Continuing Professional Education

Several studies have shown that around 30 percent of industrial control loops can perform at much higher levels than they currently do. Optimizing control loops can be challenging, but it is greatly simplified with the right skills and know-how. This training course will equip you with the essential knowledge needed for optimizing the performance of your plant's controls. This training course will teach you the essentials of process dynamics, PID controllers, controller tuning methods, and advanced regulatory control. It will also provide you with the know-how for identifying poor control, techniques for troubleshooting control problems, and skills for optimizing your control loops.

By attending this training course, you can expect to:

• Gain a solid understanding of process dynamics and their relevance to controller tuning.
• Obtain insights into the inner workings of PID controllers.
• Learn about different controller types, algorithms, and options—and when to use which one.
• Discover the appropriate tuning techniques for different process types and tuning objectives.
• Learn how to tune gap, cascade, split-range and override control strategies.
• Develop techniques for quickly assessing the performance of control loops.
• Establish if tuning is the real/only problem affecting a particular control loop.
• Learn how and when to apply cascade and feedforward controls.
• Understand the design, use and tuning of ratio and override controls.
• Discover how to deal with nonlinear processes and control elements.

The material is rich in practical examples, and no unnecessary math is presented. The class participants will use the OptiControls Loop Simulator software to interact with and tune simulated process control loops. The simulator mimics various processes, controller options, disturbances, and control valve issues. This real-time simulator clearly and effectively demonstrates the essentials of process dynamics, PID controllers, control loop tuning, and more. Students will complete a set of practical exercises to guide them through many aspects of controller tuning and loop performance, while they gain first-hand experience on life-like control loop simulations.

Who Should Enroll

The training is suited to entry-level personnel who want to understand process control and learn controller tuning techniques, and to experienced personnel who want to further their professional development:

• Control Engineers and Technicians
• Process Engineers
• Process Control Specialists
• Instrumentation Technicians

Why Choose an Online Course

There are many advantages to an online course:

• Minimum time away from the workplace
• No travel and related expenses
• Flexible study time and work pace
• Convenient e-mail access to the instructor

Why Choose This Certificate Program

Upon your successful completion of the three program modules, the certificate awarded to you by the University of Kansas will document your specialized education and knowledge in regulatory control. It can serve as evidence of your qualifications and competence to present or potential employers.

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