taking
March | April 2005 53
CONTROL
For years, the question of roaster controls has been a
source of contention within the modern coffee roasting community.
How much control is too much (the law of diminishing returns?),
and how little is too little (do you like flying by the seat of your
pants?). These are just some of the questions that are batted back
and forth by coffee roasters. Moreover, questions about control
often lead to discussions that get to the heart of coffee roasting—
is it a creative art or a systematic science?Professional roasters and hobbyists
alike have debated control questions ad
nauseam. It seems to matter little whether
an adherent to one school or another is
working on a tabletop or a four-bagger;
there are proponents of each approach in
every roaster size category.
Often, the discussion degenerates
into a West Side Story-style face-off of
backhanded compliments, posturing and
outright demagoguery. Many times those
with the loudest voices, longest careers or
most impressive résumés win by default or
through intellectual intimidation. The craft
adherents accuse the “technology geeks” of
being trapped in a futuristic fantasy where
HAL will one day handle all aspects of the
roasting process. Likewise, proponents of
the coffee roasting as pure science school
accuse the craft roasters of being neo-
Luddites attempting to bar Darwin from
entering the roastery door. Although
it can be quite entertaining to listen
to hardcore partisans of both schools
espouse their orthodoxy, it is rarely, if
ever, very informative.Proportional Integral Derivative
Controllers
One of the biggest control discussions
in the coffee industry lately has
revolved around proportional integral
derivative (PID) controllers: logicbased
controllers that allow the user
to input temperature set points, and
influence the logic. The PID’s ability to
control heating functions is well known
but not well understood by most coffee
professionals. Happily, roasters and
baristas alike are trying to figure out
how to use these tools to better control
their respective processes.
Most new coffee roasters delivered
today have at least a simple PID
controller installed as standard
equipment, and many come with fairly
sophisticated PID profiling controllers.
Most roaster operators, however, have no
clue as to what PID stands for or, more
importantly, how to use this technology
to their benefit.
Those who don’t understand
the technology may use their PID
controllers for set point controlling, or
simply as digital temperature readers.
When roasters use a PID as a set point
controller, they input a set point in
their controller and allow the bean or
air temperature to rise to that point at
which time the controller either sounds
an alarm, shuts off gas to the burner
or both. Although this can work very
well and is a great improvement in
controllability, repeatability and safety
from the stopwatch and trier systems of
the past, it is in fact an underutilization
of a PID controller.
A properly set PID controller, with
a controllable gas train, can help make
coffee roasting a much more exact and
repeatable process, thereby freeing the
roaster to work on other elements of
quality control (namely green coffee
and blending) that are so essential in
the creation and sustainability of great
coffee.Not all roasters will choose to use PID controllers for the roasting
process, and that is their choice, as it should be. However, in order to
make a valid choice, a roaster must understand
existing technologies; what they can and
cannot do for their businesses. A choice made
without evaluating all available information is
a gamble, and why gamble with good coffee?
This article attempts to clarify some of the
mystery that surrounds PID controllers and to
look at what one roastery was able to do with
one roaster in one installation.
PID Basics
So what does PID mean? What is a PID
controller? What is the difference between a
PID controller and PID profiling controller?
PID logic control is used in many of the
better off-the-shelf digital controllers (Watlow,
Omron, Honeywell, Siemens, etc.) and most,
if not all, proprietary coffee roasting control
systems produced by roaster manufacturers.
PID controllers make mathematical calculations to help keep
the actual temperature as close as possible to a desired set point
temperature. In the case of coffee roasting, the set points are
generated along a positive sloping curve. If the PID settings in a
PID array are incorrect, then the system will either be constantly
running to catch up to the desired curve, or
constantly overshooting and undershooting
as the controller attempts to bring the actual
temperature to the set point.
