Computers & Chemical Engineering, Vol.24, No.2-7, 1063-1068, 2000
An RT-Linux based control system of a pilot plant for reaction kinetics and process control studies
The pilot plant under study is designed for determining the kinetics of the heterogeneous non-catalytic reaction of chemical pulping of wood and for teaching system dynamics and batch process control in an appropriate university course. The natural complexity of the system includes time varying dynamics and stepwise behavior and this makes it attractive for highlighting some important features of the real world of process control. Due to its specific design, the pilot plant is also very useful for kinetic studies of heterogeneous reactions involving wood, ensuring a high level of the repeatability of results. The pilot plant and its control system have been used in teaching of chemical kinetics of heterogeneous reactions and are also part of the experimental program in a process control course.
Keywords:process control;pulping kinetics;real-time operating system;experimental process control education