A large tank must be filled with liquid from a supply line. One operator stands at ground level to operate the feed valve. Another stands on the tank, gauging its level with a dipstick. When the tank is near full, the stick operator will instruct the other to start closing the valve. Overfilling can cause spills, but underfilling will cause later process problems. See Lesson 1 to find a better way! (Lesson 1 image by Dr. Barry Johnston.)

Course Features

Lecture notes

Course Highlights

This course features a complete set of lecture notes and numerous assignments.

Course Description

This course introduces dynamic processes and the engineering tasks of process operations and control. Subject covers modeling the static and dynamic behavior of processes; control strategies; design of feedback, feedforward, and other control structures; and applications to process equipment.

Lecture Notes

LEC #	TOPICS	LECTURE NOTES
1	Introduction to Processes and Systems	Lesson 1 (PDF)
2	Math Review	Lesson 2 (PDF)
3-7	The Blending Tank	Lesson 3 (PDF)
8-13	Two Tanks in Series	Lesson 4 (PDF)
14, 16-17	Operability of Processes	Lesson 5 (PDF)
18-20	The Heated Tank (This really is a second Lesson 5.)	Lesson 5 (PDF)
21-26	The Exothermic Reactor	Lesson 6 (PDF)
27-31	Higher-order Overdamped Systems	Lesson 7 (PDF)
32-34, 36-39	Cascade and Feed Forward Control Schemes	Lesson 8 (PDF)