Neural Networks

Controller Tuning & Design, LLC

Advanced Process Controllers or Neural Networks, Are You Ready?

Neural Network programs fine tune the operation of your plant to provide you with the best possible optimization at any load condition. Because Neural Networks are a completely different method of control than the traditional PID controller, they can be intimidating due primarily to a lack of understanding of how they work.

Artificial Neural Networks, or any Advanced Control System, provide great benefits for the combustion process These advanced controls require a solid foundation in order to function at their peak efficiency. They work by making fine adjustments to many of the variables in your process.These fine adjustments can add great benefit for you by reducing heat rate and lowering emissions across the entire load range in what may appear as random movements.

Lets look at your plant in four layers. The first layer is the plant it self, the hardware. With out the proper equipment to control we cannot make the product we are in business for. So the very foundation for any Advanced Process Controller (APC) or Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is the plant equipment itself.

The proper instrumentation can make your plant hardware run properly, start and stop motors, control fluid flows, and measure pressures and temperatures. The wrong instrumentation, or improperly configured instruments, can make the best equipment available operate poorly.

The Distributed Control System or (DCS) is the heart of your plant. With proper hardware on the ground and proper instruments to control that equipment, the DCS brings it all together and makes it come to life.

In many cases, the DCS has never been optimized to provide the best performance for the unit. This is like having a loose steering wheel. Sure, you can drive the car, but not very well, and it would be just a matter of time until something goes wrong.

So if you have an Advanced Process Controller you must first make sure that your DCS is optimized. CTD can tune your DCS to peak performance and train your personnel on how to maintain your system. This will give the APC the best possible foundation to perform the task it is designed for.

CTD has experience with both of the major vendors in the Neural Network plant optimization market. We can provide you with evaluations, design specifications, logic modification, and consultation in order to help you make your Unit Optimization project a success.

Before beginning your Unit Optimization project contact CTD for consultation and help to remove the confusion that often arises from this type of project. CTD can lead you through the entire process or provide support for any part of the project.