A fully functional PID controller will
generate set points regardless of whether
the PID settings are correct (See Graphs
1 & 2, pages 58–59). For the roaster, the
trick is to find the correct PID settings for
their roaster in its installation. The proper
use of PID controllers is the next logical
step up from manually profiling coffee
through manipulation of the existing time
and temperature curve. A roaster’s existing
time and temperature curve is the curve
that naturally occurs when a single piece of
roasting equipment in a set environment is
roasting a particular coffee, and no changes
are undertaken by the operator until the end
of the roast.
So the question becomes: how do you find the correct PID
settings for your roaster and its control system? For most roasters,
continued on page 56
using a PID controller with a ramping (ramp and soak) or
profiling function, the PID settings will be different than those
used by most proprietary roasting programs. In most cases, offthe-
shelf controllers will require a slightly more aggressive P
value and I value, while the D should be set to zero for coffee
roasting. Many PID profiling controllers contain auto-tune
functions that attempt to assist with PID settings. It has been
our experience however, that auto-tuning functions do not work
well for setting PID values for the coffee roasting process.
To properly set PID settings, it is imperative to understand
what each part of the PID acronym means and its effect on the
logic used to control the heat input:
(P) P, or more accurately, proportional, is the part of the logic
that dictates how aggressively a system will try to acquire the set
point. The larger the P, the faster the controller will ramp up
temperature. If, for example, you set a P value of 1, it will reduce
heat input as it climbs toward the curve so that it will gradually
intersect. If the P is 50, the output will be more aggressive. The
output will remain at 100 percent until very nearly reaching the
point of intersection.
In other words, P defines the distance at which your foot
comes off the gas as you approach a line of traffic. Remember, the
larger the P, the more aggressive the control system and gas train
are (See Chart 1). If P is too aggressive, it will supply energy up
to the point of intersection and then drop immediately to zero
percent output. In a process like coffee roasting where much
of the energy is retained and the product itself will begin to go
exothermic, an aggressive P will often overshoot and, depending
on where in the roasting process this occurs, may eventually fall
behind the curve, causing the control system to constantly chase
the desired profile curve (See Graph 1, page 58).
(I) If P is your gross adjustment on your control system,
then I is the fine adjustment. I, or integral, is the value inputted
to raise the temperature slightly so as to attain set point: the gain.
I values work in an inverse relation to the P values. The larger
the I, the smaller the gain, the smaller the I, the larger the gain
(See Chart 2). Because I is the fine adjustment, I should not
be adjusted until the P value is set. Too much I (low number)
will cause the system to be unstable around the set point, while
too little I will lead to proportional droop, when P is correctly
adjusted (See Graph 2, page 59). Good control of the process is
a function of PI.
(D) Finally, there is the D, or derivative, value. Derivative
is the value that is used to dampen oscillations about a set
point. It is in essence a “super fine” or squelch adjustment. In
our experience, if a controller utilizes a bean probe for actual
temperature control, then there is no need for a derivative value.
However, if a roaster is using environment temperature to
control the process, then a derivative value may be desirable.
The graphs used in this article rely on bean temperature
as the temperature to be used in controlling the function;
environment temperature is logged only and not used for any
calculations, and therefore the graphs have a D value of zero.
Charts 1 and 2 list different P and I values and their relative
effects on output.
Let’s first look at P settings.
P VAL UE I VAL UE
Temperature difference
when output starts to be
less than 100%
1 0 99 degrees
10 0 10 degrees
20 0 5 degrees
30 0 3.4 degrees
Chart 1
What does this mean? If you look at the temperature
difference value of a P of 20, the difference is five degrees, which
means that the output calculated will be 100 percent if the
temperature difference is five, 50 percent when the difference
is 2.5 and zero percent when the difference is zero. So over the
five degrees difference, the output will be scaled anywhere in
between.
Now hold P constant and add different I values.
P VAL UE I VAL UE
Output percentage
at 2.5 degrees difference
20 0 50%
20 20 50.09%
20 10 50.18%
20 0.5 53.6%
taking
March | April 2005 53
CONTROL
For years, the question of roaster controls has been a
source of contention within the modern coffee roasting community.
