Process Control Applications for beginners

Process control applications are industrial applications that involve controlling fluids; liquids, gases, dry solids, and slurry mixtures. A process that involves controlling all of them is Brewing Beer. Industrial applications are designed to make a profit so improving process control improves profits.

Process control isn’t important when you’re making tea at home because it’s not an industrial applications so there’s no profit motive. Still, you have to execute several steps to complete the process.

1. Fill a pot with cold water
2. Heat it to a specific temperature
3. Add a specific amount of an ingredient
4. Wait a specific time
5. Empty the pot

Process Equipment

Process control is important when you’re making tea in an industrial application because there’s a profit motive. It becomes more important as the value of the fluids being controlled rises because the profit motive is greater.

Process equipment like Pumps, Valves, Conveyors, Mixers, and Heaters are used in industrial applications to increase capacity and efficiency. Even making tea requires process equipment specifically designed for the application.

1. FILL VESSEL – Use a Pump or a Valve
2. ADD INGREDIENTS – Use a Conveyor
3. MIX CONTENTS – Use a Mixer
4. HEAT CONTENTS – Use a Heater
5. EMPTY VESSEL – Use a Pump or a Valve

When the process is nasty the risks are higher, the process equipment is more expensive, and the profit motive is greater. Efficiency and safety are critical to making a profit.

Process Equipment Control Panels

Process equipment control panels can be designed to control several pieces of equipment to properly control the process. Their design should also include other important industrial design elements.

1. Survivability in its mounting environment.
2. Simple Operator controls.
3. Ease of maintenance.
4. Ease of interfacing it with plant monitoring and control systems.

Many factors can go into designing a process equipment control panel. They can be required to meet any customer specification or industry specification, NEMA 4X, UL508A, NEC Short Circuit Current Rating, Surge Protection, Intrinsically Safe, etc. and can be installed Indoors, Outdoors, in a Corrosive Area, or in a Hazardous Area.