Abstract: A computer-implemented method for the automated identification of a process model for a model-based, predictive multivariable control of a process installation, wherein reference is made to previously defined controlled variables, manipulated variables and disturbance variables for the model-based, predictive multivariable control of the process installation.

Abstract: A conveyor assembly for a medium, wherein the medium is conveyed from a source location to a destination via a conveyor line, where the conveyor line includes a conveyor section arranged between the source location and the destination and the conveyor section is equipped with two conveyor elements that are connected in parallel to each other and that are controlled by a respective flow controller, where the same flow target value and the same flow actual value are fed to both flow controllers, and the flow controllers ascertain a respective correcting variable for each conveyor element from said values, where a changeover device of the conveyor assembly prevents actuation of one conveyor element by one flow controller and releases the actuation of the other conveyor element by the other flow controller if the flow target value is above or below upper and lower changeover thresholds.

Abstract: A method for automatically determining a parameterization of an evaluation method via a computer includes generating a comparison data set and storing reference data in the generated comparison data set, stipulating a parameterization with which identification of particular partial data items of reference data items stored in the comparison data set is influenceable via the evaluation method, such that a relative number of partial data items identified during the evaluation in relation to all the reference data items stored in the generated comparison data set is quantitatively smaller than a predetermined threshold value, preferably smaller than 10%, preferably smaller than 5%, particularly preferably smaller than 1%, and providing the determined parameterization for performing the evaluation method to identify particular partial data items of the data set of the industrial plant.

Abstract: A method for assigning measurement data for cloud-based monitoring of mechanical assets of an industrial facility that includes a measurement data archive, in which measurement data from a multiplicity of measurement points are stored, includes establishing an asset that has a particular type, the asset being assigned a characteristic measurement value with an associated measurement point in the cloud; reading a connection, stored in the cloud for the particular asset type, between measurement values, relevant to the particular asset type, from various measurement points; gradually estimating parameters of the connection, using the characteristic measurement value belonging to the particular asset type and the measurement data of the measurement values relevant to the particular asset; gradually comparing the previously determined connection with the measurement data used for the estimation and determining a residual; and assigning the measurement data to a particular asset based on a statistical evaluation o

Abstract: A control device for a process that influences the process via a manipulated variable in accordance with a control deviation between a setpoint and a controlled variable influenced by a disturbance variable, includes a controller that produces the manipulated variable from the control deviation fed to the controller, a controller dead zone element arranged before the controller and which can be activatable/deactivatable via a control apparatus, where the controller dead zone element is deactivated when the control deviation exceeds a first threshold value and reactivated when the control deviation falls below a second threshold value that is less than the first threshold value, and includes an adding element that contains a low-pass filter and preferably a disturbance-variable dead zone element arranged after the low-pass filter and which produces an auxiliary manipulated variable from the disturbance variable and adds the auxiliary manipulated variable onto the manipulated variable.

Abstract: An engineering tool and a method for parameterizing a model-based predictive controller for controlling a process-engineering process. A quality determining module for determining the quality of the model, which contains the model-based predictive controller for the behavior of the process-engineering process that is to be controlled, uses measurement data to ascertain errors in various model parameters as model errors. The weighting factors used to weight manipulated variable changes in a quality criterion are determined by a weighting factor module such that manipulated variable changes of a model-based predictive controller designed taking into account model errors are the same as those of a predictive controller designed based on the assumption of an error-free model. This advantageously results in good performance with simultaneously adequate stability of the controller.

Abstract: A diagnostic device and diagnostic method for monitoring the operation of a control loop with a controlled system having a valve as an actuator, wherein in the case of a substantially stepped profile of a setpoint, a linear submodel is identified, which is subsequently used, with a substantially constant setpoint, in order to identify a nonlinear submodel, which is arranged upstream of the linear submodel in a Hammerstein model for the controlled system so as to facilitate a quantitative assessment of the friction behavior of a valve with a comparatively low level of computing complexity.

Abstract: A control device for a process that influences the process via a manipulated variable in accordance with a control deviation between a setpoint and a controlled variable influenced by a disturbance variable, includes a controller that produces the manipulated variable from the control deviation fed to the controller, a controller dead zone element arranged before the controller and which can be activatable/deactivatable via a control apparatus, where the controller dead zone element is deactivated when the control deviation exceeds a first threshold value and reactivated when the control deviation falls below a second threshold value that is less than the first threshold value, and includes an adding element that contains a low-pass filter and preferably a disturbance-variable dead zone element arranged after the low-pass filter and which produces an auxiliary manipulated variable from the disturbance variable and adds the auxiliary manipulated variable onto the manipulated variable.

Abstract: A method for automatically determining a parameterization of an evaluation method via a computer includes generating a comparison data set and storing reference data in the generated comparison data set, stipulating a parameterization with which identification of particular partial data items of reference data items stored in the comparison data set is influenceable via the evaluation method, such that a relative number of partial data items identified during the evaluation in relation to all the reference data items stored in the generated comparison data set is quantitatively smaller than a predetermined threshold value, preferably smaller than 10%, preferably smaller than 5%, particularly preferably smaller than 1%, and providing the determined parameterization for performing the evaluation method to identify particular partial data items of the data set of the industrial plant.

