Last modified: 25 Jul 2025 16:16
The course aims to give students knowledge and understanding of how larger process systems behave and are operated and controlled. Focus is being placed on the stability of feedback control loops and on advanced control strategies aiming at enhancing safety and operability. Specific cases across the safety hierarchy (basic and advanced process control, alarm systems, emergency shutdown and interlocks, etc.) are also discussed.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
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| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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The course focuses on the dynamical response of chemical processes and its link with process operability and safety. The concept of process stability is introduced with a particular focus on controlled processes. Various techniques and criteria are presented, such as root-locus analysis and frequency response analysis, that are used to study the stability of a variety of controlled systems. Controller tuning based on these techniques is also addressed, along with established techniques, such as the Ziegler Nichols method. The interface of automatic process control and process safety is introduced by looking at advanced control strategies like cascade, feedforward, selective, split-range, and ratio control. The development of data-based empirical models for the design and tuning of controllers of complex chemical processes is presented, with particular reference to feedforward control schemes. The safety issues encountered in transient operations are addressed and the use of alarm and interlock systems to address these is discussed.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 32 | Feedback Weeks | 35 | |
| Feedback |
Online test with randomised questions, 2 hours’ long, available to attempt within a 24-hours’ window. Individual feedback on errors and questions not addressed. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 75 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | 41 | Feedback Weeks | ||
| Feedback |
Submission within 7 days after release. Individual feedback correct approaches, errors in approach and areas of improvement |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Details as for the main diet. If the student has passed the Design Project, this result is carried forward. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 75 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Details as for the main diet. If the student has passed the Class Test, this result is carried forward. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Factual | Remember | Please refer to the course handbook for the ILOs. |
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