How much control is too much (the law of diminishing returns?),
and how little is too little (do you like flying by the seat of your
pants?). These are just some of the questions that are batted back
and forth by coffee roasters. Moreover, questions about control
often lead to discussions that get to the heart of coffee roasting—
is it a creative art or a systematic science?Professional roasters and hobbyists
alike have debated control questions ad
nauseam. It seems to matter little whether
an adherent to one school or another is
working on a tabletop or a four-bagger;
there are proponents of each approach in
every roaster size category.
Often, the discussion degenerates
into a West Side Story-style face-off of
backhanded compliments, posturing and
outright demagoguery. Many times those
with the loudest voices, longest careers or
most impressive résumés win by default or
through intellectual intimidation. The craft
adherents accuse the “technology geeks” of
being trapped in a futuristic fantasy where
HAL will one day handle all aspects of the
roasting process. Likewise, proponents of
the coffee roasting as pure science school
accuse the craft roasters of being neo-
Luddites attempting to bar Darwin from
entering the roastery door. Although
it can be quite entertaining to listen
to hardcore partisans of both schools
espouse their orthodoxy, it is rarely, if
ever, very informative.Proportional Integral Derivative
Controllers
One of the biggest control discussions
in the coffee industry lately has
revolved around proportional integral
derivative (PID) controllers: logicbased
controllers that allow the user
to input temperature set points, and
influence the logic. The PID’s ability to
control heating functions is well known
but not well understood by most coffee
professionals. Happily, roasters and
baristas alike are trying to figure out
how to use these tools to better control
their respective processes.
Most new coffee roasters delivered
today have at least a simple PID
controller installed as standard
equipment, and many come with fairly
sophisticated PID profiling controllers.
Most roaster operators, however, have no
clue as to what PID stands for or, more
importantly, how to use this technology
to their benefit.
Those who don’t understand
the technology may use their PID
controllers for set point controlling, or
simply as digital temperature readers.
When roasters use a PID as a set point
controller, they input a set point in
their controller and allow the bean or
air temperature to rise to that point at
which time the controller either sounds
an alarm, shuts off gas to the burner
or both. Although this can work very
well and is a great improvement in
controllability, repeatability and safety
from the stopwatch and trier systems of
the past, it is in fact an underutilization
of a PID controller.
A properly set PID controller, with
a controllable gas train, can help make
coffee roasting a much more exact and
repeatable process, thereby freeing the
roaster to work on other elements of
quality control (namely green coffee
and blending) that are so essential in
the creation and sustainability of great
coffee.Not all roasters will choose to use PID controllers for the roasting
process, and that is their choice, as it should be. However, in order to
make a valid choice, a roaster must understand
existing technologies; what they can and
cannot do for their businesses. A choice made
without evaluating all available information is
a gamble, and why gamble with good coffee?
This article attempts to clarify some of the
mystery that surrounds PID controllers and to
look at what one roastery was able to do with
one roaster in one installation.
PID Basics
So what does PID mean? What is a PID
controller? What is the difference between a
PID controller and PID profiling controller?
PID logic control is used in many of the
better off-the-shelf digital controllers (Watlow,
Omron, Honeywell, Siemens, etc.) and most,
if not all, proprietary coffee roasting control
systems produced by roaster manufacturers.
PID controllers make mathematical calculations to help keep
the actual temperature as close as possible to a desired set point
temperature. In the case of coffee roasting, the set points are
generated along a positive sloping curve. If the PID settings in a
PID array are incorrect, then the system will either be constantly
running to catch up to the desired curve, or
constantly overshooting and undershooting
as the controller attempts to bring the actual
temperature to the set point.
