Process Control & Optimization
Overview
Process control and optimization (PCO) is the discipline of adjusting a process to maintain or optimize a specified set of parameters without violating process constraints. The PCO market is being driven by rising demand for energy-efficient production processes, safety and security concerns, and the development of IoT systems that can reliably predict process deviations. Fundamentally, there are three parameters that can be adjusted to affect optimal performance.
- Equipment optimization: The first step is to verify that the existing equipment is being used to its fullest advantage by examining operating data to identify equipment bottlenecks.
- Operating procedures: Operating procedures may vary widely from person-to-person or from shift-to-shift. Automation of the plant can help significantly. But automation will be of no help if the operators take control and run the plant in manual.
- Control optimization: In a typical processing plant, such as a chemical plant or oil refinery, there are hundreds or even thousands of control loops. Each control loop is responsible for controlling one part of the process, such as maintaining a temperature, level, or flow. If the control loop is not properly designed and tuned, the process runs below its optimum. The process will be more expensive to operate, and equipment will wear out prematurely. For each control loop to run optimally, identification of sensor, valve, and tuning problems is important. It has been well documented that over 35% of control loops typically have problems. The process of continuously monitoring and optimizing the entire plant is sometimes called performance supervision.
Applicable Industries
- Transportation
- Equipment & Machinery
- Chemicals
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Quality Assurance
Market Size
The advanced process control market is estimated to reach USD 1.4 billion by 2020; growing at a CAGR of 11.79% from 2014 to 2020.
Source: Markets and Markets
Case Studies.
Case Study
Teradata Case Study
Data is crucial to business performance today. It's often the key to unlock customer behavior, business drivers, and market trends. In an intensely competitive market, Teradata provides data warehouse and analytics solutions to 19 of the world's top 20 telecommunications companies, all six of the world's top airlines, and 18 of the top 20 commercial and savings banks. Its leadership position depends on near-perfect performance. That's why Teradata requires a fulfillment partner that can meet the fast pace of customer demand, make production processes more efficient, and deliver world-class data analytics solutions within tight deadlines.
Case Study
Call for action immediately in Siemens
In line with their Industry 4.0 development initiative, the Siemens factory in Nanjing felt that using phone calls as the primary method for reporting and calling for action was not acceptable for long-term development goals. In addition, phone calls do not create any data that can be stored for future referencing.