Early Control Valve Experience, 1997 Process Control, Electrical & Info. Conference Proceedings
Even before computers, knowledgeable instrument men in Pulp and Paper mills were working to improve the performance of control loops, such as stock flow and consistency. In many loops the control valve was found to be the weak link. Our mill used multi-pen circular chart recorders with fast chart dives to analyze loops by recording process variable(s) and output. Today we are still finding the control valve to be the weak link, but we have control valves, positioners, and analyzers that can make the control valve a strong link in the control loop.