Voices: McMillan & Control Talk
Ways to improve split-range control
Strategies and tuning to improve precision, smooth transitions and avoid oscillations.
Aug 6, 2019
*Greg:* Split-ranged control valve applications are particularly challenging. Here, we look at the many sources of the problems and the innovative solutions possible using the functionality of today’s PID. To address this, we have enlisted the help of great leaders in maximizing the functionality of the PID. We start with George Buckbee, who has considerable experience in process control and is currently an outstanding source for getting the most out of your PID, as seen in his many presentations and papers. George is an ISA Fellow and author of the focused book, “Mastering Split Range Control.” He heads up the Performance Solutions group at Metso. We then move on to seek a creative, relatively unknown approach form Nick Sands, DuPont senior manufacturing technology fellow and ISA Fellow, who was inducted this year into the Control Process Automation Hall of Fame[/articles/2019/2019-control-process-automation-hall-of-fame-nicholas-sands/]. Nick has been advancing our profession by involvement in the International Society of Automation. He was the 2015-2016 vice president of the ISA Standards and Practices Department and co-chair of ANSI/ISA-18.2-2016, “Management of Alarm Systems for the Process Industry.” Nick and George are leading participants in a new ISA Standards Committee to develop an ISA Technical Report on PID Algorithms and Performance.
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Jan 27, 2016A detailed understanding can pay off in greater process stability, lower valve wear and less waste of materials and energy.Statistical process control: How to quantify product quality
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Nov 12, 2012When Do You Need to Move Beyond PID Control?Is Your Control Valve an Imposter?
Nov 6, 2012Beware the Disguised PositionerBringing Advanced Process Control Home
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Sep 7, 2012The Same Techniques Used to Get the Most Ethanol Out of a Scarce Corn Crop Can Help You Optimize Other Batch ProcessesHere's how to improve control loops
Aug 30, 2012McMillan and Weiner talk with Jacques Smuts about improving control loopsCalibration Trends
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Jul 16, 2012How Can You Make Temperature Calibration Faster?The Human Factor
Jun 18, 2012What Are the Biggest Problems That Control Engineers Face When Going into a Plant?Control Valve Innovations
May 14, 2012McMillan and Weiner Asks Hans Baumann About His Most Notable Innovations in Control Valves.New Paradigms for Lab Control Systems
Mar 29, 2012What a Lab Control Systems Can and Should Do for Commercialization of BiopharmaceuticalsGoing with the Flow
Mar 8, 2012McMillan and Weiner Continue Their Interview With Ram Ramachandran. They Discuss What Flow Sensor Works Best in Various ApplicationsRadar Love
Jan 30, 2012Control Talk Editors, McMillan and Weiner, Ask Industrial Measurement Device Expert Ram Ramachandran About the Use of Radar on the Plant FloorGas Chromatographs Rule
Jan 10, 2012What Comes First--the Analyzer or the Analyzer Application?Process Analyzers. Analyze This!
Dec 7, 2011Fewer Analyzer Specialists Are Left Working at the Plant Floor, Could It Be Because Newer Anaylyzer Systems Come Available as Complete Packages?The Operations Key to Better Plant Performance
Nov 15, 2011What Have You Done to Help the Operator Get the Most Out of a Control System?Don't Over Look PID in APC
Nov 9, 2011That Old Stalwart PID Can Do a Lot of Heavy Lifting in Your Process Control EffortsThe Maintenance Key to Improved Performance
Oct 17, 2011Getting the Inside Scoop from a Control Engineer on How to Integrate O&M Knowledge and Relationships to Provide Long-Term Highly Successful SolutionsThe Key to Process Knowledge and Sustainable Manufacturing
Sep 12, 2011What Is the Future of Operator Training Systems, and What Are You Doing to Further Simulation Technologies?PID World Tour--The Final Performance
Aug 15, 2011Read the Conclusion of McMillan, Weiner and Congiundi's Tour of PID WorldMore Fun with PID Controllers
Jul 11, 2011Exploring Just How Flexible and Powerful the PID Controller Can BeMore Extraordinary PID Innovations
Jun 13, 2011The Creative Use of PID Controllers for Process Improvement35 Years of Extraordinary PID Innovations
May 12, 2011The Best Tuning of a PID Controller Is Knowledge of the Process DynamicsUltimate Limits to Performance
Apr 11, 2011Whether You Are Talking About Advanced PID Control or Model-Predictive Control, the Final Control Element Determine How Well You Can Achieve Your Control ObjectivesThe Future is Virtually Here
Mar 17, 2011What's leading to virtualization? The IT Industry Looked for Ways to Manage Costs, and Came Up With the Idea of "Server Farms"Operators Unleashed
Feb 15, 2011If the People On the Front Line Have an Understanding of the Process Relationships, the Result Can Be Truly RemarkableThe Virtual Plant - Better than the Real Thing
Jan 14, 2011When the Virtual Plant Came, the Window to the Future OpenedThe Final Word on Instrument Upgrade Projects
Dec 8, 2010A Wrap Up of Measurements and Actuators, Valuable Advice for Projects, and an Amusing, Insightful List of "Things You Don't Want to Hear on Start-up"Retrofit Projects - Getting Flows Right
Nov 12, 2010What Are the Biggest Problems With Getting the Right Control Valves?Successful Retrofit and Automation Projects
Oct 14, 2010Discussing Control System Design and Implementation for Retrofit and Automation Projects. What Are the Challenges in Meeting Plant and Corporate Requirements?Process Performance Improvement-Part 3
Sep 2, 2010McMilland and Weiner Concluding Their Interview with Mike Brown. It Focused on the Bottom-Line Performance of Process Control ToolsProcess Performance Improvement - Part 2
Aug 10, 2010Continuation of the Interview with Mike Brown on Performance of Process Control ToolsProcess Performance Improvement - Part 1
Jul 12, 2010Gaining a Perspective on Tools and Metrics for Process PerformanceWhat's Going On with Loop Performance?
