Measurement and Control

Take theTedium out of Writing

Process
Descriptions
Setting up a special
function and a shorthand
system on a spreadsheet
can improve the descriptions
needed for implementing
a process control system,
while minimizing the
monotony in writing them.

P
Michael J. Gentilcore, rocess engineers often must write a detailed process descrip-
Mallinckrodt, Inc. tion to guide the programming of a process control system.
This description delineates the specific sequence of steps
needed to make a batch, or to startup, run, and shutdown a
continuous operation. It also typically specifies alarms, inter-
locks, and safety-shutdown conditions and sequences.
The task of writing a detailed process description usually is quite te-
dious. Formal tags are necessary for procurement and proper identification
of motors, valves, and instrumentation. These tags, however, are hardly fun
to write, type, or proofread — and don’t give a complete picture of the true
purpose of the particular device.
Consider the following short process description:
< Discuss This Article! > 1. Start AG-218.
To join an online discussion about this article 2. Open XV-215-23.
with the author and other readers, go to the 3. Confirm ZSC-215-23 is not made.
ProcessCity Discussion Room for CEP articles
4. Wait until TI-215-03 is greater than 70°C.
at www.processcity.com/cep.
5. Close XV-215-23.
This description minimizes work for the writer, but sacrifices clarity.
Was a tank heated with a utility fluid or by a chemical reaction? Was XV-
215-23 in its safe fail position at the end of the sequence? Was this really

CEP February 2001 www.aiche.org/cep/ 31

Measurement and Control

Table 1. Object Set Table 2. Verb Set for Valves

Shorthand Abbreviation Object Shorthand Abbreviation Verb

C Controllers O Open

D Discrete inputs ( i.e., switches) C Close

I Indicators ( i.e., continuous inputs) E Energize

M Motors D De-energize

V Valves N Name

the XV-215-23 valve or the XV-
215-32 valve? Was there an open
limit switch ZSO-215-23 that
should have been checked? The
reader has no way of knowing.
Admittedly, this description
would make more sense with the
relevant process and instrumenta-
tion diagrams (P&IDs), plus a sym-
bol definition sheet. Even if the
P&IDs were available, though, a
reader would have to spend time to
find each device mentioned in the
description on the diagrams.
The description, of course, could
be improved with additional, de-
scriptive language — but this
means more work for the writer.
So, how can we reduce the burden
on the writer and increase the clari-
ty for the reader? Setting up a user-
defined function in a spreadsheet is
the answer.
Creating
a user-defined function
Setting up the function starts with
understanding its basic goal, and
defining its name, and its arguments.
The goal is to write a sentence.
Remember the basic parts of a sen-
tence: subject, verb, and object. For
a process description, the subject
always is “the computer control
system” and doesn’t need to be
stated. So, our sentence reduces to:
verb, and object. But, which ob-
ject? We need to address a specific
object; therefore, let’s add an ad-
jective, and make our sentence:
“verb, specific, object.”
A good name for our function is
WRITE. A better name is SAY, be-
cause it has fewer letters. So, per-
haps, the syntax of our function
could be SAY (Verb, Specific, Ob-
ject). While this syntax best illus-
trates the intent of the function, I
instead recommend SAY (Verb,
Object, Specific, OptionalText),
and will illustrate why.
I use Excel 97 as my spreadsheet
software. Different versions of
Excel and other spreadsheet soft-
ware can implement the SAY func-
tion. In this article, I only have
space to highlight the basics of pro-
gramming this function. Hopefully,
your spreadsheet’s help menus can
supply additional explanation.
The basic programming skills
needed to write a SAY function are:
• Boolean, integer and string
data types;
• string (or text) functions, espe-
cially concatenation;
• conditional and unconditional
branching;
• application object types, par-
ticularly ranges; and
• calling functions.
These allow programming an inter-
nal decision tree to return a sen-
tence via the SAY function. But,
first, you need to establish a short-
hand system for the words.
The shorthand system
Creating such a system is pretty
simple. There are only two rules:
1. Use a single letter for abbrevi-
ating a whole word or phrase.
2. Don’t repeat a letter within a
set of objects, or a set of verbs.

