Process-Control Systems: Application, Design, Adjustment

This book is an excellent reference on Process Control Principles for any engineer or practitioneer working in the fluid process industries. Most of the examples in the book are taken from the chemical process industries, which makes this text an ideal tool for the chemical engineering student looking to close the gap between their academic eduction and the demands of their future assigments in process plants. Greg Shinskey is considered the foremost authority on Process Control. I specially like the emphasis that the author puts on teaching how to solve common control problems. There is a complete chapter dedicated to the dynamics characteristics of the most common control loops as well as four full chapters dedicated to process control applications. Even though the book is designed for Chemical Engineers, this text would also be suitable for mechanical, industrial, and electrical engineers. I am an Industrial Practitioner of Process Measurement & Control who has been working in the Process Industries for more than 16 years as an Automation, Instrumentation, Process Safety and Process Control Engineer. My academic background is in electrical and electronics engineering (I am an Electronic Engineer), not in chemical engineering as might be the case of the usual reader of this book, but working in the Oil & Gas Industry all this time, I have been dealing with Chemical-Process Control issues in a day-to-day basics. I found this book to be a very useful reference and refresher to gain a better understanding Process Control Applications, and also an ideal self-study guide. This is a great book for anyone interested or involved in the application, design and tuning of Process Control loops.

The book is quite common on instrumentation engineers' desk but I recommend it also to chemical engineers involved in Startup of chemical plants and to engineers dealing with the design of continuous plants.

I met Dr. Shinskey once through a seminar sponsored by a college classmate. His ready explanations made me want to read his book. I tried. I struggled through the first 200 pages and gave up. Since then, I often referred back to it and find it enlightening in solving difficult control problems. However, I cannot use his solutions directly because the examples are difficult to follow. Equations are all very nice but should relate to physical data in some way. Starting with instrument measurement and leading to the practical solution is how authors such as Dr. Levenspiel of Oregon explain difficult problems. That, is how I would improve this text. As for the problems in each chapter, forget it. The information provided was confusing; I seldom found the right answer even after reviewing his solution. I suggest a solution book with the book itself. The problems drove me nuts.