Greg: There has been a serious decline in industry expertise due to retirements, and a lack of academic courses, training and presentations on the practical knowledge needed. There is the misconception that more data analytics and artificial intelligence will provide the solutions. However, these tools need guidance and input from engineers and technicians who understand fundamentals, realities and possibilities.

In “Annex A - Valve Response and Control Loop Performance,” which I authored in ISA-TR75.25.02-2024, includes sections on external-reset Feeback and PID performance. It also includes annexes on valve positioners, deadtime compensators, enhanced PID and first principle process relationships that I wrote in ISA-TR5.9-2023. They aim to provide key knowledge for future generations. However, this is just the start of what is needed.

Michael Taube, a consultant at S&D Consulting Inc., explains the situation and provides motivation and opportunity to address the need to learn and expand our expertise, which is immediately valuable and critical for the future of a more useful data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Michael, what is the historical backdrop?

Michael: Process control, and its symbiotic discipline instrumentation, continues to be the worst taught subjects in engineering education, particularly in chemical engineering even though the economic, stable and safe operations of all chemical plants and refineries rely on the proper design and maintenance of the control and instrumentation (C&I) components (i.e., sensors, transmitters, valves and control applications/loops). The evolution of the ubiquitous proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller began during the early 20th Century. A paper published in 2001 by Stuart Bennett, titled, The Past of PID Controllers, Annual Reviews in Control 25 (2001) 43-53, provides valuable historical insights into the development and dissemination of PID control technology. Understanding the historical backdrop of PID control development provides insight into why the first Texas A&M University Chemical Engineering Department head, J. D. “Doc” Lindsay, initiated the Instrumentation Symposium in 1946. At the time, automatic closed-loop control (ACLC) was practically non-existent. Refinery Workers made manual adjustments to a valve wheel on a process pipe or a pneumatic valve modulating the air flow/pressure to a pneumatically adjusted valve, to affect some process parameter—flow, pressure, etc. As ACLC became more prevalent, these “valve operators” became known simply as operators. 

Lindsay had to have recognized how this new and novel technology would affect the operations and design of process plants. His intentions for this fledgling chemical engineering department was to produce engineers that had practical understanding of the theoretical principles they learned, so he must have felt compelled to provide a forum in which vendors, practitioners and academics could come together to share knowledge, insights and experiences with this new and evolving technology. Now 80 years later, the Instrumentation & Automation Symposium (IAS) continues to provide a venue to help current and future generations of engineers better understand and utilize this foundational technology upon which all forms of advanced control rely. 

Greg: Why don’t more people know about the symposium?

Michael: It’s quite true that the IAS is probably the best C&I Symposium that no one’s heard of, due to several factors. 

While it’s now convened under the auspices of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center (MKOPSC), previous iterations were sponsored and run by the Texas A&M University Chemical Engineering Department. Since the faculty was very engaged with industry, word of mouth marketing and, maybe, some print advertising, was sufficient. In fact, the Texas A&M University Cushing Library’s Flickr account has several albums of pictures archived from those early decades. It’s vey interesting to see the level of participation from the vendors, OEMs and academia during those early years. 

As academic/industry collaboration faded, so did enthusiasm for the symposium from the academic community. Then, with only word of mouth by previous attendees and vendors, attendance at the symposium also declined. Nevertheless, it was kept alive by an enthusiastic core group and is currently organized and run by an all-volunteer group of mostly industrial practitioners from OEMs, operating companies, service providers and independent consultants. Now in its 81st year, the IAS retains its focus on practical design and implementation issues affecting instrumentation for both control as well as safety systems. 

Greg: So, what topics are covered?

Michael: While the specific presentations vary, the over-arching themes include foundational topics such as PID controller design and tuning, instrument specifications and selection, and, given the development of and emphasis on safety instrumented systems (SIS) in recent decades, SIL/SIF evaluation and implementation practices and standards. 

A new addition to the symposium is the workshops. These are longer than the typical oral presentations and are intended to provide more detailed coverage of specific topics. 

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Greg: So, what can symposium attendees expect to see and hear?

Michael: Because the symposium is co-located with the MKOPSC Conference, there are several parallel tracks addressing process safety management (PSM), operational excellence (OE), SIS and control, instrumentation and automation (CI&A). The presentations in each track address their subjects from a practical industrial perspective, and include new and/or updated standards development, as well as some pertinent academic research. 

There will be a wide array of vendors, including OEMs, equipment distributors, system integrators and service providers with booths and information. So, in addition to vital technical presentations, one will also have access to organizations that can help design and implement many of the solutions and safeguards described in the oral presentations. In short, it’s as close to a one-stop-shop that one can find anywhere for all things CI&A, as well as PSM/OE. 

Greg: What about the plenary speakers?

Michael: As with the overall conference, there will be a wide array of plenary speakers and panel discussions from industry leaders, academics and the military addressing topics affecting the process industries (PI). Their talks will focus on technical, as well as organizational, factors that affect the ability to ensure safe, reliable and profitable operations of the facilities upon which our livelihoods, the nation and the world rely.

Greg: What’s different about the symposium versus other conferences?

Michael: One of the biggest differences is, true to Lindsay’s intent, the symposium’s focus is education and knowledge sharing of how CI&A helps process facilities perform more reliably, efficiently and safer, as opposed to academic research on esoteric topics that are years away from actual implementation. There are, of course, presentations on new and/or developing design and implementation standards as well as new technologies. 

Another difference is that one doesn’t have to submit a paper, which is very helpful for busy technical folks. As you know, writing a detailed technical paper takes considerable focused effort and time, something folks at the “sharp end” have in very short supply. It also makes it easier for operating company employees to get their presentations approved by their employer’s legal counsel: a presentation is easier to review and often contains fewer technical details compared to a paper. Corporate counsel will have fewer possible objections regarding intellectual property, even though the vast majority of what we share is essentially open art or forgotten lessons being relearned. 

Finally, because the crowd is smaller and more focused versus other larger conferences, the symposium program committee endeavors to provide numerous networking opportunities for vendors and attendees to meet and talk with each other in the form of social mixers during the conference, as well as the barbecue dinner which has been a long-standing tradition with the symposium. 

Greg: Why should PI employees attend the symposium?

Michael: As training and development budgets have been slashed, if not eliminated altogether, with the resulting decline in training offerings, engineers and technicians have very few opportunities to gain valuable practical insights and knowledge from other practitioners and experts. The symposium addresses that gap and is where PI companies can invest in their employees’ technical knowledge and development. It’s an investment in learning and professional development focused on CI&A which, as stated previously, is the worst taught subject. 

Greg: Where and when is the symposium held?

Michael: Since 2025, the symposium, as well as the MKOPSC Conference, is held in Houston, Texas, during the 3rd week of October, making it convenient for folks who work along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast to attend. This year’s venue is near the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), so it’s also very convenient for both domestic and international air travelers. 

Greg: Where can people register or find more information about the Symposium?

Michael: The conference website is https://www.mkosymposium.org/. The overall conference agenda is provided, as well as background information on the MKOPSC Conference and the IAS.

While abstract submission is closed, registration for the conference is open, as well as a link to discounted hotel reservations. The full agenda is under development.