Design - Build - Test: Flexible process control kits for the classroom

Abstract

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. This project bridges the chasm between academics and industry by developing inexpensive and flexible process control lab kits that will allow students to design, implement and test their own control systems. At the heart of the process is the LEGO® RCX brick, an inexpensive system that grabs student interest. Using the kits, students are able to construct the physical process with quick release fittings and implement the control system in software using ROBOLAB™ for Lab VIEW™. Inexpensive kits were developed using LEGO components that include a tank, sensors, motorized control valve and a control algorithm. The kits are easy to reproduce. With them, students conduct several level experiments which illustrate concepts of simple draining tank dynamics. The students plan and construct the piping, determine the placement of sensors and control elements and decide the process control parameters. In a single class period, the students design, construct and test their process. Because the kits are inherently safe and require only electrical power and water to run, they can be used for laboratories, classroom demonstrations and exercises, independent activities and for educational outreach to high school students.