16/12/2014

LearningPIDlooptuningfromanexpert|ControlEngineering

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LearningPIDlooptuningfromanexpert
JohnA.Autero,YaskawaAmericaInc.

12/03/2014

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PIDoptimizationexperiments
InourexperimenttoobtaintheoptimumsettingsforthePIDcontrolloop,wesettheintegralandderivativetimestozero.The
factorysettingoftheproportionalgainselectorswitchwas1.0,withamaximumof2.0,aminimumof0.0,andadjustment
pointsbrokeninto0.25increments.Weadjustedtheproportionalgainselectorswitchtoitslowestnonzerosettingof0.25.The
proportionalgainisasimplemultiplierwithhighersettingsincreasingtheresponseandlowersettingsreducingit.Byadjusting
theintegraltimeandthederivativetimetozero,wetooktheintegralandderivativeeffectsoutofthecontrolloopandwould
seeonlytheeffectoftheproportionalgainsetting.Tim'sfirstlessonformewastoworkononlyoneadjustmentatatime."If
youstartmakingchangestoallthreecontrolsatonce,youcaneasilygetdisoriented,"hesaid.
Westartedthesystemwiththetankemptyandasetpointof50%full.Wewatchedtheliquidlevelindicationmoveslowly
towardthe50%setpointonthestripchartasthetankfilled.Ittookalittlemorethan10minfortheliquidleveltoreachthe48%
markandmaintainthatlevel.Wefeltthattheresultofourfirstexperimentwasnotacceptable.Whiletheliquidlevelnever
overshotthesetpoint,whichwasagoodthing,thegainwassetsolowthatittookaverylongtimetofillthetanktoitssetpoint.
Also,theliquidlevelcameclosetothesetpoint,butitneverreallyreachedit.Timexplainedthatitistypicaltohavesomeerror
2%inthiscasewhenrunningacontrolloopwithonlyproportionalcontrol.Thiserroriscalledoffset.
Next,weadjustedtheproportionalgainsettingto0.50andrantheexperiment
again.Thistime,theliquidlevelreachedthe50%setpointinalittlemorethan2
min,butthelevelshotrightpastthesetpointandreached55%beforeit
correcteditselfandheadedbackdowntoward50%.AsIwatchedthestripchart,
theliquidlevelsignaloscillatedbackandforthbetween52%and48%forthe
next2min,reducingtheovershootwitheachcycle,andthensettledjustbelow
thesetpointatabout48%.Wewerehappythatittookonly2minforthelevelto
reachthesetpoint,butweredisappointedwiththeovershootandtheoscillations.
Forournextexperiment,weadjustedtheproportionalgainto0.75.Thistimethe
liquidlevelreachedthe50%setpointinalittlelessthan1min,buttheovershoot
reached70%andthenoscillatedbetween60%and40%for4min,reducingthe
overshootwitheachcycle,andthensettledjustbelowthesetpointatabout48%.
Itappearedthatthisadjustmentwastakingusinthewrongdirection,sowe
changedtheproportionalgainsettingbackto0.50.Tim'ssecondlessonforme
was:theproportionalgaincontrolshowquicklytheprocessracestowardthe
setpoint."Ifyousetaveryhighgain,expecttoreachyoursetpointquicklybutbepreparedforthepossibilityofdrastic
overshootandoscillations,"hesaid."Ifyousetaverylowgain,youcanpreventtheovershoot,butitmaytakealongtimeto
reachyoursetpoint.Startwiththeintegraltime,derivativetime,andproportionalgainallatzero.Thenincreasethe
proportionalgainvalueinsmallincrementsuntiloscillationsoccur,thenreducethesetting."
Thenextthingwedidwastoaddsomeintegraltimeintothecontrolloop.Timexplainedtomethatintegraltimewaslikean
"erroreater"andwouldgotoworkoneliminatingsomeoftheoscillationwehadexperienced.Healsosaidthataddingsome
integraltimewouldgetoursystemtoactuallytrackthesetpointandeliminatetheoffsetwehadexperiencedearlier.The
factorysettingoftheintegraltimeselectorswitchwas50sec,withamaximumof100secandaminimumof0sec,and
adjustmentpointsdividedinto10secincrements.Hopingtoimproveontheperformance,weadjustedtheintegraltime
selectorswitchto10secandrantheexperimentagain.Thistimetheliquidlevelreachedthesetpointinabout2min,but
continuedtoincreasetoabout70%beforecorrectingitselfthenitcontinuouslyoscillatedbetween60%and40%andnever
stopped.Theovershoothadstayedthesame,butwehadpickeduparingingoscillation,whichmeanttheshortintegraltime
wasmakingthesystemunstable.
Weadjustedtheintegraltimeselectorswitchtoprovide30secofintegraltimeforournextexperiment.Weranthesystem
againandtheliquidlevelreachedthesetpointinabout2min,butcontinuedtoincreaseto55%beforecorrectingitself.The
liquidlevelsignaloscillatedbetween54%and46%,reducingtheovershootwitheachcycle,andthensettledatthesetpointof
50%within1min.Whiletheloopperformancewasmuchbetterthanourlastexperiment,thebiggestdifferencewasthetimeit
tookforthesystemtostabilize.Earlier,whenweusedproportionalonlycontrol,thesystemhadstabilizedin2minwithan
offseterror.Inthisexperiment,theoscillationwasgoneinaboutaminutewithoutanoffseterror.
Werantheexperimentagainwiththeintegraltimesetat50secandwatchedastheliquidlevelreachedthesetpointinabout2
