M.A. Pan'ko’s research while affiliated with Moscow Power Engineering Institute and other places

The importance of estimating the technical and economic effect from upgrading automated process control systems of operating power units at condensing thermal power stations is substantiated. Recommendations on calculating capital investments in upgrading are given, technical effects obtained from upgrading are classified, and their connections with the economic effect are presented.

The experimental characteristics of virtual PID controllers implemented in R-380 microprocessor controllers used in the Kvint computerized automation suite are presented, along with the results from an analysis of their correspondence to theoretical algorithms.

A new set of school laboratories at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute’s Department of Automated Control Systems is described that are intended for training engineers specializing in systems for automatically controlling technological processes in power engineering. The principles and objectives of the educational process, and requirements for its methodical support are discussed.

The methods of analyzing the influence of parameters of an actual differentiating section in the structure of a PID-controller on the dynamic accuracy of control systems based on calculation of lines of the preset stability margin are presented. Recommendations for selecting the value of a ballast time constant of a differentiator are given.

Matters related to construction of systems for automatically starting combined-cycle plants built around a PGU-450 power unit are considered. The structure of logic control of the starting process is presented.

Mathematical models of controlled pieces of equipment with s-shaped transient characteristics determined from experimental data are considered, and the effect the model structure has on the results from a parametric synthesis of automatic control systems is analyzed.

The state of systems for monitoring the operation of power installations is analyzed. Problems encountered during the introduction of systems for monitoring and metering the generation of electricity and heat are discussed.

Advantages of operation of T-250 cogeneration supercritical pressure power units under conditions of sliding steam pressure are considered. Limitations that hamper the development of efficient automation systems for unloading and loading these power units under sliding steam pressure conditions are analyzed.

The economic aspects of automation under current conditions are analyzed. The considerable problems that arise in developing automated control systems for technological processes (ACS TP) for the power units of a thermal power plant (TPP) and selecting plant management systems for automated control are considered, as is estimating the amount of automation required and minimizing the costs of an ACS. It is shown that these problems become especially serious when updating the control systems of equipment already in operation.

A formalized procedure is considered for calculating the tuning parameters of PID controllers whose control algorithm is implemented in digital form, together with the conditions under which an automatic control system with a PID algorithm is robust. The calculations make use of the characteristics of an equivalent analog controller.