Book excerpt: A Real- Time Approach to Process Control provides the reader with both a theoretical and practical introduction to this increasingly important approach. Assuming no prior knowledge of the subject, this text introduces all of the applied fundamentals of process control from instrumentation to process dynamics, PID loops and tuning, to distillation, multi-loop and plant-wide control. In addition, readers come away with a working knowledge of the three most popular dynamic simulation packages. The text carefully balances theory and practice by offering readings and lecture materials along with hands-on workshops that provide a 'virtual' process on which to experiment and from which to learn modern, real time control strategy development. As well as a general updating of the book specific changes include: A new section on boiler control in the chapter on common control loops A major rewrite of the chapters on distillation column control and multiple single-loop control schemes The addition of new figures throughout the text Workshop instructions will be altered to suit the latest versions of HYSYS, ASPEN and DYNSIM simulation software A new solutions manual for the workshop problems