A fully functional PID controller will
generate set points regardless of whether
the PID settings are correct (See Graphs
1 & 2, pages 58–59). For the roaster, the
trick is to find the correct PID settings for
their roaster in its installation. The proper
use of PID controllers is the next logical
step up from manually profiling coffee
through manipulation of the existing time
and temperature curve. A roaster’s existing
time and temperature curve is the curve
that naturally occurs when a single piece of
roasting equipment in a set environment is
roasting a particular coffee, and no changes
are undertaken by the operator until the end
of the roast.
So the question becomes: how do you find the correct PID
settings for your roaster and its control system? For most roasters,
continued on page 56
using a PID controller with a ramping (ramp and soak) or
profiling function, the PID settings will be different than those
used by most proprietary roasting programs. In most cases, offthe-
shelf controllers will require a slightly more aggressive P
value and I value, while the D should be set to zero for coffee
roasting. Many PID profiling controllers contain auto-tune
functions that attempt to assist with PID settings. It has been
our experience however, that auto-tuning functions do not work
well for setting PID values for the coffee roasting process.
To properly set PID settings, it is imperative to understand
what each part of the PID acronym means and its effect on the
logic used to control the heat input:
(P) P, or more accurately, proportional, is the part of the logic
that dictates how aggressively a system will try to acquire the set
point. The larger the P, the faster the controller will ramp up
temperature. If, for example, you set a P value of 1, it will reduce
heat input as it climbs toward the curve so that it will gradually
intersect. If the P is 50, the output will be more aggressive. The
output will remain at 100 percent until very nearly reaching the
point of intersection.
In other words, P defines the distance at which your foot
comes off the gas as you approach a line of traffic. Remember, the
larger the P, the more aggressive the control system and gas train
are (See Chart 1). If P is too aggressive, it will supply energy up
to the point of intersection and then drop immediately to zero
percent output. In a process like coffee roasting where much
of the energy is retained and the product itself will begin to go
exothermic, an aggressive P will often overshoot and, depending
on where in the roasting process this occurs, may eventually fall
behind the curve, causing the control system to constantly chase
the desired profile curve (See Graph 1, page 58).
(I) If P is your gross adjustment on your control system,
then I is the fine adjustment. I, or integral, is the value inputted
to raise the temperature slightly so as to attain set point: the gain.
I values work in an inverse relation to the P values. The larger
the I, the smaller the gain, the smaller the I, the larger the gain
(See Chart 2). Because I is the fine adjustment, I should not
be adjusted until the P value is set. Too much I (low number)
will cause the system to be unstable around the set point, while
too little I will lead to proportional droop, when P is correctly
adjusted (See Graph 2, page 59). Good control of the process is
a function of PI.
(D) Finally, there is the D, or derivative, value. Derivative
is the value that is used to dampen oscillations about a set
point. It is in essence a “super fine” or squelch adjustment. In
our experience, if a controller utilizes a bean probe for actual
temperature control, then there is no need for a derivative value.
However, if a roaster is using environment temperature to
control the process, then a derivative value may be desirable.
The graphs used in this article rely on bean temperature
as the temperature to be used in controlling the function;
environment temperature is logged only and not used for any
calculations, and therefore the graphs have a D value of zero.
Charts 1 and 2 list different P and I values and their relative
effects on output.
Let’s first look at P settings.
P VAL UE I VAL UE
Temperature difference
when output starts to be
less than 100%
1 0 99 degrees
10 0 10 degrees
20 0 5 degrees
30 0 3.4 degrees
Chart 1
What does this mean? If you look at the temperature
difference value of a P of 20, the difference is five degrees, which
means that the output calculated will be 100 percent if the
temperature difference is five, 50 percent when the difference
is 2.5 and zero percent when the difference is zero. So over the
five degrees difference, the output will be scaled anywhere in
between.
Now hold P constant and add different I values.
P VAL UE I VAL UE
Output percentage
at 2.5 degrees difference
20 0 50%
20 20 50.09%
20 10 50.18%
20 0.5 53.6%
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
