Teaching Automatic Control for Chemical Engineers

In this paper, we present our recent advances and achievements in automatic control course in the engineering study of cybernetics at the Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology STU in Bratislava. We describe the course elements and procedures used to improve teaching, learning, and administration experience. We discuss on-line learning management system, various teaching aids like e-books with/without solutions to practice examples, computer generated questions, video lectures, choice of computation and simulation tools. The course is provided in the presence form of study for about 20 students, but it relies on on-line tools and methods. Starting from this academic year, flipped design of the course was designed. We describe our experience in the preparation of such a change and some initial feedback from the students. The course concentrates on input/output linear approximation of processes in chemical and food technology and discusses poles/zeros, process dynamics, frequency and time methods, closed-loop system, design and tuning of PID controllers, root-locus analysis. Although the majority of laboratory exercises is performed using simulation tools, we also provide easy-to-use laboratory device that can be given to all students to work either at school or at home.