Statistics for Process Control Engineers - A Practical Approach




About the book

Statistics for Process Control Engineers is the only guide to statistics written by and for process control professionals. It takes a wholly practical approach to the subject. Statistics are applied throughout the life of a process control scheme - from assessing its economic benefit, designing inferential properties, identifying dynamic models, monitoring performance and diagnosing faults. This book addresses all of these areas and more.

The book begins with an overview of various statistical applications in the field of process control, followed by discussions of data characteristics, probability functions, data presentation, sample size, significance testing and commonly used mathematical functions. It then shows how to select and fit a distribution to data, before moving on to the application of regression analysis and data reconciliation. The book is extensively illustrated throughout with line drawings, tables and equations, and features numerous worked examples. In addition, two appendices include the data used in the examples and an exhaustive catalogue of statistical distributions. The data and a simple-to-use software tool are available for download. The reader can thus reproduce all of the examples and then extend the same statistical techniques to real problems.

  • Takes a back-to-basics approach with a focus on techniques that have immediate, practical, problem-solving applications for practicing engineers, as well as engineering students

  • Shows how to avoid the many common errors made by the industry in applying statistics to process control

  • Describes not only the well-known statistical distributions but also demonstrates the advantages of applying the large number that are less well-known

  • Inspires engineers to identify new applications of statistical techniques to the design and support of control schemes

  • Provides a deeper understanding of services and products which control engineers are often tasked with assessing
  • This book is a valuable professional resource for engineers working in the global process industry and engineering companies, as well as students of engineering. It will be of great interest to those in the oil and gas, chemical, pulp and paper, water purification, pharmaceuticals and power generation industries, as well as for design engineers, instrument engineers and process technical support.


    About the author

    Myke King is the founder and director of Whitehouse Consulting, an independent consulting organisation specialising in process control. He has over 35 years experience working with over 100 clients from more than 30 countries. As part of his consulting activities Myke has developed training courses covering all aspects of process control. To date, around 2,000 delegates have attended these courses. To support his consulting activities he has developed a range of software to streamline the design of controllers and to simulate their use for learning exercises.

    Myke graduated from Cambridge University in the UK with a Master's degree in chemical engineering. His course included process control taught as part of both mechanical engineering and chemical engineering. At the time he understood neither! On graduating he joined, by chance, the process control section at Exxon's refinery at Fawley in the UK. Fortunately he quickly discovered that the practical application of process control bore little resemblance to the theory he had covered at university. He later became head of the process control section and then moved to operations department as a plant manager. This was followed by a short period running the IT section.

    Myke left Exxon to co-found KBC Process Automation, a subsidiary of KBC Advanced Technology, later becoming its managing director. The company was sold to Honeywell where it became their European centre of excellence for process control. It was at this time Myke set up Whitehouse Consulting.

    Myke is a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers in the UK. He lives on the Isle of Wight.


    Where to buy the book

    The simplest way is to order the book directly from the publisher. They will deliver anywhere in the world. Click on Wiley's logo find out more.

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