PiControl Solutions
PiControl Solutions

SGB845 - Steam Generator Control Course

Steam generator control training for utility and process boilers - 1-2 days in the classroom or 8-16 hours online, covering feedwater control, drum-level control, combustion control, and steam pressure and temperature control.

Feedwater, drum-level & combustion control strategiesCompletion certificate included
Overview

Steam Generator Control

The SGB845 course trains process and power plant engineers, boiler technicians, DCS technicians, and instrument engineers on the control strategies that keep a steam generator at safe, efficient operating points. SGB845 covers the four control loops that decide how well a boiler runs: feedwater control, drum-level control, combustion control, and steam pressure and temperature control, and applies them across both utility (power plant) and process steam generation.

SGB845 runs as 1-2 days of classroom training or 8-16 hours online, and starts from steam generator fundamentals before moving into applied loop-by-loop control. Attendees work through single-, two-, and three-element drum-level control, fuel-air ratio and furnace draft control, and boiler master pressure control together with superheater and desuperheater temperature control, so the sequence matches how these loops interact inside a real power plant or process boiler house rather than treating each loop in isolation.

Curriculum

What You Learn in the SGB845 Steam Generator Control Course

SGB845 moves from steam generator fundamentals into applied control of each major loop, working through feedwater, drum level, combustion, and steam pressure and temperature in the order they interact on a running boiler. After completing the course, attendees can read a steam generator control schematic, explain why single-element drum-level control fails during load swings, and describe how boiler master pressure control coordinates with combustion and feedwater as firing rate changes.

The course covers the following topics.

Module 01 · 6 topics

Steam generator fundamentals

  • Utility (drum) boilers vs. process steam generators
  • The steam cycle: feedwater, economizer, drum, superheater, and reheater
  • Steam generator control schematics and loop terminology
  • Boiler master and firing rate demand
  • Manipulated, controlled, and disturbance variables on a steam generator
  • How feedwater, drum-level, combustion, and steam loops interact
Module 02 · 7 topics

Feedwater and drum-level control

  • Feedwater regulator valve control basics
  • Single-element drum-level control and its limits
  • Two-element drum-level control using steam flow feedforward
  • Three-element drum-level control: feedwater, steam flow, and drum level
  • Shrink-and-swell dynamics and why they mislead single-element control during load swings
  • Drum-level measurement and density compensation
  • Tuning feedwater and drum-level loops against real operating data
Module 03 · 6 topics

Combustion control

  • Fuel-air ratio control and cross-limiting logic
  • Furnace draft and furnace pressure control
  • Oxygen trim control for combustion efficiency
  • Multi-fuel and multi-burner firing-rate coordination
  • Excess air optimization and its effect on efficiency and emissions
  • Combustion control response during rapid load changes
Module 04 · 6 topics

Steam pressure and temperature control

  • Boiler master pressure control fundamentals
  • Boiler Follow, Turbine Follow, and Coordinated Control modes
  • Superheater and reheater steam temperature control
  • Desuperheater (attemperator) spray valve control
  • Steam header pressure control across multiple steam generators
  • Retuning steam pressure and temperature loops against normal operating data, without disruptive step tests

Once these topics are complete, attendees can identify underperforming feedwater, drum-level, combustion, and steam loops on their own steam generators, and describe the tuning approach needed to correct them.

Who the Course Is For

SGB845 is built for the people responsible for steam generator performance in utility and process plants: process and power plant engineers, boiler technicians, DCS technicians, and instrument engineers. Some plant or engineering experience is helpful but not required, because the course starts from steam generator fundamentals before moving into applied loop tuning.

01

Process & power plant engineers

Get a structured view of how feedwater, drum-level, combustion, and steam pressure and temperature loops interact, so control changes on one loop can be evaluated against the whole steam generator.

02

Boiler & DCS technicians

Build the hands-on knowledge to configure and maintain three-element drum-level control, fuel-air cross-limiting, and boiler master pressure control on the DCS or PLC already running the plant.

03

Instrument engineers

Learn the measurement and compensation choices behind drum-level, steam-flow, and oxygen-trim instrumentation, and how those measurements feed the control loops built on top of them.

Bring your whole team

SGB845 also suits full teams from a single utility or process plant. Group participation works well ahead of a boiler upgrade, commissioning project, or control loop optimization effort, and companies use the course for technical onboarding and control room readiness programs. Onsite corporate training is available on request so a team trains together on its own steam generators.

Schedule On-Site Training
Certification & materials

Certification and Course Materials

SGB845 attendees receive a PiControl SGB845 Completion Certificate, which supports professional development records and can be added to a resume or LinkedIn profile. Course material consists of training slides and steam generator control loop exercises covering feedwater, drum-level, combustion, and steam pressure and temperature control, so attendees leave with reference documentation for each loop they cover.

Engineers who want to strengthen general PID tuning skills alongside steam generator loop control often pair SGB845 with PID100, and plants coordinating boiler and turbine loops together can pair it with PiControl's broader power plant process control services.

  • Completion certificate
  • Steam generator control loop exercises
  • Feedwater & three-element drum-level control training
  • Combustion & steam pressure/temperature control training
  • Follow-up guidance
  • PID100 follow-on pathway
View Training Schedule
PiControl Solutions
Certificate of Completion
SGB845
Steam Generator Control
Instructor
Date
FAQ

SGB845 Frequently Asked Questions

Short answers to the questions engineers ask most before enrolling in the SGB845 steam generator control course.

SGB845 runs as 1-2 days of classroom training or 8-16 hours online. The classroom format is instructor-led, and the online format is self-paced so engineers can complete it around plant duties.
SGB845 is designed for process and power plant engineers, boiler technicians, DCS technicians, and instrument engineers. Anyone responsible for feedwater, drum-level, combustion, or steam pressure and temperature control on a steam generator benefits from the course.
No. Some plant or engineering experience is helpful but not required. SGB845 starts from steam generator fundamentals before moving into applied control of each loop.
Yes. The course covers single-, two-, and three-element drum-level control, including why single-element control tends to fail during load swings due to shrink-and-swell dynamics, and how feedwater flow, steam flow, and drum level are combined in three-element control.
Yes. SGB845 covers fuel-air ratio control and cross-limiting logic, furnace draft and furnace pressure control, oxygen trim, and multi-fuel and multi-burner firing-rate coordination.
Yes. The control principles covered - feedwater, drum-level, combustion, and steam pressure and temperature control - apply to utility (power plant) boilers and process steam generators alike, and the course is not tied to any single DCS or PLC vendor.
Attendees receive a PiControl SGB845 Completion Certificate. It documents completion of the course and can be used for professional development records or added to a resume or LinkedIn profile.
The BLR217 Boiler Control Loops Training Course is a shorter, 1-day introduction to combustion and drum-level control loops. SGB845 goes further: it adds feedwater control and full three-element drum-level control, and extends into steam pressure and temperature control, including boiler-turbine coordination, across both utility and process steam generators.
Yes. Group participation works well ahead of a boiler upgrade, commissioning project, or control loop optimization effort, and onsite corporate training is available on request so a team trains together on its own steam generators.
Enroll now

Register for SGB845

Register for SGB845 to give your engineering team a practical steam generator control course covering feedwater, drum-level, combustion, and steam pressure and temperature control, with a completion certificate. Online, 1-2 day classroom, and onsite formats are available, so teams in any location or time zone can start. Return to the full training catalog to compare it with other courses.

Questions: info@PiControlSolutions.com, Tel: (832) 495 6436.