Flexible Process Control Laboratory Kits: Teaching Process Control Synthesis

计算机工程（32）传统的过程控制本科教学侧重于抽象分析，通常不会为学生准备合成过程控制策略和设计的工业重要任务。我们项目的主要目标是通过开发并将廉价而灵活的过程控制实验室套件纳入课程，使学生能够设计，实施和测试自己的控制系统，从而弥合学术界和工业界之间的鸿沟。学生将有确定传感器和控制元件的位置，以及控制策略的性质的重要任务。通过我们的工具包，学生可以进行几个流量，液位和温度实验，这些实验通过实施先进的多回路控制系统来说明简单的排水罐动态概念。在这个项目中，所需的组件，一个软件控制系统，和学生的指示已经开发。因为我们的工具包是固有的安全，只需要电力和水运行，他们可以用于实验室，课堂演示和练习，独立活动，远程学习和教育推广到高中学生。今后，这些工具包可用于为一系列工程课程提供实验，包括工程概论、材料和能量平衡、单元操作和反应堆设计。拉斐特学院对开发的成套工具和材料进行了评价。罗文大学和曼哈顿学院已经完成了额外的测试。

Computer Engineering (32)Traditional undergraduate instruction in process control focuses on abstract analysis and often does not prepare students for the industrially important task of synthesizing process control strategies and designs. The key goal of our project has been to bridge this chasm between academics and industry by developing and incorporating into the curriculum inexpensive and flexible process control lab kits that will allow students to design, implement and test their own control systems. The students will have the important tasks of determining the placement of sensors and control elements, and the nature of the control strategy. With our kits, students conduct several flow, level and temperature experiments, which illustrate concepts from simple draining tank dynamics through the implementation of advanced multi-loop control systems. In this project, the needed components, a software control system, and student instructions have been developed.Because our kits are inherently safe and require only electrical power and water to run, they can be used for laboratories, classroom demos and exercises, independent activities, distance learning and for educational outreach to high school students. In the future, kits could be adapted to provide experiments for a range of engineering courses including Introduction to Engineering, Material and Energy Balances, Unit Operations and Reactor Design. Evaluation of the kits and materials developed have been conducted at Lafayette College. Rowan University and Manhattan College have completed additional testing.