Educational simulators for industrial process control

Abstract

The paper shows a Windows© NT/XP/7 application oriented to learn control skills to process engineers. It is a dynamic simulation based tool with a friendly user interface that contains two sets of diverse process control problems (more than twenty study cases are available). It is possible to study typical control problems as cascade, ratio, selective, override and feedforward control techniques and the tuning, configuration and operation of PID controllers. Additionally, it allows analyzing complex control systems installed in boilers, furnaces, distillation columns or reactors and special industrial control techniques to ensure the process safety. In order to outline the functional features of the tool, one of the simplest modules is shown. To conclude, an overview of the methodology and software used to develop this tool is also outlined. In particular, an object oriented modeling and simulation tool is used to develop the simulation models, a self-developed SCADA is used as graphical user interface and the simulation-SCADA communications are supported by the OPC standard. Finally, it must be remarked that this tool is used successfully in an industrial master of instrumentation and process control.