EcoStruxure™
Control Advisor
Continuous Improvement Guide
B0830AB_A
[Link]
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Contents B0830AB, Rev A
Contents
Preface.................................................................................................................................................... 4
Before You Begin .............................................................................................................................. 4
Revision Information.......................................................................................................................... 4
Reference Documents....................................................................................................................... 4
Customer Support ............................................................................................................................. 4
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Definition of a Loop ........................................................................................................................... 5
Training ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Key Terms......................................................................................................................................... 5
How to Integrate Control Advisor with Plant Work Processes ............................................................. 6
Integration of Work Processes..................................................................................................... 6
Suggested Frequencies & Roles ................................................................................................. 8
System Evaluations ......................................................................................................................... 11
Scope of the Evaluation ............................................................................................................ 11
Business Objectives .................................................................................................................. 11
Baseline Plant Performance ...................................................................................................... 11
Frequency of Evaluations .......................................................................................................... 13
Interpretation of Results ............................................................................................................ 14
Data Tables ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Project Notes and Configuration Information .................................................................................... 15
System Information ................................................................................................................... 15
System Administrators .............................................................................................................. 16
Communications Testing ........................................................................................................... 17
Overall Project Plan .................................................................................................................. 18
EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide 3
Preface B0830AB, Rev A
Preface
Before You Begin
This document helps ensure the long-term success of your EcoStruxure™ Control Advisor
installation. It describes:
• Training and definition of key terms
• How to integrate Control Advisor into the plant processes
• How to perform system evaluations
• Tables to track information and activities during and after installation
Revision Information
This is the first version of the document.
Reference Documents
For additional and related information, refer to:
• Control Advisor Application Guide (B0830AA)
• Control Advisor Installation Guide (B0830AC)
• Control Advisor User’s Guide (B0830AD)
• Control Advisor Project Planning Guide (B0830AE)
• Control Advisor Upgrade Guide (B0830AF)
Customer Support
For technical support and access to the latest product documentation, see the Global Customer
Support (GCS) website:
[Link] (registration required)
4 EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide
B0830AB, Rev A Introduction
Introduction
Definition of a Loop
Control Advisor is licensed according to the number of “loops”. For these purposes, a “loop” is
defined as anything that has a real-time Process Variable (PV). Adding an analog input from an
analyzer, for example, consumes one loop.
There is no additional charge to add more information to that loop. For example, you can add
Setpoint (SP), Control Output (CO), PID values, mode, engineering ranges, status bit logic, and
economic value information, within the context of the single loop. Therefore, a 2000-loop system,
with each loop having a PV, SP, and CO, will be tracking and monitoring 6000 tags.
There is no additional license cost when you add more information to the loop. For example, you
can add Setpoint (SP), Control Output (CO), PID values, mode, engineering ranges, status bit
logic, and economic value information, within the context of the single loop. A 2000-loop system
with each loop having a PV, SP, and CO, will be tracking and monitoring 6000 tags.
Training
One of the most important steps in a project is training. Our experience in hundreds of plants
indicates that the facilities that emphasize user training are the ones that receive the greatest
economic benefit.
Training is customized to include analysis of data gathered directly from your plant facility. For
this reason, training is typically held 1 to 3 weeks after initial installation. A typical Training
schedule is shown below.
Key Terms
Following are key terms to know when working with Control Advisor.
• Assessment – an index of performance for a specified amount of time
• Key Assessments – the assessments that are determined to be the most important in
tracking the performance of the plant
• Threshold – the limits or boundaries between which the assessment would remain if the
plant is running well
• %T (% Towards Threshold) – how far an assessment is towards or past the threshold for an
assessment
• Loop Health – the average of the %T values of the key assessments for a loop
• %E (Economic Priority) – the Loop Health divided by the Economic Significance of the loop.
By default, the Economic Significance values are: High = 1, Average = 2, and Low = 4.
• %L – the percentage of loops in a Unit Operation and/or Plant whose assessment is over the
threshold. This can be calculated in one of two ways by changing the total number of loops
considered. First, the total number of loops equals the number of loops that have a calculated
%t for the assessment in question. Second, the total number of loops equals the total with no
special filters applied.
EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide 5
Introduction B0830AB, Rev A
How to Integrate Control Advisor with Plant Work Processes
Integration of Work Processes
To help your plant benefit from Control Advisor, you must integrate Control Advisor analysis into
the regular plant work processes.
Below are examples of some typical meetings held in most facilities.
• Daily Operations Meetings
− Daily review of Control Advisor findings for each unit operation. This helps ensure that the
problems detected are identified and resolved quickly. Especially includes:
− Review of Opportunity Gap on the “Money Loops”
− Trending of Overall Loop Health, Time in Normal, Average %T
− Loops newly appearing on Biggest Payback Loops
• Monthly & Quarterly Business Meetings
− System Evaluations (shown in a section below), tracking hard-number results.
− At each meeting, summarize the improvements made, and communicate the economic
benefits.
• Maintenance Planning
− Review Control Advisor prior to field investigation of sensor and valve problems detected.
