PID Controller Tuning

Douglas Plaza Guingla, Ph.D.

November 14, 2022

Tuning methodologies can be classified according to the experimentation

or test applied to the plant. The test can be performed when the plant
is in closed-loop. Normally in this case there is no need to identify plant
parameters. When the test is performed in open-loop (only the plant is
involved) then the tuning values depend on the model parameters which
should be identified.

1 Closed-loop methods
The first PID tuning algorithm was published by Ziegler and Nichols in 1942.

1.1 Ziegler-Nichols Method:

It was the first rigorous method to tune PID controllers. The use of this
technique involves risks in the operations such as: oscillatory behaviour,
sensitive to uncertainty and pushing the systems to extreme values of the
variables. The closed-loop Z-N method consists of the following steps:

ˆ With P-only closed-loop control, increase the magnitude of the propor-

tional gain until the response is continuous perfect oscillation.

ˆ The value of controller proportional gain that causes the continuous

oscillation is referred to as the critical (ultimate) gain kcu . The peak-
peak period of the oscillation is called the critical (ultimate) period
Pu .

ˆ Use the table to compute the P, PI, PID gain values.

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Table 1 indicates the values to be set to the controller gains when the Z-N
method is used.

Table 1: Ziegler-Nichols Closed-Loop tuning parameters FOPDT

Controller type kc τI τD
Proportional 0.5kcu - -
PI 0.45kcu Pu /1.2 -
PID 0.6kcu Pu /2 Pu /8

1.2 Tyreus-Luyben method

Tyreus and Luyben have suggested tuning parameter rules that result in less
oscillatory responses and that are less sensitive to changes in the process
conditions. The equations are shown in table 2

Table 2: Tyreus-Luyben tuning parameters based on ZN

Controller type kc τI τD
PI kcu /3.2 2.2Pu -
PID kcu /2.2 2.2Pu Pu /6.3

1.3 Example for first order process

For the third order system, tune the controller according to the closed-loop
methodologies.
1
Gp (s) = (1)
(2s + 1)(3s + 1)(s + 1)

2 Open-Loop Methods
Main disadvantage of close-loop methods is that the test forces the process
to the limit of the stability and the time involved in the test. Open-loop
methods are based on the identification of process models being the FOPDT
model the most referenced.
kp
Gp (s) = e−θs (2)
τp s + 1

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2.1 Ziegler-Nichols open loop method
Table 3 presents the tuning equations for P, PI, PID controllers.

Table 3: Ziegler-Nichols Open-Loop tuning parameters

Controller type kc τI τD
τp
Proportional kp θ
- -
0.9τp
PI kp θ
3.3θ -
1.2τp
PID kp θ
2θ 0.5θ

For an integrating system with delay,

k −θs
Gp (s) = e (3)
s
it is possible to tune the parameters according to Ziegler-Nichols as it can be
seen in table 4

Table 4: Ziegler-Nichols tuning parameters for integrating plus delay process

Controller type kc τI τD
1
Proportional kθ
- -
0.9
PI kθ
3.3θ -
1.2
PID kθ
2θ 0.5θ

2.2 Cohen and Coon Method

The methodology is based on a FOPDT process model. Similarly as Ziegler-
Nichols, the gains are tuned to achieve a decay ratio of 14 response. Table 5
presents the tuning values for the parameters of controllers P, PI, PID.

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 Table 5: Cohen-Coon tuning parameters
Controller type kc τI τD
τp θ
Proportional kp θ
[1 + 3τp ] - -
θ
τp [30+3 ]
θ
PI kp θ
[0.9 + 12τp
] θ [9+20 τθp ] -
τp

τp 4 [32+6 τθ ]
θ p 40
PID [
kp θ 3
+ 4τp
] θ [13+8 τθ ] [11+2 τθ ]
p p