Process control technology

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As process control systems referred to means and methods that contribute to controlling, regulating and backup process plants. The central means are the process control system and the programmable logic controller . There is also the connection-programmed control , which is very complex for more complex applications and is therefore only used where the installation of a PLC appears too complex or where special security requirements are placed.

A procedural process changes substances in terms of type, properties and composition. Typical process engineering plants are refineries, cement works, chemical plants, rolling mills or paper mills. Adjacent subject areas such as discrete manufacturing or building technology have developed analog processes such as production control technology (manufacturing control technology) and building control technology.

The basic task of process control technology is to control and monitor these processes in their processes in order to maintain certain target states ( temperature , level, humidity, etc.) and to trigger an alarm or activate a safety function in the event of large deviations . The process control technology assemblies are networked via special field bus systems of industrial communication technology: Profibus , Profinet , Modbus , LON, etc. Data connections from the computer world are increasingly penetrating this area, and there is almost no system left that is not compatible with that used in the PC. World-standard Ethernet network. This creates a bridge to the IT world , integrates commercial data processing and enables global networking via the Internet . This means that modern process control systems can also send e-mails and send information via SMS to telephones, especially cell phones , and enable remote monitoring and teleservice.

The programming of the process control technology systems takes place with prefabricated software modules , which significantly reduces the number of errors and increases operational reliability (configuration instead of programming). This is important insofar as these systems sometimes control and monitor processes with a certain risk potential. For the representation of the processes inside the process (plant, machine) there are also prefabricated modules for the construction of a graphic representation ( process visualization ), which can be shown on a connected PC or directly on a monitor.

In 1990, a chair for process control technology was established for the first time in Germany at the RWTH Aachen , Faculty of Mining, Metallurgy and Geosciences. Martin Polke was appointed as the first professor in 1991, previously director of process control technology at Bayer AG Leverkusen. He built up this chair both with regard to an independent academic teaching (textbook on process control technology 1992 and 1994) as well as in practical research for the further development of this new specialist profile. Since his retirement in 1995, Ulrich Epple, who also worked at Bayer AG, has held the chair. At the TU Dresden , a professorship for process control technology has also been established in the Institute for Automation Technology , which has been occupied by Leon Urbas since 2006, previously TU Berlin .

The Technical University of Rosenheim , Burghausen campus, is offering the chemtronics course for the first time in the 2019 winter semester, the main content of which is process control technology.

literature

  • Martin Polke: Process control technology . Oldenbourg Verlag, Munich 1992, (2nd edition) 1994, ISBN 3-486-22549-9 .
  • Karl F. Früh u. a. (Ed.): Handbook of process automation. Process control technology for process engineering systems . 4. revised Edition Oldenbourg-Industrie-Verlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-8356-3142-7 .
  • Leon Urbas: Process Control Systems Engineering . Oldenbourg Industrieverlag, Munich 2012. ISBN 978-3-8356-3198-4 .