− Prioritization and planning maintenance, especially for instrumentation, control valves,
dampers and so on.
• Continuos Improvement Projects, including 6 Sigma
− Track Site, Plant, Unit level performance metrics
− Use Control Advisor to identify, prioritize, and resolve opportunities such as:
− Process Constraints
− Opportunity Gaps
− Design and Configuration Issues
− Quality Issues
− Oscillation Reduction
− Develop deeper process understanding with Process Interaction Mapping, and dynamic
models captured with Active Model Capture Technology
• Control System Support Team meetings
− Track overall control system performance measures, such as Time in Normal mode, and
Control Loop Health %E.
− Identify, Prioritize, and Resolve Control Loops Needing Tuning
− Identify, Prioritize, and Resolve Instrumentation Issues
− Identify, Prioritize, and Resolve Valve Performance Issues
− Track changes in process dynamics with Active Model Capture Technology
6 EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide
B0830AB, Rev A Introduction
You can streamline the data gathering by scheduling reports for routine delivery prior to each
meeting. For example, schedule “Loops Need Tuning” to be delivered a few hours before the
control systems team meets.
The Schneider Electric service team is available for consultation to help integrate Control Advisor
into your normal schedule.
The table below is an estimate of the effort that will be needed to help ensure good results from
your Control Advisor system. The proposed schedule is simply a guide. You will need to modify
the plan based on the actual work flow at your plant.
Point of Estimate of Meeting Time
Integration Effort Needed Needed Comments
Daily 10 minutes/Unit 5 minutes/Unit
Operations
Each day Each day
Meetings
Monthly and 2 hours/unit 10 minutes Summarize improvements made
Quarterly and economic benefit.
Each quarter
Business
Meetings
Maintenance 10 minutes/Unit 5 minutes/Unit Review Problem Solver reports
Planning to help plan daily maintenance.
Each day Each day
Continuous Minimum 4 Depends on Varies greatly, depending on
Improvement hours/Unit structure & focus of projects
Projects projects
Each month.
Control System First 6 months: 30-60 minutes We strongly suggest that you
Support each meeting. start having formal control
1 hour/unit/day
support team meetings.
After first 6
months, time will
be reduced.
EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide 7
Introduction B0830AB, Rev A
Suggested Frequencies & Roles
The following tables suggest the personnel that should review the named Problem Solver reports
and the frequency those reports should be reviewed.
Typical Roles within a Production Facility
Roles displayed in Description of Responsibility
Problem Solver table
M – Manager or Monitoring the overall performance of the controls or plant
Supervisor
E – Controls or Process Directly responsible with improving the controls and overall
Engineer operation of the plant
T – Instrument Technician Directly responsible for instrumentation installation, repair, and
or Controls Engineer troubleshooting
A – Control Advisor Responsible for the Administration and upkeep of the Control
Administrator Advisor program and server
Frequency When Control Advisor Reports Should Be Reviewed
Frequency displayed in Description
Problem Solver table
After Installation Immediately after installation to verify proper set up
Before Shutdown Shutdown or Turnaround planning
Quarterly Management reviews and updates of control and plant
performance
Monthly Engineering reviews of specific control and production issues
detected
Weekly/Daily Part of the normal planning meetings for assigning jobs and
tracking improvements
Diagnostic/As Needed Specific root cause analysis of control and production issues
detected
8 EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide
B0830AB, Rev A Introduction
Before Shutdown
After installation
Weekly / Daily
(As needed)
Diagnostic
Quarterly
Monthly
Problem Solver
Biggest Payback Loops E,T E,T
Controller Health Issues E,T
Loop Health KPI E,T
Loop Health Summary E,T
Loop Notes E,T E,T
Operations Summary M,E
Opportunity Gap M,E
Oscillating Loops E,T
Process Constraints E,T
PV Filter Analysis E,T E,T
Quality Report M,E
Sensor Health Issues E,T
Sensors-Problems E,T
Tuning-AMCT Opportunities E,T E,T
Tuning-Flow Loop Issues E,T
Tuning-Osco E,T
Valve Damage-Tuning E,T
Valve Health Issues E,T
Valves-Oversized E,T
Valves-Stiction E,T
Valves-Undersized E,T
EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide 9
Introduction B0830AB, Rev A
Before Shutdown
After installation
Weekly / Daily
(As needed)
Diagnostic
Quarterly
Monthly
Problem Solver
Admin-Cascade Structure Issue E,T
Admin-Incomplete Loop E,T
Admin-Key Baselines E,T
Admin-Loop Assessment Issues E,T
Admin-Loop Configuration Problem E,T
Admin-Network Health A
Admin-Off Scan Report E,T,A
Admin-System Health E,T,A
Admin-Threshold Outliers E,T
Cascade Performance E,T
Greg Shinskey Advice E,T
Loop Diagnosis E,T
Oscillation Details E,T
Service Factor E,T
10 EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide
B0830AB, Rev A Introduction
System Evaluations
Formal system evaluations are necessary to document the benefits of the Control Advisor
system. The first system evaluation is focused on ensuring that the system is up and running
successfully. After that, quarterly evaluations are recommended.
