Every plant in the process industry most likely has several control loops that do not perform well. Although there are many factors that may negatively affect control loop performance, a few of these ...

Power plants–especially coal-fired boilers–pose a set of process control problems unparalleled in other industries. Rapid load ramps, continuous unit demand changes, variable fuel quality and process ...

Plant engineers and technicians are frequently asked to tune the controller when a control loop’s process value has prolonged or significant excursions from the set point. But in many instances, no ...

Step motor control offers a powerful alternative in the right applications. Step motors are popular first and foremost because they are easy to use. They do not require an encoder to maintain their ...

When implementing cooling solutions for electronic equipment, system designers are confronted with a complex set of variables. The cooling requirements are typically dynamic, and ambient temperatures ...

Fan control is an important aspect of system architecture. Though often left as a secondary activity, its implementation has significant effects. Customer response can be immediate to factors such as ...

For the PDF version of this article, click here. More than 80% of the motors bought each year continue to be low-cost single-phase ac motors. Because these motors are not very efficient when ...

Controlling hydraulic motion with precision involves understanding the fundamental difference between servo motors and hydraulic actuators. Electric motors generally respond linearly to control inputs ...