Every Process Control Guru should have a ready reference library. You can’t be expected to keep every detail in your head.

Of course, you have some dusty old college text books on a variety of topics related to process control. But you should also add a few of the modern classics. Here are some of my favorites:

The Instrument Engineer’s Handbook: Process Control
If you could only keep one book in your library, this is the one.  With over 1500 pages of detailed process control advice, this is like an encyclopedia of process control knowledge.  Everyone in the field of process control should have a copy of this book, which covers theory, practice, hardware, software, and especially, specific process control applications for everything from boilers to buildings to batch control…and that’s just the B’s!

A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge
Published by ISA, this is another great reference book. It covers all phases of the process control life cycle: design, documentation, project management, and maintenance.  Edited by Vernon Trevathan, a recent inductee to the Process Automation Hall of Fame.

Advanced Control Unleashed
Terry Blevins, Greg McMillan, et al. have written a very easy-to-read overview of advanced control.

Bottom-Line Automation
Just exactly how does your company make money with automation? Really. Can you prove it? My friend Peter Martin, VP at Invensys, covers the business aspects of process control. Peter offers great insight into the minds of high-level executives at manufacturing companies. You owe it to yourself to read this book.

What did I miss?
Feel free to suggest others by posting comments to this blog.