PlantTriage® Performance Supervision Software now supervises Model Predictive Controllers (MPC). The goal of Model Predictive Controller supervision is to ensure that MPC controllers continue to run optimally. PlantTriage uses economic information and controller data to calculate assessments that quickly indicate if the MPC controller is continuing to provide a high return on investment. Assessments that are unique to PlantTriage ensure MPC control at optimal levels.
Without performance supervision in place, MPC controller performance often degrades over time, even to the point of being disabled by operations.John Gerry, President of ExperTune says “Many of our clients invested heavily in advanced controls, and then discovered they weren’t able to sustain a good return on that investment. With PlantTriage in place, MPC controllers are held to a higher standard. This, in turn, delivers bottom-line results to oil refineries, chemical plants, and process plants everywhere.”Within PlantTriage®, MPC controller performance is tracked, trended, and historized at the controller, unit, plant, and site levels.
Web-based visualization tools display the information in an intuitive manner. Drill-down capabilities are used to drive analysis to root cause. A unique MPC assessment included with PlantTriage is Controller Entropy. This innovative performance assessment actually detects and tracks when a controller is making moves which result in cycling between constraints. In other words, the controller is making moves or changes, but no improvements or benefits result.
A low Controller Entropy indicates the MPC Controller is effectively reducing costs.PlantTriage also includes another unique assessment called Controller Degrees of Freedom. Degrees of Freedom assesses the degree that MVs are free to control the process. Small values indicate the controller is providing cost reduction.According to Mr.
Gerry, “To achieve the best overall results, each part of the plant must perform at its best. PlantTriage® performance assessment ensures that every valve, every instrument, every controller, and every process is at its best. From mundane mechanical linkages to sophisticated advanced control algorithms, PlantTriage® keeps the whole plant running smoothly.”
About ExperTune:
For 19 years, ExperTune has created award-winning optimization software that runs in thousands of plants world-wide. PlantTriage® Performance Supervision Software oversees the optimization of an entire plant. PlantTriage® optimizes the entire process, including instrumentation, controllers, and valves. ExperTune's full suite of optimization tools is designed to increase the efficiency of processes. The company's analysis tools include simulation, modeling, robustness, linearization, valve wear analysis, pH linearizer, time series analysis, multivariable, statistical, frequency response, and PID tuning tools.
ExperTune is a member of the OPC Foundation.