Jun 7, 2010Do You Know What the Most Common Performance Problems Are?Drowning in Data, Starving for Information, 4
May 5, 2010Concluding This Four-Part Series on Data Analytics with Special Guests Modeling and Control Specialist, Brian Hrankowsky and PAT expert, Randy Reiss. How Important Is a Better Use of Data?Drowning in Data, Starving for Info-Part 3
Apr 13, 2010More Chat with Randy Reiss, Who Helped Develop a Data Analytics System for Batch Processes for the New Opportunities Created by the Federal Drug Administration's Process Analytical Technology (PAT) InitiativeDrowning in Data, Starving for Information-2
Mar 10, 2010McMillan and Weiner Tacked a Big Question, What Is Data Analytics?Drowning in Data; Starving for Information - 1
Feb 16, 2010This Is the First of a Four-Part Series on Past, Present and Future Challenges and Opportunities Presented by the Deluge of Data Now Available to Automation ProfessionalsThe Future is Now
Jan 12, 2010Process Control Is Open to Innovation!Show Me the Money - Part 2
Dec 17, 2009Showing the Monetary Benefits of Projects as Much as the Technical AchievementsShow Me the Money Part 1
Nov 18, 2009The Best Way to Keep Your Job, Save our Profession, and Do Wonderful Things Is to Quantify the Benefits of Process Control Improvements. Money TalksGoing, Going, Gone - Part 3
Oct 14, 2009If the Industry Wants Access to Its Consultants, It Should Insure Their Prospective Retirees Have No Outside InterestsGoing, Going, Gone Part 2
Oct 8, 2009What Can Be Done to Save and Promote Process Control Expertise?Going, Going, GonePart 1
Oct 5, 2009When Greg and Stan Retired, There Was No Attempt from the Industry to Save Their Expertise. Over 100 of the Best Minds in Process Modeling and Control Retired, and the Indusrty Made No Attempt to Retain a Snippet of Their KnowledgeDownturn Turndown
Jul 29, 2009Are People Going to Be Put to Work Improving the Rangeability of the Plant or Let Go to Save Short-Term Costs?Sensible Sensor Speed-Part 2
Jun 29, 2009Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner Continue Their Conversation on Sensor SpeedsSensible Sensor SpeedPart 1
May 13, 2009Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner Talk Sensor SpeedsThe Secret Life of pH Electrodes - Part 3
Apr 9, 2009Bringing Back Experts to Wind Up Our Discussion of One of the Grand Old Tools of Process Control- the pH ElectrodeThe Secret Life of pH Electrodes Part 2
Mar 9, 2009Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner Continue Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Glass pH ElectrodeThe Secret Life of pH Electrodes - Part 1
Feb 11, 2009Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Glass pH ElectrodeIts 12 a.m. Do You Know What Your PIDs Doing?
