• Who is affected? (The 3-day car)
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The Future is Interdisciplinary
• Mechanical Engineering:
• Sensors, materials, devices, controllers, actuators
• Electrical/Computer Engineering:
• Sensors, networks, protocols, wireless devices and applications
• Computer Science
• human interface, data compression, CAD integration, subsystem
integration
• Mathematics
• Modeling, new control algorithms, advanced control (the new neural
networks)
• Biomedical Engineering
– Fermentation, manufacturing process development
• Management
– Key Performance Indicators, Global operations
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