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O&M Manual
Rev-J (8/17)
Part 7 – PID Controller Details
7.1
PID Description
PID control, like many other control schemes, are used in chemical control to
improve the efficiency of chemical addition or control. By properly tuning the
control loop that controls chemical addition, only the amount of chemical that is
truly required is added to the system, saving money. The savings can be
substantial when compared to a system which may be simply adding chemical at
a constant rate to maintain some minimal addition under even the worst case
conditions. The PID output controller is highly advantageous over simple control
schemes that just utilize direct (proportional only) 4-20 mA output connections for
control, since the PID controller can automatically adjust the “rate” of recovery
based on the error between the setpoint and the measured value – which can be
a substantial efficiency improvement..
The PID controller is basically designed to provide a “servo” action on the 4-20
mA output to control a process. If the user requires that a measured process
stay as close as possible to a specific setpoint value, the controller output will
change from 0% to 100% in an effort to keep the process at the setpoint. To
affect this control, the controller must be used with properly selected control
elements (valves, proper chemicals, etc.) that enable the controller to add or
subtract chemical rapidly enough. This is not only specific to pumps and valves,
but also to line sizes, delays in the system, etc.
This section is included to give a brief description of tuning details for the PID
controller, and is not intended to be an exhaustive analysis of the complexities of
PID loop tuning. Numerous sources are available for specialized methods of
tuning that are appropriate for a specific application.
7.2
PID Algorithm
As most users of PID controllers realize, the terminology for the actual algorithm
terms and even the algorithms themselves can vary between different
manufacturers. This is important to recognize as early as possible, since just
plugging in similar values from one controller into another can result in
dramatically different results. There are various basic forms of PID algorithms
that are commonly seen, and the implementation here is the most common
version; The ISA algorithm (commonly referred to as the “ideal” algorithm.)