minandovershottoonly52%beforecorrectingitself.Theliquidlevelsignaloscillatedbetween52%and48%,reducingthe
overshootwitheachcycleforabout10sec,andthensettledatthesetpointof50%.Thisadjustmenthadproducedsomevery
goodresults,wewerehappywiththeprogressthatwehadmade,andIrealizedwewouldbebackattheshopbeforelunch
afterall.Tim'sthirdlessonformewasthattheintegraltimeactslikeanerroreater.Itcanhelpreducetheoscillationtimeand
removetheoffset,butmisadjustmentcancauseanincreaseinovershootaswellasleadtothesystemhavingoscillations.
Increasetheintegraltimevalueinsmallincrementsuntiltheoscillationsandtheoffsethavebeeneliminated.
Thelastadjustmentwasforthederivativetime.Timexplainedthatthederivativetimeactssomewhatlikeabrakingsystemto
helppreventovershoot.However,ifderivativeismisadjusted,itcouldseverelyreducetheresponsivenessofthesystem.We
thoughtforasecondabouttheexperimentswehadrunthatmorningandhowwehadsystematicallyimprovedthecontrol
loop'sperformance.InmanyPIDloops,suchasHVACsystems,thederivativecontrolisnotusedbecausealittleovershoot
typicallywouldnotproducedetrimentaleffects.Butinsituationswhereovershootcouldbedangerous,derivativecontrolcanbe
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useful.
Withourlastexperimentshowingonlya2%overshootandoscillatingforonlyabout10sec,wethoughtwehaddoneapretty
goodjoboftuningthePIDloop.Butwethoughtweshouldtryonelastexperimenttoseeifwecoulddoevenbetter.The
factorysettingofthederivativetimeselectorswitchwasattheminimum,0sec(disabled)withamaximumof5secand
adjustmentpointsdividedinto0.5secincrements.Iadjustedthederivativetimetothe0.5secsettingontheselectorswitch
andwerantheexperimentagain.Wewatchedastheliquidlevelreachedthesetpointinabout2min,smoothlyrolledintothe
50%setpointwithonlyahairofovershoot,showedonesmalldipbelowthe50%mark,andthentrackedthesetpointperfectly.
ThiswasbyfarthebestperformancewehadseenfromtheliquidlevelPIDcontrolloopthatmorning.Iadjustedtheliquidlevel
setpointto60%andwatchedthesystemcorrectandtrackaccurately.ThenIreducedthesetpointto40%andsawthesame
results.Tim'sfourthlessonformewasthatthederivativetimeprovidesabrakingactiontothecontrolloopandisnotrequired
inmostapplicationswherealittleovershootisallowable.Ifitisneeded,derivativecontrolcanreduceovershootsbutcould
alsoleadtoalackofresponsiveness.Increasethederivativetimevalueuntiltheresponsetoprocesschangesisoptimized.
HappywiththeperformanceofthePIDcontrolloop,TimandIpackedourgearandheadedtolunch.Ithasbeenanumberof
yearssinceIworkedwithTim,butthisexperienceisoneIhavealwaysremembered.Usingthebasictechniqueshetaughtme
hashelpedmetunePIDcontrolloopsinanumberofapplications.
Tim'sPIDcontrollooprulesofthumb
1. Workononlyoneadjustmentatatime.Ifyoustartmakingchangestoallthreecontrolsatthesametime,youcaneasily
getdisoriented.
2. Proportionalgaincontrolshowquicklytheprocessracestowardthesetpoint.Ifyousetaveryhighgain,expecttoreach
yoursetpointquicklybutbepreparedforthepossibilityofdrasticovershootandoscillations.Ifyousetaverylowgain,
youcanpreventtheovershoot,butitmaytakealongtimetoreachyoursetpoint.Startwiththeintegraltime,derivative
time,andproportionalgainallatzero.Increasetheproportionalgainvalueinsmallincrementsuntiloscillationsoccur,
andthenreducethesetting.
3. Theintegraltimeactslikeanerroreater.Itcanhelpreducetheoscillationtimeandremovetheoffset,butimproper
adjustmentcancauseanincreaseinovershootaswellasleadtothesystemhavingoscillations.Increasetheintegral
timevalueinsmallincrementsuntiltheoscillationsandtheoffsethavebeeneliminated.
4. Thederivativetimeprovidesabrakingactiontothecontrolloopandisnotrequiredinmostapplicationswherealittle
overshootisallowable.Ifitisneeded,derivativecontrolcanreduceovershootsbutcouldalsoleadtoalackof
responsiveness.Increasethederivativetimevalueuntiltheresponsetoprocesschangesisoptimized.
JohnA.AuteroisthemanageroftechnicaltrainingservicesatYaskawaAmericaInc.Hehasbeeninvolvedwithindustrial
automationformorethan28years,25ofwhichhavebeenwithYaskawa.HedevelopedtheYaskawaEngineeringSummer
InternandCoOpProgram,andadvancedYaskawa'sTechnicalTrainingServicesintoanIACETAuthorizedProvidertooffer
CEUsforitsstudents.HeholdsaBSinindustrialengineeringtechnologyfromSouthernIllinoisUniversity.
ThisarticleappearsintheAppliedAutomationsupplementforControlEngineeringandPlantEngineering.
Seeotherarticlesfromthesupplementbelow.
RelatedNews:
Technologyfromfuturepast11.12.201405:00
MakingmowersinAmericawithrobotics09.12.201405:26
Selectinginductiveproximityswitches03.12.201415:45
<<First <Previous 1 2 Next>Last>>