Jan 12, 2009The Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID)APC and Wireless Rabbits
Dec 22, 2008Secure Answers for a Risky Business
Nov 3, 2008Why Is There Such an Increased Focus on Security?Deltas Rule
Sep 15, 2008Deltas Rule in the Equation for the Digital Implementation of the PID AlgorithmOneness
Aug 8, 2008Is There a Metaphysical Aspect to Oneness?Disturbing Remarks
Jul 3, 2008The Memories of Loops Gone Bad and Processes Gone WildFeeding on Feedforward
May 5, 2008This Months TopicFeedforward ControlLoops are Not Just for Continuous Processes
Apr 4, 2008Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner bring their wits and more than 66 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments, and problems. Write to them at controltalk@putman.net.Up From the Ashes
Mar 13, 2008This Months Column Tells How One Intrepid Fellow Survived a hit From a Reorganization Meteorite and Went on to Find Happiness as Part of a Process Control Improvement Team.Deal or No Deal
Feb 5, 2008Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner bring their wits and more than 66 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments, and problems. Write to them at controltalk@putman.net.Straight Talk
Jan 4, 2008Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner Bring Their Wits and More Than 66 Years of Process Control Experience to Bear on Your Questions, Comments and ProblemsYear End Puzzler Bonanza
Dec 10, 2007Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner, PE bring their wits and more than 66 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments, and problems. Write to them at controltalk@putman.net.One Mans Story Back to the Future
Oct 2, 2007Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner, PE bring their wits and more than 66 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments, and problems. Write to them at controltalk@putman.net.One Mans Story Part 1
Aug 1, 2007Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner, PE bring their wits and more than 66 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments, and problems. Write to them at controltalk@putman.net.Round Up Them Puzzler Answers
Jul 1, 2007Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner, PE bring their wits and more than 66 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments, and problems. Write to them at controltalk@putman.net.The best of the best, Part 6
Jun 7, 2007Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner continue their multipart series of talks with some of the Great Minds in Process Control. This month its Terry Blevins, 2004 Control Hall of Fame inductee.The best of the best, Part 5
May 11, 2007Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner continue their multipart series of talks with some of the Great Minds in Process Control. This month its Sheldon Lloyd, past VP of technology for Fisher Controls.Best of the best, Part 4
Apr 12, 2007Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner continue their interviews with the big names in process control. This time they talk with Bob Heider, adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis.Best of the best, Part 3
Mar 8, 2007In the third installment of this series, Control Talk columnists Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner, PE, continue their interviews with the big names in process control. This time they talk with ISA Fellow Vernon Trevathan.The best of the best Part 2
Feb 7, 2007In the second installment of this two-part series, Control Talk columnists Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner, PE, bring their wits and more than 70 years of process control experience to bear on your questions.The best of the best, Part 1
Jan 5, 2007Columnists Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner, PE, bring their wits and more than 70 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments and problems in this months installment of Control Talk.Talking about talking
Dec 15, 2006Columnists Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner, PE, bring their wits and more than 70 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments and problems in this months installment of Control Talk.Tuning rule bonanza
Nov 7, 2006Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner say in order to get good performance, you need to measure and track the process, the controls, and the equipment under actual real-time operating conditions.Still life
Oct 13, 2006Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner invite Wendy Kramer, Mark Sowell and Control Hall of Fame inductee Terry Tolliver to comment on improving the control of batch distillation applications.Flashbacks
Sep 15, 2006In conjunction with their retirement motto of better late than never, Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner offer answers to the May and June Puzzlers, and the Top 10 signs your project is behind schedule.Intoxicating answers
Aug 10, 2006Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner describe the period of time between when you first take a drink and when you first recognize the effect and bypass the next round for coffee as dead time.15 case-in-points of common control myths
Apr 18, 2006In a time-proven tradition of subjecting everything to scrutiny and ridicule, columnists McMillan and Weiner offer up the following 15 examples used to help illustrate and demystify control mythology.The Bad Hall of Fame
Mar 20, 2006Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner induct some really bad instruments, final control elements, and systems into the Bad Hall of Fame, then proffer the Top 10 signs your life is like a Reality TV show.Resolutions are made to be broken
Feb 13, 2006Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner provide their unique brand of commentary on process trends and dynamics, then offer up some humor with their Top 10 broken New Years resolutions.Five rules for helping a middle-aged engineer
Jan 16, 2006Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner provide their unique brand of commentary on the handling of cascade loops, then offer up some humor with the Top 10 reasons you should migrate to a new DCS.Are you grounded in reality?
Dec 23, 2005Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner get an insightful reply as to why a plant instrument engineer said the control schemes and instruments successfully used at other locations won't work in his plant.Daytime talk is a hoot and a holler
Nov 6, 2005McMillan and Weiner imagine a transcript of a control engineer on a daytime talk show and offer up the Top 10 reasons why you wont find a model-based control text book anywhere in todays college classroom.Top 10 signs your software is over the (leading) edge
Oct 19, 2005Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner discuss standard mixing design practices for neutralization control and offer up the Top Ten Signs you are over the edge with your leading-edge software.Top ten signs you're an endangered species
Sep 11, 2005Why is the instrument engineer such a rare find? The answers may be in the standard dialog on the causes of endangerment. Here are the Top Ten Signs you are an Endangered Species.Intrinsically wicked
Aug 22, 2005Control Talk columnists McMillan and Weiner rustle up answers to why an electrode changed when it was inserted, then provide a bit of humor with a Top Ten list of reasons not to retire.Top 10 signs a startup has gone wrong
Jul 1, 2005Control Talk columnists Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner, PE, offer up a bit of humor regarding startups, and how Stan avoided being fired despite a recent Monday morning hangover.Bonkers vortex meter spells double trouble
Jun 5, 2005Control Talk columnists Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner offer up a bit of humor along with the answer to April's Puzzler on why a vortex meter measuring toothpaste went bonkers.