Valmet D3 Distributed Control System

Valmet D3 TotalVision® Human Machine Interface (HMI) displays real time continuous and batch process information from the Valmet D3 DCS with an extensive and customizable library of High Performance Smart Graphical Objects. An operator can control any process element, enter information, interact with sequence programs, or access SOPs, maintenance records, web pages and other media via these graphical objects in a vector-based visual representation of the process. Once a graphic is built and registered, it’s available for use throughout the system, and all graphics are kept current with automatic updates through global library objects. Graphics are accessible from common Web browsers and can display data from multiple plant sites, allowing users to monitor enterprise-wide information from anywhere.

Valmet D3 ProcessVision allows users to easily and securely monitor, analyze, and adjust production processes. It provides operators, engineering staff, and plant managers with intuitive navigation, diagnostic tools, and a library of video tutorials to ensure efficient and cost-effective management of plant operations. Drill down from the entire Valmet D3 System to individual I/O channels, quickly determine the real-time status of each I/O module, channels within a module, input values of each channel, what tags are assigned to a channel, and which channels are unused. Engineering staff can take advantage of global synchronization of tag modifications, better diagnostics for event analysis and recovery, and enjoy no-hassle, easy-to-configure displays. Plant Managers will appreciate the enhanced cyber security, reduced off-spec product, easier knowledge transfer between senior and junior operators, higher equipment utilization, the ability to run ProcessVision in parallel with previous consoles, and the responsive 24/7 support of our personnel.

Valmet FlexBatch® integrates recipe management and the automation layer so operators can quickly and easily develop, scale up, modify and schedule batch manufacturing recipes for products ranging from beer to chocolate to specialty chemicals and more. FlexBatch delivers shorter time to first batch, reduced changeover times, increased throughput and production yield. New and existing products are brought to market faster and at lower cost. Valmet FlexBatch also facilitates compliance with stringent FDA standards such as 21 CFR Part 11 and the ISPE standard GAMP-5. FlexBatch improves product/record integrity, reduces commissioning time, validation costs, and compliance workloads. Production staff can execute library procedures to overcome process upsets. All of which means a more nimble, responsive, and profitable process.

FlexBatch simplifies the creation, maintenance and documentation of procedures with a graphical editor that creates Procedure Charts for all aspects of production. FlexBatch uses ISA-88 conventions to define transitions between entities which reduces the need for controller programming. The recipe developer creates phase and operation classes and stores them in libraries of reusable objects that recipe developers insert graphically into procedures. Meanwhile, the control engineer can define the plant equipment and the equipment connections within FlexBatch. The actual phases are created using development tools for the Valmet D3 DCS. This modular approach to creating recipes and phases saves time, reduces testing and errors, and simplifies validation. Because procedures are part of the recipes, producing or modifying a recipe is simple and virtually error free.

Operators create, schedule and manage campaigns of assembled recipes to fulfill customer orders or production targets. Whether running batches on a single production line or at multiple facilities, operators can visualize and adjust production to meet changing customer demands, assign equipment to specific batches, or modify recipe parameters and procedures associated with individual or multiple batches.

At any point during recipe development and execution, personnel can modify Recipe Parameters (ex: Amount of enzyme to add), Recipe Procedures (ex: Don’t use agitator for this batch), Production Schedule (ex: Make 10 batches instead of 5), Batch Start Rules (ex: Start batch after a certain operation completes), Equipment Utilization (ex: Only use Kettle 2 for this batch), or scale Batch Amount (ex: 500kg instead of 200kg)

With FlexBatch reporting tools, users can create custom campaigns and batch reports to document all activity associated with batch execution. FlexBatch also includes batch analysis tools to allow operations staff to monitor and analyze production line performance against established KPIs.

Loops must be properly tuned in order to minimize energy usage, maximize product quality, and improve profits. In a plant with hundreds of PID loops, hectic startups and expansions, loop tuning can change and degrade over time. Instrument wear and tear can negatively affect PID loop performance and overall process efficiency. Valmet PID Loop Optimizer provides a highly intuitive and effective platform for all PID loop tuning on a Valmet D3 System. It solves common problems associated with tuning PID control loops and allows users to model, analyze, and tune PID control loops quickly, accurately, and consistently. It’s like having your most experienced loop tuning operator on duty 24 hours a day.

Valmet PID Loop Optimizer employs proprietary modeling algorithms and tuning algorithms that automatically identify self-regulating and integrating process types.   Accurate models can be developed from noisy process data, normal operating adjustments, or traditional step tests. The intuitive interface and built-in guidance will have new users analyzing control loops as quickly and effectively as operators with many more years of experience. Users can model and tune to find optimal tuning parameters for each aspect of a process operation. For example, a user could easily generate optimal tuning parameters for a reactor at startup, steady state, or shutdown phases. Furthermore, Valmet PID Loop Optimizer provides tuning capability for multiple simultaneous users from any Valmet D3 Console.

Control Station’s patent-pending Non-Steady State (NSS) Modeling technology, Valmet PID Loop Optimizer is uniquely suited to analyze non-steady state process data collected directly from the D3. It provides superior PID controller tuning parameters by segmenting process data associated with any/all experiments performed (i.e. bump tests), and by centering the process model over the entire range of process data under review.

The adjustable Closed-Loop Time Constant allows users to tailor a controller’s performance. Users can achieve control characteristics from Conservative to Aggressive via the intuitive slider bar control.

Valmet PID Loop Optimizer enhances accuracy and understanding through dynamic stability analysis. Tabular statistics and graphical performance charts reveal the relative improvement to the selected control strategy through statistics such as: Settling Time, Percent Overshoot, Decay Ratio, and Controller Output Travel. Advanced robustness analysis algorithms are used to calculate process stability.

Dynamic simulation of the PID controller’s response curve permits users to evaluate proposed tuning parameters before implementing them in the PCM. In particular, users benefit from a side-by-side comparison of existing vs. proposed tuning parameters including optional controller settings such as P-only, PI, PID, and PID with Filter.

Valmet PID Loop Optimizer provides comprehensive documentation of the decision-making process and presents appropriate information in an easy-to-follow report. Each report includes the process data used, an associated model fit, simulated PID response, performance statistics, related stability analysis, model parameters, related data properties, and controller scaling values.