ISA Interchange

Welcome to the official blog of the International Society of Automation (ISA).

This blog covers numerous topics on industrial automation such as operations & management, continuous & batch processing, connectivity, manufacturing & machine control, and Industry 4.0.

The material and information contained on this website is for general information purposes only. ISA blog posts may be authored by ISA staff and guest authors from the automation community. Views and opinions expressed by a guest author are solely their own, and do not necessarily represent those of ISA. Posts made by guest authors have been subject to peer review.

Greg McMillan

Greg McMillan

Greg McMillan has more than 50 years of experience in industrial process automation, with an emphasis on the synergy of dynamic modeling and process control. He retired as a Senior Fellow from Solutia and a senior principal software engineer from Emerson Process Systems and Solutions. He was also an adjunct professor in the Washington University Saint Louis Chemical Engineering department from 2001 to 2004. Greg is the author of numerous ISA books and columns on process control, and he has been the monthly Control Talk columnist for Control magazine since 2002. He is the leader of the monthly ISA “Ask the Automation Pros” Q&A posts that began as a series of Mentor Program Q&A posts in 2014. He started and guided the ISA Standards and Practices committee on ISA-TR5.9-2023, PID Algorithms and Performance Technical Report, and he wrote “Annex A - Valve Response and Control Loop Performance, Sources, Consequences, Fixes, and Specifications” in ISA-TR75.25.02-2000 (R2023), Control Valve Response Measurement from Step Inputs. Greg’s achievements include the ISA Kermit Fischer Environmental Award for pH control in 1991, appointment to ISA Fellow in 1991, the Control magazine Engineer of the Year Award for the Process Industry in 1994, induction into the Control magazine Process Automation Hall of Fame in 2001, selection as one of InTech magazine’s 50 Most Influential Innovators in 2003, several ISA Raymond D. Molloy awards for bestselling books of the year, the ISA Life Achievement Award in 2010, the ISA Mentoring Excellence award in 2020, and the ISA Standards Achievement Award in 2023. He has a BS in engineering physics from Kansas University and an MS in control theory from Missouri University of Science and Technology, both with emphasis on industrial processes.

Books:

Advances in Reactor Measurement and Control
Good Tuning: A Pocket Guide, Fourth Edition
New Directions in Bioprocess Modeling and Control: Maximizing Process Analytical Technology Benefits, Second Edition
Essentials of Modern Measurements and Final Elements in the Process Industry: A Guide to Design, Configuration, Installation, and Maintenance
101 Tips for a Successful Automation Career
Advanced pH Measurement and Control: Digital Twin Synergy and Advances in Technology, Fourth Edition
The Funnier Side of Retirement for Engineers and People of the Technical Persuasion
The Life and Times of an Automation Professional - An Illustrated Guide
Advanced Temperature Measurement and Control, Second Edition
Models Unleashed: Virtual Plant and Model Predictive Control Applications

Recent Posts:

Temperature Sensor Installation for Best Response and Accuracy

This post was written by Greg McMillan, industry consultant, author of numerous process control book...
Greg McMillan Feb 16, 2015 10:42:20 AM

Temperature Communication for Best Accuracy and Reliability, and Least Noise

This post was written by Greg McMillan, industry consultant, author of numerous process control book...
Greg McMillan Feb 4, 2015 10:42:08 AM

What are the Inherent Differences in the Performance of Pure Batch, Fed-Batch and Continuous Reactors?

The following insights are part of an occasional series authored by Greg McMillan, industry consulta...
Greg McMillan Jan 19, 2015 10:42:33 AM

An Overview of the Control Loops for Batch, Fed-Batch and Continuous Reactors

The following insights are part of an occasional series authored by Greg McMillan, industry consulta...
Greg McMillan Jan 12, 2015 10:42:31 AM

How to Obtain Concentration Measurements from Common Inline Sensors

This guest post was written by Greg McMillan, industry consultant, author of numerous process contro...
Greg McMillan Dec 8, 2014 10:42:17 AM

Inferential Measurement of Cell and Crystal Growth Rate and Reaction Rate

This guest post was written by Greg McMillan, industry consultant, author of numerous process contro...
Greg McMillan Nov 24, 2014 10:42:14 AM

Automation Project and Startup Humor – How to Laugh Rather Than Fret

Project meetings and startups can be stressful times to say the least. Here we gain insights by look...
Greg McMillan Nov 7, 2014 10:42:21 AM

Have You Had a Good Automation Industry Laugh Today?

Humor can provide insights by opening the mind to the strange but true aspects of ourselves and our ...
Greg McMillan Oct 20, 2014 10:42:08 AM

How to Select the Optimal Temperature Sensor for Industrial Applications

This post was written by Greg McMillan, industry consultant, author of numerous process control book...
Greg McMillan Sep 8, 2014 10:42:50 AM

    Related Posts