When PID tuning is done right, it can provide significant benefits to your plant. A little help from PID tuning software can help tremendously to get your tuning on track. You can find many free PID tuning software downloads on the internet, or you can find a free PID tuner in your DCS. Nevertheless, are numerous companies that provide PID software licences at a fair price. But, why would you pay for a PID tuning software licence when you can do somewhat the same with the free versions?
The answer is simple, the most critical PID loops in your plant will get left behind when you use free PID tuning software. The freeware will stand in the way of optimization and receiving the full ROI of your plant.
Free vs. licenced PID tuning software
Many Distributed Control Systems (DCS) provide software modules that help you with tuning your PID loops. The problem with these software modules or with free PID Tuning software downloaded from the internet is that it’s very limited in usability and output. You put the loop in manual, run the freeware, and PID parameters will soon come your way. But, the software doesn’t know anything about your plant, DCS, or loop you want to tune. The output is based on the rules of Lambda, Ziegler-Nichols, or Cohen-Coon. It’s an automated version of rule-based tuning, with all the disadvantages that stick to these rules, and that’s no surprise. How can you create a perfect output, when the freeware doesn’t ask you what the desired outcome is?
Tune all the difficult PID loops at once
Only 70% to 80% of the PID loops will get the right PID tuning parameters with freeware. That’s quite an amount one can say. However, all the critical loops that are connected to quality and throughput are the other 20% of the PID loops. These are the loops where you want to determine the overshoot or other engineering specifications. So, the critical PID loops are a thorn in your side for the last 10 years still won’t improve. The main advantage of a PID software like INCATools PID Tuner is it can tune all your loops, even the most complex, critical ones. If you want to stay in control of your PID loops and tune them the first time right (and that’s a guarantee, not just marketing language) you should use INCATools PID Tuner. It will give you a result that is sufficient to 100% of your PID loops.
INCATools PID Tuner
Always choose a PID tuning software like INCATools PID tuner over a freeware downloaded from the internet or the one in your DCS. Because of these 7 reasons:
- Reason 1: Long-term investment due to evolutionary software
Freeware is static which means that it will not get updated with the latest improvements. - Reason 2: Ability to communicate with every DCS
Every DCS has a different formula. The free software bases its output on a standard PID template which will often provide complete nonsense output, resulting in unstable controllers. - Reason 3: A safe connection with OPC
Directly connecting freeware downloaded from the internet to your DCS is probably not the safest thing to do. Who to blame when something goes wrong? - Reason 4: A reporting system to fall back on
INCATools PID Tuner provides the process control engineer after every optimization with a full report of which data you have used, the used models, the parameters of the models, which and why you used the engineering constraints. - Reason 5: First-time right approach
Freeware enables you to set a minimal overshoot, maximum robustness, to use setpoint tracking or disturbance rejection. Software will provide you with these options. - Reason 6: Ability to follow a simple workflow
INCATools PID Tuner will take you by the hand to follow the workflow step-by-step. It’s a complete workflow from start to finish. - Reason 7: Support & training
If you purchase a reliable PID tuning software, you always have a support department where you can ask questions and receive personal guidance.
Like to get more information?
In the extented whitepaper, 15 pages - 10 min read, we’ll take you through the 7 main reasons why you should always use a PID tuning software package. Read the free whitepaper here
Do you like to know what INCATools PID tuning software can offer you?
Request your demo here.
