An adaptive process control loop controller within a process control environment comprising: a control module to control operation of the process control loop including one or more process control loop devices within the process control loop in response to control data from the control module; a plug-in module operatively coupled to the control module as a non-layered, integrated extension thereof, the plug-in module comprising a process model identification control routine to examine the control data to detect a change therein, and a collection routine to collect the control data and operating condition data in connection with a condition of the process in response to the detected change; and a model identification engine operatively coupled to the plug-in module to receive the collected control data and the collected operating condition data, the model identification engine comprising a model identification routine, characterised in that the model identification routine executes a plurality of model parameter identification cycles, each identification cycle corresponding to a model parameter being identified, wherein each cycle comprises: a plurality of simulations of the process based on one or more simulation parameters, each simulation having different simulation parameter values and each simulation using the collected control data as an input, an estimation error calculation for each simulation based on simulated operation condition data in connection with an output of the simulation and based on the collected operating condition data, and a model parameter calculation of a model parameter value based on at least two of the estimation errors and based on simulation parameter values used in the simulation corresponding to each of the at least two estimation errors. a control module to control operation of the process control loop including one or more process control loop devices within the process control loop in response to control data from the control module; a plug-in module operatively coupled to the control module as a non-layered, integrated extension thereof, the plug-in module comprising a process model identification control routine to examine the control data to detect a change therein, and a collection routine to collect the control data and operating condition data in connection with a condition of the process in response to the detected change; and a model identification engine operatively coupled to the plug-in module to receive the collected control data and the collected operating condition data, the model identification engine comprising a model identification routine, characterised in that the model identification routine executes a plurality of model parameter identification cycles, each identification cycle corresponding to a model parameter being identified, wherein each cycle comprises: a plurality of simulations of the process based on one or more simulation parameters, each simulation having different simulation parameter values and each simulation using the collected control data as an input, an estimation error calculation for each simulation based on simulated operation condition data in connection with an output of the simulation and based on the collected operating condition data, and a model parameter calculation of a model parameter value based on at least two of the estimation errors and based on simulation parameter values used in the simulation corresponding to each of the at least two estimation errors. a plurality of simulations of the process based on one or more simulation parameters, each simulation having different simulation parameter values and each simulation using the collected control data as an input, an estimation error calculation for each simulation based on simulated operation condition data in connection with an output of the simulation and based on the collected operating condition data, and a model parameter calculation of a model parameter value based on at least two of the estimation errors and based on simulation parameter values used in the simulation corresponding to each of the at least two estimation errors.