CHRIS,NJ,UnitedStates,12/04/1412:44PM:
Greatarticle!ThanksJohn,andthanksTim.
BILL,VA,UnitedStates,12/09/1404:26PM:
Thanksfortheinsight.ThiswilldefinatelyhelpwithmyPIDloops.
JERRY,CO,UnitedStates,12/09/1409:32PM:
Nicearticlewithexcellentpracticalinfo.
SYED,BANGLADESH,12/10/1408:24PM:
ThisarticleswillhelpmetolearnPID
HANAMANT,NC,UnitedStates,12/15/1409:26AM:
Thanksforthearticle,anddetailedexplanation.Itisveryhelpful.
JOHN,FL,UnitedStates,12/15/1410:37AM:
IhaveseensomanyarticlesrelatedtoPIDcontrolandasacontrolengineerIlikedthisthemost,weallknowthemathbehind
andthereisnoneedtofocusonthat,butthepracticalsideisalwaysmissinginmostarticlesandbelieveitornot,thepractical
applicationteachyoualot.
AtthispointinmycareerIamabletotunemostloopsinminutesfollowingasimilarapproach..Ialwayssay..youhavetouse
your5sensesinaplanttoreallyunderstandit...
Anonymous,12/15/1410:38AM:
Agoodreadbutweonlydotrialanderrortuningwhenwecan'tsteptheprocess.TypicallywesteptheOPafewtimes,getthe
gainandtimeconstanttothePVandcalculatetuningparametersforaspecificclosedloopperformance.

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