Scope of the Evaluation
In smaller plants (less than 200 control loops), a single evaluation can be used for the entire
plant. In larger plants, it can be more relevant to perform an evaluation on each unit operation. In
either case, the key thing is that you must be able to measure and document the results in
economic terms. Verify and include the following people in this process:
• Operations Managers
• Maintenance Managers
• Process Engineers Plant
• Financial Personnel
Involving these people in the process will help ensure that you get accurate financial information,
and it helps you build organizational support for the results.
Business Objectives
Document your primary business objectives, and the key assessments chosen to support each
one.
Business Objective Key Assessment Selected
Baseline Plant Performance
To measure the benefits of Control Advisor, you must identify a baseline value for the key high-
level performance metrics for your plant. Use the tables below to document the base performance
of your plant, before Control Advisor was used. You can wish to make copies of this page, and
complete one table for each major unit operation.
To get accurate values, and to help ensure alignment, contact your operations manager, process
engineer, or plant financial manager.
EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide 11
Introduction B0830AB, Rev A
How Measured?
Measure (method & units) Key Contact Time Period Measurement
Throughput /
Production Rate
Reliability
Quality
Energy Cost
Unit Cost
Other
Measures
# of unplanned
shutdowns for
sensor & Valve
issues
Annual Valve
Maintenance
cost
Operator
Alarms/hour
Other
12 EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide
B0830AB, Rev A Introduction
Frequency of Evaluations
Month 1
Complete the first evaluation one month after installing the Control Advisor system. In the 1-month
evaluation, the focus is on ensuring that the system is configured properly, people are trained, and the
data is being used to start making improvements. While there can be economic benefits in the first month,
they are often difficult to measure.
Control Advisor Measure Results for first month
# of Loops Configured
# of Users Configured
Average Loop Health %E
Average %Time in Normal
Average % toward Threshold
Periodic (Monthly or Quarterly) Evaluations
It is necessary to establish a periodic review of the system results. This helps ensure that the entire team
is staying focused on delivering economic benefits. In these reviews, you must document the work that
was done, the expected impact, and the actual financial numbers. Describe any major issues detected by
Control Advisor, their resolution, and their expected impact.
Issues Detected Resolution Expected Impact to Process,
Financials
EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide 13
Introduction B0830AB, Rev A
Interpretation of Results
A process plant is a dynamic environment. Many other things besides Control Advisor work are
happening every month. You should plan on discussing the periodic results directly with the management
team, to establish the link between the Control Advisor work and the financial bottom-line.
14 EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide
B0830AB, Rev A Data Tables
Data Tables
Project Notes and Configuration Information
This section contains tables to be used to guide and document configuration decisions made during
system setup.
System Information
Control Advisor serial number is printed on the system disks. Most of this information is available by
launching the Control Advisor Engineering Interface, then choosing Help, About.
Record Information Below
Control Advisor System Serial #
Company
# of Loops Purchased
# of MPCs Purchased
Support Expiration Date
Install Date
Installed By
Version
Notes, Comments & Settings
EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide 15
Data Tables B0830AB, Rev A
System Administrators
System Administrators Name Phone/Emergency Phone
IT Department
Process Control
Operations
Maintenance
Other
Schneider Electric Technical Support
16 EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide
B0830AB, Rev A Data Tables
Communications Testing
Complete the following worksheet, noting exactly which performance parameters were used to determine
the communications load. After 100 or more loops have been configured, it is a good idea to re-visit the
communications load on the DCS. Use the worksheet below to evaluate the load on the DCS system and
other communications components.
Before After Control
Category Item Specific Parameter Install Advisor Install
Date
Conditions
DCS Network %Comm Load
% Lost Packets
DCS Gateway %CPU Free Time
%Comm Load
% Lost Packets
Historian %CPU Free Time
EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide 17
Data Tables B0830AB, Rev A
Overall Project Plan
Use the table below as a general guide for tracking key milestones in the project schedule. A more
detailed list of the project schedule is in the Project Planning Guide.
Scheduled Completion
Task Resp When Date Date
Install Server Hardware Before Site Visit #1
Communication Test Before Site Visit #1
Baseline Plant During Site Visit #1
Performance
Install Control Advisor During Site Visit #1
Software
Set Initial Baselines & During Site Visit #1
Thresholds
Training End of Site Visit #1
or Start of Site Visit
#2
Establish Statistical During Site Visit #2
Baselines & Thresholds
Incorporate in Daily At completion of
Business Process Training
1 Month review After 1 month of
operation
2 Month Review After 2 months of
operation
1st Quarter Review After 3 months of
operation
Report on Control Advisor Based on 1st Quarter
Results review
2nd Quarter Review & After 6 months
Report operation
3rd Quarter Review & After 9 months
Report operation
1 Year Review & Report After 12 months
operation
18 EcoStruxure Control Advisor Continuous Improvement Guide
[Link]
B0830aB a
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United States of America
Copyright 2018 Schneider Electric. All rights reserved. Life is On Schneider Electric is a trademark and
the property of Schneider Electric SE, its subsidiaries, and affiliates.
