Educational Simulators for Industrial Process Control - Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Application - page 144

Educational Simulators for Industrial Process Control

L.F. Acebes 1 , A. Merino 1 , L. Gómez 1 , R. Alves 2 , R. Mazaeda 1 , and J. Acedo 3

1 Department of Systems Engineering and Automatic Control, University of Valladolid,
Higher Tech. College of Industrial Engineering, c/Real de Burgos s/n 47011, Valladolid, Spain
2 Department of Informatics and Automatic Control, Faculty of Sciences,
University of Salamanca, Spain
3 Centro Superior de Formación de Repsol (CSFR), Madrid, Spain
[e-mail]

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 prob-
lems (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. Ad-
ditionally, it allows analyzing complex control systems installed in boilers, fur-
naces, 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 particu-
lar, 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.

Keywords: Dynamic Simulators, Continuous Process Control, Learning, OPC,
Object oriented Modelling Languages.

1 Introduction

In nuclear, power, thermal, oil, gas, petrochemical, pulp and paper plants, as well as
in other sectors, the use of process simulators is widespread, both for operators train-
ing and for production process improvement. Some examples of training simulators
are [1-6]. These simulators are oriented to the operators training in particular indus-
tries and they are so much complex and high cost ones.
There are simulators oriented to the study of certain control subjects such as Loop-
pro [7] or Topas [8]. They are good tools to learn process control, but many advanced
aspects of the industrial implementations are not considered. However, one advantage
is that are not so expensive.
Other simulation packages, the so called design simulators, are oriented to build
the process and control structure model and experiment with it. One example in
the field of engineering process is Hysys [9]. Other examples of general purpose