Process Operations
Instrumentation Skills
Course 1 – Heating and Cooling Systems
Prerequisites: This lesson is designed for participants familiar with industrial process control. A knowledge of standard symbols used in process control diagrams, PID control systems, and various process control strategies is also recommended.
Description: This lesson describes the design and operation of various heating and cooling systems utilized in industrial processes. The lesson also presents the principles of heat transfer and its effect on heat exchanger design, In addition, typical control strategies for various heating and cooling systems are presented.
Objectives:
- Identify typical applications of heating and cooling systems in industrial processes
- Describe the process of heat transfer through convection, conduction, and radiation
- Describe factors that will affect the rate of heat transfer
- State factors associated with process material that affect heat exchanger design
- Describe the design and operation of a tube and shell heat exchanger
- Describe applications for heating systems
- Describe the design and operation of a fired reboiler
- Identify the control loops required of a fired reboiler, evaporator/vaporizer, chiller condenser, and a cooling tower in the proper process diagram and process control requirements
Course 2 – Distillation Columns
Prerequisites: This lesson is designed for participants familiar with process control. A knowledge of standard symbols used in process control diagrams, PID control systems, and various process control strategies is also recommended.
Description: This lesson introduces the concepts of distillation including the components, operation, and principles of distillation systems. The relationship of process variables such as temperature and pressure is described in relation to the proper operation of a distillation column. The lesson also presents basic and advanced distillation control strategies.
Objectives:
- Summarize the essential features of distillation
- Describe the function of the main components of distillation
- State the significance of vapor pressure, boiling point, temperature variables, pressure variables, and reflux in the distillation process
- Distinguish between binary and multi-product distillation columns
- State the importance of temperature, pressure, reflux, and feed control for a distillation process
- Identify a process analyzer and describe its role in a distillation process
- Describe the significance of material balance regulation to control product composition
- Describe how cascade control is applied
- Describe how feedforward control is applied
Course 3 – Batch Process Systems
Prerequisites: This lesson is designed for participants familiar with process control. A knowledge of standard symbols used in process control diagrams, PID control systems, and various process control strategies is also recommended.
Description: This lesson introduces industrial batch process systems. The lesson includes batch process steps, types, and operation as well as batch process control strategies.
Objectives:
- Describe the operational differences between batch and continuous processes
- Identify components, functions, and control requirements of a batch process
- Describe control variables and strategies for temperature control
- List batch process steps in correct operational sequence
- State the importance of sequential control for correct process operation
- Describe control variables and strategies involving mixing/blending
- Describe the purpose of polymerization
- Describe how the effects of disturbances and load changes can be minimized
- Describe how the control system would respond to an increase in reaction rate in an exothermic batch process
- Describe the heat transfer principles that contribute to batch process control
- State the advantages of using a closed system of heating and using a heating or cooling coil
- Describe the operation of a single feedback control loop and a cascade control loop
- Describe the operation and control of a batch process using split range valves
- Describe how pressure can be controlled