Ron's Response:

Several years ago, Gary Klein and Joseph Borders completed a study of operators’ mental models that involved watching how they navigated through proces

Aaron's Response:

Fundamentally, I think this is a two-way street. The way that simulation has changed the way I approach system modernization projects has shifted almost hand-in-hand with the wa

Greg's Response:

The titration curve is the most important piece of information for designing, commissioning, and troubleshooting pH control systems. Lab titrati

Ron's Response:

Unfortunately, far too many simulators have become dust collectors after their initial installation. They may have been developed for the initial startup of a facility and then

Greg's Response:

Because of the pressure to minimize capital costs, a project may sell itself short on the number of stages required. The basic rule from the 1970s was that a w

Aaron's Response:

In control system modernization projects – that is, brownfield projects designed to replace and improve the automation systems in plants – the focus is on risk.  Risks come from changes

Ron's Response:

There are a few areas to focus on when developing simulator scenarios.

1. The development of process knowledge, i.e. Distillation, heat exchange, chemical reactions. Scenario
...

Greg's Response:

Production rate can be maximized by a valve position controller (VPC) monitoring coolant valve position. The VPC setpoint is the maxim

Ron's Response:

Critical decisions include situations that could include a loss of containment and prompt isolation of the process is required, or when equipment fails and qu

Greg's Response:

For gas reactants and a gas product, a pressure loop controls the material balance and provides the time available for reaction

Greg's Response:

For both batch and continuous reactors, reaction completion control seeks to provide a complete conversion of all reactants and consequ

Ron's Response:

Often times this distinction is not highlighted as each type of procedure presents unique challenges. Yes, there are at least 4 main types of procedures which ar...

Ron's Response:

There are benefits and challenges with procedures. Procedures are an essential part of the safe and efficient operation of our process. The best way to highlight these are in a few bullet points. The

Greg's Response:

For reactions that are all in one phase (gas, liquid, or solid), inventory control (pressure or level control) canno

Ron's Response:

It is easy to be critical during simulator training because of the complexity of our processes and the fact there is so much going on. Remember to acknowledge when something is noticed or d

Greg's Response:

Temperature loops control the energy balance and the reaction rate through the Arrhenius equation. A cascade tempera

Greg's Response:

Lack of recognition of the adverse effects of changes in process stream composition and operating conditions, upstream and downstream piping, a

Ron's Response:

Depending on the complexity of your process it can be impossible to write a procedure of every upset. If this was accomplished, could you find the right one in time. Anot

Greg's Response:

Process efficiency and capacity are often determined by a temperature control loop performance’s effect on the formation and purificatio

Ron's Response:

Freeze up is an unfortunate response to becoming overwhelmed. Reading through a procedure is a different experience than a major event or plant shutdown when the alarm page

Ron's Response:

Process startups can be very challenging as there can be several systems coming online at the same time. This can be very challenging to cover in a step-by-step procedure when s

Greg's Response:

In my 50+ year career in process automation, dynamic first principle simulations have played a more extensive and critical role in pH system design than any other process appl

Greg's Response:

The biggest problem facing nearly all control loops stems from control valve specifications not requiring the control valve internal closure member to actually mo

Ron's Response:

Although there may be many ways to approach simulator training, I will discuss the approach I use and why. This approach may have to be adapted depending on the schedules and availability of the