Using a distributed control system (DCS) for distillation column control in an undergraduate unit operations laboratory

This paper presents the main advantages of using an industrial distributed control system (DCS) in the operation of a distillation column which is used in an undergraduate unit operations laboratory course at the University of Texas at Austin. Taking advantage of the resources of an industrial DCS (friendly display options, an alarm management system, historical databases and advanced control tools), undergraduate students are able to operate a distillation column under automatic control. After training on the DCS system, students are able to evaluate the performance of the control loops as well as tune them in order to improve the operation of the column.