Implementation of interactive virtual laboratories for control education using Modelica

A novel approach to the implementation of interactive virtual-labs is proposed. The model and the view of the virtual-lab are described in Modelica language, and the virtual-lab is ran using Dymola. To achieve this goal, a systematic methodology to transform any Modelica model into a formulation suitable for interactive simulation has been developed. In addition, VirtualLabBuilder Modelica library has been programmed. This library contains a set of ready-to-use Modelica models of visual interactive elements (i.e., containers, animated geometric shapes and interactive controls), that allows easy creation of the virtual-lab view. This approach has two strong points. Firstly, it allows taking advantage of the Modelica capabilities for multi-domain modeling and for model reuse. In particular, existing Modelica libraries for modeling of physical systems can be reused in order to build the virtual-lab models. Secondly, VirtualLabBuilder library allows performing an object-oriented description of the virtual-lab view, which facilitates its development, maintenance and reuse. The proposed approach is discussed in this manuscript and it is illustrated by means of a case study: the implementation of the virtual-lab of an industrial boiler, intended for education on chemical-process control.