Methanol distillation controls

Hi:

Newbie here.

I am designing a methanol recovery column still for a small (10^6 gal/yr) biodiesel plant. The still is straightforward.

Looking for input re: designing and sizing a basic control system to automate this.

I've been around some PLC's A/B, Rockwell 500, and simatic 7, but never got in at the design stage.

Any general templates for this kind of control system? Sample PID's, resources, etc,?

Thanks,
CSC

I have zero experience with petrochemical applications but, it should be basically the same as any other controls package from the design standpoint. Best thing to start with is a control specification. Write down what you want to accomplish and how you want it to work. Maybe throw in a a few block diagrams for good measure.

Be sure to define an acceptance criteria for your system - set your goals. Pass this rough document around to all concerned parties and let them tear into it until you've got a finished specification. Then you can start developing an I/O list which will probably lead you into selection of a controller/monitoring system and possibly a SCADA package.

For your first shot at design work, don't go too far beyond your comfort zone. Allen Bradley and Siemens are both good choices for this sort of thing and you'll be able to get plenty of help with either platform.

Break the project into manageable pieces and tackle each one separately with an eye towards final the integration of all pieces.

Designing a good controls package takes a lot of time and effort but taking the time to layout the groundwork makes things much easier in the long run.

WE can help you in column design [process design] with instrumentation & control loops

Y.K.JARIWALA
email id : iconcnl [at] vsnl.net