Donald P. Mahoney

Real-Time Computer Simulation Workshops for the Process Control Education of Undergraduate Chemical Engineers

Realistic workshops involving real‐time simulation of chemical processes are introduced for an undergraduate process‐control course in chemical engineering. The workshops are based on fundamental‐process models of industrial unit operations and are designed for the “hands‐on” learning of process control. These workshops can be used in a computer laboratory under all readily available commercial process simulation software, namely, HYSYS, Aspen Dynamics, and MATLAB. This paper reviews these workshops and how they are used for effective process control education of chemical engineers.

A completely real time approach to process control education for process systems engineering students and practitioners

Abstract The traditional approach to process control education of process systems engineers has been to employ the classical methods of process control that were originally developed as a substitute for the real time simulation of process systems. It is our contention that with the avialability of fast and easy-to-use simulation software, classical methods have limited relevance for the process control education of practicing process systems engineers. In this paper, we will outline our real time approach to process control instruction. The methodology is, then, illustrated by application to the feedback control of liquid level in a separator. Finally, the results of student subject evaluations from implementation in both the senior undergraduate process control course at the University of Calgary and in the AEA Technology Engineering Software process control training course are presented.