Table 3. Verb Set for Motors Table 4. Verb Set for Indicators

Shorthand Abbreviation Verb Shorthand Abbreviation Verb

E Energize (Start)* S Sees (Test for "is" condition)

D De-energize (Stop)* A Alarm

N Name W Wait until

* As aTrekkee, I prefer to remember this as Engage and Disengage. N Name

32 www.aiche.org/cep/ February 2001 CEP


Entry No. Prefix Suffix
1 XV 705-12
2 XV 705-15
3 SV 710-03
4 XV 725-03
Note: FC = fail closed; FO = fail opened. Pink shaded area is named "Valves," and the tab sheet is named "Valves" .
First, develop a shorthand sys-
tem for each of the objects, such as
controllers and valves, in a control
system — fortunately, we need deal
with only a limited number of these
objects. Table 1 illustrates such a
shorthand set, which, of course, can
be easily expanded.
Next, create a shorthand set of
verbs associated with each object.
Tables 2–4 show some verb sets for
different object types.
Discrete inputs and outputs do
not need the “optionaltext” argu-
ment. Continuous signals will use it
to pass a dimensioned number like
35°C or 45 psig. Continuous sig-
nals also will require extra coding
for “less than” or “greater than.”
This additional coding is easily
combined into the specific, with a
negative meaning “less than.” For
discrete inputs, the negative can
mean “is not.”
Let’s illustrate a few shorthand
examples:
Say (“O,” “V,” 5)
Open Valve No. 5.
Say (“D,” “M,” 2)
(De-energize and) Stop Motor No. 2.
Say (“S,” “I,” -4, “35 PSIG”)
(See that) Indicator No. 4 is less
than 35 psig.
Say (“W,” ”D,” -3)
Wait until Discrete Input No. 3 is
not made.
Table 5. Valve Table
Valve Descriptive Name Fail Position Limit Switch Detail P&ID Reference
RX-705 vent valve to vacuum pump VP-710 FC 3 030-100-006
RX-705 vent valve to atmosphere FO 2 030-100-006
Seal flush valve to vacuum pump VP-710 FC 4 P&ID 030-100-010
Reference
Cooling water valve on condenser HE-725 FO 3 030-100-006
030-100-007
This shorthand Table 6. Definition of Limit Switch Detail
system also can be
used the old fash- Limit Switch Detail ZSC ZSO
ioned way with a 1 Y Y
pencil and paper or
on a blackboard to 2 N Y
sketch out a se-
3 Y N
quence of steps or a
simple flowchart be- 4 N N
fore actually gener-
ating the final Note: ZSC = closed limit switch, ZSO = open limit switch;
Y = yes, N= no
spreadsheet docu-
ment. In this case,
the previous examples could be writ- Don’t be stingy with informa-
ten: OV5, DM2, SI-4 35PSIG, and tion. Tables are easy to fill out, and
WD-3. are independent of any control se-
With the shorthand system in quence. The SAY function will do
place and prior to programming the the work of delivering the informa-
SAY function, you now must orga- tion to the final process description.
nize the specific object information. You will save time in the long run
Every specific object will need to by having a document that reduces
have its own table in the spreadsheet. the need to relook at the P&IDs.
It is best to devote a single sheet to In Table 5, the limit switch de-
each. Table 5 shows an example for tail number determines if the valve
valves. Name the sheet after the ob- has open or close limit switches —
ject, in this case, “Valves.” Also, the numbers are defined in Table 6.
name the range of the table contain-
ing the object information (the pink The SAY function
shaded area in Table 5). Here, we also If you have Excel 97, press the
use “Valves” as the range name. “ALT” and “F11” keys. Welcome to
The table should include all avail- the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor.
able information supplied on the Select “Insert a module.” Enter the
P&ID. This includes the formal tag, code for the SAY function. Table 7
fail position, and limit switch detail. details the code for the function,
Finally, add a descriptive name for which, in turn, calls specific object
each device. functions for valves, motors, etc.
CEP February 2001 www.aiche.org/cep/ 33
Measurement and Control
The code for the valve function
appears in Table 8. This function il-
lustrates the basic statements need-
ed to get information from the
valve table and then use it to form a
sentence. The valve function also
employs the spreadsheet function
VLOOKUP. Most spreadsheet
functions can be accessed in Visual
Basic with the Application modifi-
er. Other object functions are not
shown, but can be easily created
based on these examples.
The SAY function maintains its
simplicity by not requiring all in-
formation to be passed as argu-
ments. When an argument is
changed, it will return a revised
sentence. When information in an
underlining table is changed, how-
ever, the SAY function will not
know to automatically update its
sentence. To deal with this draw-
back, we need to slightly modify
the function’s syntax to: Say (Verb,
Object, Specific * UpdateCell, Op-
tionalText).
UpdateCell is a single cell in the
spreadsheet that will have the value
of either 1 or 0. The writer will
have to change the cell from 1 to 0
and back to force the SAY function
to reread all table information. Up-
dateCell is best given a range
name.
The spreadsheet then should be
organized to produce a process de-
scription in a uniform format.
Table 9 illustrates a convenient
layout in which Columns A–D are
devoted to the arguments of the
SAY function. Column E provides
a step number, Column F a place
to enter a logic statement (If,
While, Then, EndIf, And, Or,
etc.), and Column G a single step
description.
Establishing a uniform format
allows the SAY function to be
copied and pasted rather than
typed. For example, the formula in
cell G4 in Table 9 is =say (A4,
B4, C4*Update, D4). When
copied and pasted to cell G5, it
becomes =say (A5, B5, C5*Up-
34 www.aiche.org/cep/ February 2001
Table 7. Visual Basic Code Listing for SAY Function
