We provide Process Control Engineering Services and Data Analysis software, primarily to the Pulp & Paper industry. Services are mainly provided by our principal and owner R. Glenn Givens, B.A.Sc. (Chemical Engineering), University of Waterloo, Ontario 1985. Founded in 1992, with his prior experience in the same field we have about 40 years experience. Few problems are new to us.

We take great pains to maintain our well-established and unmatched 32-year tradition of a 100 % success rate in resolving our customers control issues. It is our greatest asset.

We collect and analyse time series data to make meaningful conclusions such as whether or not most of the variation is real, to what extent it can be reduced, what are probable causes such shortcomings of valves, process issues, measurement problems or tuning. We design and improve controls and tune them. When we are asked to improve, redesign or design from scratch a new control, very likely we have already done several identical or similar controls. We have done this work in many countries.

Most of our control strategies involve PID controllers including several PID controllers in an interacting or master/slave arrangement but in many cases, this is not the optimal solution. Some of our controllers ramp their output, usually at a variable rate. Some are integral-only controllers where the output changes only in proportion to the error. Some are MSP (Modified Smith Predictor) controllers where the control uses a model developed from bump tests to predict the future PV to allow faster yet more stable control.

We have extensive experience on anything on a paper machine and this definitely includes profile issues, especially CD Controls (Weight, Moisture and Caliper). We are very familiar with almost all QCS issues.

We have our own control / tuning course for instrument techs which we provide on request.

The following is a brief summary of our 40 years of experience:

• Tuned many (>1000) consistency, pressure (of water, pulp, chemical, steam or natural gas), flow, level, refiner power and specific energy pH, temperature, slice opening, wire/felt tension headbox flow, impingement distance, air entrapment controls throughout paper machines, stock-prep & leanstock in many paper mills (perform bump tests, calculate control constants (tuning parameters) and test them).
• Tested about 500 pneumatic valves for stiction & backlash and provided a numerical evaluation.
• Redesigned/rebuilt control logic and control strategies including multiple adaptation of control parameters for non-linearity (e.g. pH, Headbox Total Head) and multiple feed-forward controls for the same feedback control.
• Designed, rebuilt or modified control strategies for Headbox Total Head / Level (including 2 X 2 decoupler, midranging etc), refiner power control, refiner specific energy control, dryer steam pressure, steam DP/BT Flow, Thick Stock Flow, Slice Opening, Headbox Flow, consistencies with compensation for stock flow & dilution pressure, ratioing, stock proportioning, pulpers/conveyors, HD Consistency fine/coarse dilution with midranging etc.
• Designed and implemented stock-prep blending controls that maintain both mass percentage blend and total flow from a master level control.
• Recommended many process modifications to reduce product variability.
• Performed many variability audits and solved many process issues, audited & retuned entire stock prep & lean stock system of several paper machines. Controls work occurred on paper machines, stock preparation, bleach plant, lime kiln (recaust) and natural gas and involved PID, IMC (Internal Model Control) and Modified Smith Predictor.
• Designed, programmed, commissioned and tuned many Modified Smith Predictor control algorithms for Machine Direction (MD, QCS) controls, pH and Couch Vacuum from scratch.
• Tuned/commissioned many CD Weight, CD Moisture, CD Caliper, CD Gloss, CD Brightness controls on contract to paper mills directly or to Valmet Inc. (formerly Metso).
• Commissioned / tuned ~ 50 MD Weight/Moisture (~50) Model Reference / Modified Smith Predictor and MPC controls and Machine Speed, Coordinated Speed, Speed Optimization, Auto Grade Change (“AGC”). Rebuilt an AGC package. Designed a superior Machine Speed Optimization control from scratch.
• Designed from scratch and implemented many spike-suppression algorithms for extremely noisy signals.
• Tuned the Fan Pump Speed control in several drive systems.
• Modified and tuned specialty controls on coaters and in chemical systems in PLC’s.