NYU Chemical Engineering Students Develop a Modern PID Simulation Application
Students Gain Skills to Solve Real-World Engineering Challenges
“Student feedback shows that self-paced, online training courses, such as Simulink Onramp and Control System Design with Simulink, are very helpful for those with no experience in building control systems from scratch. I recommended all these courses to students for their capstone project on PID simulation application.”
Key Outcomes
- Simulink Onramp helps prepare engineering students to handle real-world operations of process equipment in industrial and research settings
- Simulink shows students how simulation streamlines the tuning process, producing better results significantly faster than manual tuning
- Training on simulation software provides comprehensive, hands-on practice for students, deepening their understanding of engineering theories
User interface displaying the response of the controlled system by PID control.
The Chemical Engineering program at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering aims to teach students hands-on operational skills to address real-world engineering challenges. The Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Laboratory course plays a crucial role in achieving this goal. Taught by Professor Xin Wang, this course includes a module that requires senior chemical engineering students to develop PID controls for a flow control experiment.
To fully understand and appreciate how modern simulation software can streamline the process, students first perform system identification experiments to manually estimate the parameters of a first-order plus dead-time (FOPDT) model—such as delay time, time constants, and process gain. Then, they design and manually tune a PID controller for the identified model. Finally, they learn to design a user-friendly application powered by the built-in PID Tuner app. The app lets students both estimate the FOPDT model from real data and tune a PID controller for the estimated model. For automatic tuning of the PID controller using the app, students begin with a blank template in Simulink® and, following step-by-step instructions, build a block diagram for a feedback control system.
A major challenge many students face, however, is a lack of comprehensive experience in designing and building a simulation for control systems. They are often confused by how to determine values for control parameters to put into the PID block, as well as identifying block settings to reflect the actual conditions of the flow control system. Self-paced, online courses, such as Simulink Onramp and Control System Design with Simulink, are helpful in clarifying and resolving these issues. In addition to these courses, students also use documentation to find answers such as the syntax and the functionality of a specific block.
In the future, Professor Wang aims to incorporate novel control strategies such as model predictive control in the module for students to try.