Abstract: A diagnostic device and method for monitoring operation of automation system control loops includes an evaluation device and a data memory storing sequences of actual-value data of the control loops. An absolute value maximum of a cross-correlation function, for an excitation resulting from changes in a setpoint setting of one control loop, is determined as a first quantitative measure for positive time lag of the sequence of actual-value data of another control loop, and a numeric parameter evaluating an interaction effect of the one control loop on the other is determined as a function of the first quantitative measure. Strength and direction of the interaction effect are displayed. The calculations are repeated for all pairs of monitored control loops and a matrix of the numeric parameters is displayed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a stirring mechanism for a container which is filled with a medium, wherein a value for the rotation speed of the stirring mechanism, which is predetermined for operating the stirring mechanism with a low level of energy consumption and stored in a memory, is set by an actuation and evaluation device such that reduced energy consumption by the stirring mechanism is achieved while at the same time the medium is thoroughly mixed.

Abstract: A diagnostic device and method for monitoring the operation of a slave or ratio control loop in a meshed control structure of an automation system. The diagnostic device includes an evaluation device and a data memory for storing sequences of setpoint data and actual value data. The evaluation device determines a first dimension for the scatter of the actual-value data and a second dimension for the scatter of the setpoint data. A characteristic number (CPIVar, CPIKas) for evaluating control quality is determined and/or displayed as a function of the ratio of the first dimension to the second dimension to enable an operator to evaluate the control loop status, permitting automated control loop evaluation of a fluctuating setpoint.

Abstract: A control device for a process, in which a controlled variable can be influenced with the aid of a plurality of different regulating units, which in particular are based on different physical principles. A set point and the controlled variable are fed to both a first controller and a second controller. The first controller is located as primary controller in automatic operation and has a regulating range of the first manipulated variable that is defined by limiting values. The second controller can be switched between automatic operation and tracking operation, in which the controller generates a predefined or predefinable constant value of the second manipulated variable. By means of a logic circuit, the second controller is switched to automatic operation if a limiting value of the first manipulated variable is reached, and otherwise to tracking operation.

Abstract: A diagnostic device and diagnostic method for monitoring the operation of a control loop with a controlled system having a valve as an actuator, wherein in the case of a substantially stepped profile of a setpoint, a linear submodel is identified, which is subsequently used, with a substantially constant setpoint, in order to identify a nonlinear submodel, which is arranged upstream of the linear submodel in a Hammerstein model for the controlled system so as to facilitate a quantitative assessment of the friction behavior of a valve with a comparatively low level of computing complexity.

Abstract: A device and method for optimizing an operating point to operate an automated process technology system, wherein historical process data, which is stored as temporal data sequences were recorded during operation of the system in a data memory, is evaluated To determine the operating point, where for each different operating point, which preferably correspond to stationary states of the system operation, a measure for the quality of the operation of the system is determined, the operating point from the past with the best quality is then advantageously used for the future operation of the system or is used for a subsequent further optimization.

Abstract: A diagnostic device and method for monitoring operation of automation system control loops includes an evaluation device and a data memory storing sequences of actual-value data of the control loops. An absolute value maximum of a cross-correlation function, for an excitation resulting from changes in a setpoint setting of one control loop, is determined as a first quantitative measure for positive time lag of the sequence of actual-value data of another control loop, and a numeric parameter evaluating an interaction effect of the one control loop on the other is determined as a function of the first quantitative measure. Strength and direction of the interaction effect are displayed. The calculations are repeated for all pairs of monitored control loops and a matrix of the numeric parameters is displayed.

Abstract: A diagnostic device and method for monitoring the operation of a slave or ratio control loop in a meshed control structure of an automation system. The diagnostic device includes an evaluation device and a data memory for storing sequences of setpoint data and actual value data. The evaluation device determines a first dimension for the scatter of the actual-value data and a second dimension for the scatter of the setpoint data. A characteristic number (CPIVar, CPIKas) for evaluating control quality is determined and/or displayed as a function of the ratio of the first dimension to the second dimension to enable an operator to evaluate the control loop status, permitting automated control loop evaluation of a fluctuating setpoint.

Abstract: Control apparatus and method for a sewage plant in which wastewater is nitrified and denitrified in an aeration tank by intermittent ventilation via a controllable ventilation facility, where the ammonium content of the wastewater is measured and the nitrification phase is terminated by switching off the ventilation if the measured ammonium content has dropped below a threshold value, where in order to improve control of the nitrification, the output of the ventilation facility is controlled within the duration between the start and the end of the nitrification phase as a function of the currently measured ammonium content of the wastewater and the threshold value.

Abstract: An engineering tool and a method for parameterizing a model-based predictive controller for controlling a process-engineering process. A quality determining module for determining the quality of the model, which contains the model-based predictive controller for the behavior of the process-engineering process that is to be controlled, uses measurement data to ascertain errors in various model parameters as model errors. The weighting factors used to weight manipulated variable changes in a quality criterion are determined by a weighting factor module such that manipulated variable changes of a model-based predictive controller designed taking into account model errors are the same as those of a predictive controller designed based on the assumption of an error-free model. This advantageously results in good performance with simultaneously adequate stability of the controller.

Abstract: A closed-loop control device for a process, in which a dead band element is connected upstream of a linear dynamic controller to reduce actuating interventions in the steady control state. If a control deviation (e) of the control loop exceeds a first threshold value (s1), then the dead band element is automatically deactivated, where a control deviation (e1) passed via the dead band element is uninfluenced by a set dead band in the inactive state. If the control deviation (e) then undershoots a second threshold value that is less than the first threshold value, then the dead band element is automatically re-activated. This reduces the energy consumption and wear of an actuator and improves the control behavior with regard to steady-state accuracy and the control behavior of the control loop.