Function Say(Verb As String, Object As String, Specific As Integer, _
Optional AdditionalText As String) As String
'Translate Specific into Positive Number and Logical Test Result
Dim WasNegative As Boolean
Select Case Specific
Case Is < 0
WasNegative = True
Specific = -Specific
Case Is = 0
Say = "SPECIFIC IS ZERO"
Exit Function
Case Is > 0
WasNegative = False
End Select
'Translate all Verbs and Objects to Upper Case
Verb = UCase(Verb)
Object = UCase( Object )
'Make initial branch based on Object Type, which calls Object Function
If Object = "V" Then
Say = Valve(Verb, Specific)
Elself Object = "M" Then
Say = Motor(Verb, Specific)
Elself Object = "D" Then
Say = DiscreteIn(Verb, Specific, WasNegative)
Elself Object = "I" Then
Say = Indicator(Verb, Specific, WasNegative, AdditionalText)
Elself Object = "C" Then
Say = Controller(Verb, Specific, WasNegative, AdditionalText)
Else:
Say = "UNRECOGNIZED OBJECT TYPE"
End If
End Function
date, D5) — thus automatically ments in the description, such as
reading the arguments in Columns for Rows 4–7 and 14–17 in Table 9.
A–D for Row 5. Rows are easily inserted and
Cell F1 is where the writer can deleted in a spreadsheet. So, as the
enter 0 or 1. Cell D1 is the Update number of rows is modified, it is a
Cell and contains the formula: =IF great convenience to be able to have
(F1=1,1,0). The name “update” also all the steps renumber. The follow-
must be defined for cell D1. The ing formula entered in cell E3 will
formula prevents the specific from automatically renumber itself:
being multiplied by a number other =MAX (INDIRECT (“$E$2:E”&
than 0 or 1. (CELL (“row”, E3)-1), TRUE))+1
You, of course, can enter text It can be copied and pasted into
rather than the SAY function in other cells in column E, providing a
Column G, such as was done in step number that automatically
Row 3 and Rows 8–13, which do renumbers when rows are inserted
not have entries generated by the or deleted.
SAY function. For a typical process To complement the automatic
description, however, the function renumbering of steps, also use a
will provide the bulk of the state- formula to reference steps. For ex-
CEP
 ample, in cell G9, the formula is
= “Proceed to Step” & E14.
Table 8. Visual Basic Code Listing for Valve Function
Advanced features
Function Valve(Verb As String, Specific As Interger) As String
Dim Valves As Range
This article has outlined all the
Set Valves = Worksheets("Valves").Range("Valves") fundamentals for creating your own
If Specific> Valves.Rows.Count Then shorthand system and user-defined
Valve = "SPECIFIC OUTSIDE OF RANGE" SAY function. You need to exercise
Exit Function
End If
some judgment as to how much the
'Get All Valve Information from Table SAY function is expected to do.
Dim Prefix As String After all, you can always type text.
Dim Suffix As String Once your SAY function is up
Dim ValveName As String
Dim FailPosition As String
and running, consider learning
Dim LimitSwitch As Integer some more-advanced features of
Prefix = Application.VLookup(Specific,Valves, 2, False) the spreadsheet and Visual Basic.
Suffix = Application.VLookup(Specific,Valves, 3, False) Online articles are available from
ValveName = Application.VLookup(Specific,Valves, 4, False)
FailPosition = Application.VLookup(Specific,Valves, 5, False)
Microsoft (www.microsoft.com),
LimitSwitch = Application.VLookup(Specific,Valves, 6, False) and many books (e.g., Refs. 1 and
'Assemble Formal Name with Tag 2) provide guidance. These features
Dim FormalName As String can turn your process description
FormalName = ValveName & "(" & Prefix & "-"& Suffix & _
")[" & FailPosition & "-" & LimitSwitch & "]"
writer into a specialized spread-
If Verb = "N" Then sheet application, with a general
Valve = FormalName user interface.
Exit Function Some of these features include:
End If
'Translate Energize/Deenergize to Open/Close
• writing macros, for instance, to
If Verb = "E" And FailPosition = "FC" Then Verb = "O" create a properly formatted sheet
If Verb = "E" And FailPosition = "FO" Then Verb = "C" with standard column widths, or in-
If Verb = "D" And FailPosition = "FC" Then Verb = "C" sert a “standard” row with the step
If Verb = "D" And FailPosition = "FO" Then Verb = "O"
'Now open or close the valve
numbering formula and the SAY
If Verb = "O" Then function, or update the spreadsheet;
'Determine Limit Switch Confirmation • producing a new customized
Select Case LimitSwitch toolbar that runs the macros;
Case Is = 1, 2
Confirm = ", and confirm ZSO-" & Suffix & " is made"
• using custom user forms to
Case Is = 3 create drop-down menus of the
Confirm = ", and confirm ZSC-" & Suffix & " is not made" shorthand system;
Case Is = 4 • saving your SAY function as a
Confirm = ""
Case Else
.xla file, making an Excel add-in;
Confirm = "UNRECOGNIZED LIMIT SWITCH DETAIL" and
End Select • password-protecting the Visual
Valve = "Open" & FormalName & Confirm Basic code.
Exit Function
Elself Verb = "C" Then
'Determine Limit Switch Confirmation Final thoughts
Select Case LimitSwitch Investing some programming ef-
Case Is = 1, 3 fort to write a SAY function can
Confirm = ", and confirm ZSC-" & Suffix & " is made"
Case Is = 2
save time for the process descrip-
Confirm = ", and confirm ZSO-" & Suffix & " is not made" tion writer, the typist, the proof-
Case Is = 4 reader, and all reviewers of the pro-
Confirm = "" cess descriptions.
Case Else
Confirm = "UNRECOGNIZED LIMIT SWITCH DETAIL"
The SAY function changes the
End Select use of your computer from a word
Valve = "Close" & FormalName & Confirm processor to an information proces-
Exit Function sor. Many repetitive decisions no
End If
Valve = "UNRECOGNIZED VERB FOR VALVE OBJECT"
longer burden the writer of the pro-
End Function cess description, but are imbedded
in the internal decision tree of the

