Control.com - Nerds in Control

I am evaluating process control related software on the market. I found one, called PlantDoctor. Below are four statements about this software.
But I am not quite sure whether or not it has control loop tuning capability. I don't want to ask the owner of this software. Would you please tell me whether or not this PlantDoctor has control loop tuning capability? I want to get as many answers as possible.

Dan

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Statement #1: With PlantDoctor you can quickly analyze hundreds of loops simultaneously and find the most troublesome loops. Once isolated, you can
either use PlantDoctor's tuning suggestions, or other loop tuning methods and tools to adjust the tuning constants.

Statement #2: Non-Intrusive Operation: Traditional controller tuning frequently involves a trial and error approach. Unfortunately, by its very nature, this procedure disrupts the process and a lot of product may be lost due to poor quality control. PlantDoctor is non-intrusive as it does not disturb the running process. That is, PlantDoctor takes historical measurements and suggests an action item. The result is a saving of both time and money because the improvement is correct the first time, and no product is lost due to poor quality control.

Statement #3: A pulp mill retained us to audit and improve the performance of the regulatory loops in and around its Kamyr digester. We assessed the performance of a large number of loops to prioritize opportunities for improvement based on the loops' influence on digester controllability. Targeted loops, the ones with the worst performance index and therefore the highest potential for improvement, were examined in detail and re-tuned following the recommendations from PlantDoctor. Since re-tuning,
there has been a reduction of over 40% in the standard deviation of the digester pressure. We further showed the performance indicators of 20
important loops, in and around a two-vessel Kamyr digester, before and after tuning using PlantDoctor.

Statement #4: One user's experience about PlantDoctor: "By using PlantDoctor, variation in pressure control was cut in half. That really
surprised us. Getting pressure control variation down was important. We had previously tried tuning the controllers to bring variation down but we just couldn't get there. After using PlantDoctor, we now understand the key parameters in digester pressure control and were able to reduce variation significantly."
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Who is the developer of ProcessDoctor? I have heard abour several control loop performance assessment packages, but not ProcessDoctor. Where can I get more info?

Hi...
Not sure if you have purchased an application since this posting but yes Matrikon's ProcessDoctor, now called Control Performance Monitor does have a very easy-to-use multi-loop tuning application.

-Greg

Tuning of control loops involves adjusting control constants eg. proportional gain, integral time, derivative time etc. Based on the statements it is certain that PlantDoctor has control loop tuning capability.

Dan,

I too am evaluating various control performance products on the market. I've been investigating the topic for a while now, but I've not heard of PlantDoctor. Who makes this software ??

J.R

J.R.

PlandDoctor is a tool made by Matrikon.
You can access more information about its product in this URL:
http://www.matrikon.com/products/processdoc/

Wellington Santos - wp.santos@bol.com.br

You might also check http://www.expertune.com. We make award-winning PID tuning tools in addition to control loop performance monitoring tools.

http://www.expertune.com/r.asp?f=nc&d=1103&l=5

john gerry
www.expertune.com

J.R.

Just so people can follow this note later... that is Process Doctor by Matrikon.

This is similar to my company's Process Control Improvement Strategy -INTUNE V5 - released this summer after adding performance monitoring, diagnostics and customized reporting to our award winning tuning software. Many of the same features you find in Process Doctor.

Paul J. Botzman
ControlSoft
pbotzman@controlsoftinc.com

Your evaluation should include INTUNE from ControlSoft. Our tuning technology is licensed by many of the leading control vendors. PLUS, we are releasing INTUNE version 5 this year with added reporting and monitoring cpabilities.
Call me or e-mail for more details. Good luck on your evaluation and Stay Tuned!

Paul J. Botzman
ControlSoft Inc.
440-443-3900
pbotzman@controlsoftinc.com