CEP February 2001 www.aiche.org/cep/ 35

Measurement and Control

Table 9. Spreadsheet Example of Process Description

A B C D E F G

1 Update 1 1 Change cell to 0 and 1 to update

2 Verb Object Specific Extra Step No. Logical Description

3 1 Prior to starting, all valves are de-energized.

P&ID Reference

4 d v 1 Close RX-705 vent valve to vacuum pump VP-710030-100-006

(XV-705-12)[FC-3], and confirm ZSC-705-12 is made.

5 d v 2 Open RX-705 vent valve to atmosphere (XV-705-15)

[FO-2], and confirm ZSO-705-15 is made.

6 d v 3 Close seal flush valve to vacuum pump VP-710

(SV-710-03)[FC-4].

7 d v 4 Open cooling water valve on condenser HE-725

(XV-725-03)[FO-3], and confirm ZSC-725-03 is made.

8 2 IF The EVACUATE button is pressed.

9 3 THEN Proceed to Step 7.

10 4 ELSEIF The BYPASS button is pressed.

11 5 THEN Proceed to Step 12.

12 6 ELSE Do not proceed.

13 ENDIF

14 o v 1 7 Open RX-705 vent valve to vacuum pump VP-710

(XV-705-12)[FC-3], and confirm ZSC-705-12 is not made.

15 c v 2 8 Close RX-705 vent valve to atmosphere (XV-705-15)[FO-2]

and confirm ZSO-705-15 is not made.

16 e m 2 9 Start vacuum pump VP-710, and confirm AUX contact is made.

17 w i -2 35 C 10 Wait until RX-705 pot temperature (TI-705-02) is less than 35˚C.

function. Therefore, the writer can

better focus on the true content of
the document, no longer mind-
numbed from repetitive details.
Thanks to your own customized
SAY function, your process de-
scriptions will be:
• quicker to generate;
• more understandable;
• consistent in both wording and
style;
• easy to update; and
• compliant with your company’s
instrumentation standards. CEP
Literature Cited
1. Person, R., “Using EXCEL for Win-
dows ‘95,” Que, Carmel, IN (1995).
2. “Programmer’s Guide, Microsoft Visual
Basic,” Microsoft, Redmond, WA (1993).
Related Web Sites
www.microsoft.com — for information on ad-
vanced features of Excel and Visual Basic.
www.isawriter.net—information on interac-
tive process-description-writer software
by the author.
M. J. GENTILCORE is an engineering
consultant at Mallinckrodt, Inc. (recently
acquired by Tyco International), St. Louis
((314) 654–4031; Fax: (314) 654–7174;
E-mail: Mike.Gentilcore@mkg.com). He
presently is working in the firm’s
Imaging Products Development Center.
He has 25 years of experience in design,
research and development, and
manufacturing. Holder of several
patents, he received a BS in chemical
engineering from Clarkson University,
and an MS in engineering management
from the University of Missouri - Rolla.
He is a member of AIChE, and a licensed
Professional Engineer in Missouri.

36 www.aiche.org/cep/ February 2001 CEP