Engineers make things happen.  Therefore, experiments are an essential part of engineering education.  We need laboratory-scale experiments, so students can experience and confirm the fundamentals taught in classes.  Usually, these experiments are inexpensive, safe, and isolate single phenomena.   However, once out of school, engineers work on industrial-scale processes and equipment; where the complications of scale, measurement and control techniques, and operating procedures present problems that are different from those in typical laboratory-scale equipment.
 
 In the School of Chemical Engineering at Oklahoma State University, we strive to prepare students to effectively plan and execute experiments, analyze and interpret measurements (with inherent non-idealities of process equipment), and make rational business decisions.  So, as part of the Unit Operations Laboratory objectives, we have students practice on industrial-scale processes. 
                                                              Ross Linneman showing graduate student Konda                                                               Mettu tricks for the control system.  

We needed an industrial-scale unit; so Professor Jan Wagner developed a P&ID for a new heat exchanger unit for the Unit Operations Laboratory and organized a team of volunteers to carry out the detailed design.  The unit has three types of heat exchangers (double-pipe, shell-and-tube, and plate) plus a water heater and a condensate cooler, about 20 temperature transmitters, three control valves, and about 15 pressure and differential pressure transmitters.  The pilot-scale unit represents industrial devices and is assembled to industrial piping standards – a glorious entanglement of pipes, valves, instrumentation, and heat exchangers for student learning. 

Block valves allow lining up flow paths that can create about 10 heat transfer configurations; for each configuration, the controllers can be structured for about 10 separate objectives.  The orifice flow meter for the steam is pressure and temperature compensated.  Students will never run out of new experimental objectives - exploring flow calibration procedures and equations, monitoring pressure losses in pipes and equiupment, applying multivariable control techniques, developing heat transfer correlations, testing installed control valve characteristics, etc. 
Spring 2004 juniors calibrating the
orifice and differential pressure transducers.

The unit was created and installed entirely through donations of money, time, and equipment; and we greatly appreciate all those who participated.  Alumni donations were used for some of the design, equipment, installation, and fabrication costs.   Puffer Sweiven provided the control valves.  Vinson Process Controls and Fisher Controls donated most of the computer control system and volunteered significant help from Ross Linneman to set it up.   The pressure, differential pressure, and pneumatic transmitters came from ConocoPhillips.  Linde Process Plants, Inc. permitted Eli McDaniel to develop the engineering isometric drawings.  Scott Newfield, owner of Newfab general fabrication services built the skid and did the piping, essentially at cost.  While the School and College contributed to preparing the water supply and drain headers, our alumni and industrial friends were essential.   We could not have provided this experience to our students without the help of our alumni and industrial friends.  Thank you, all, very much.
                                                                                                                                    An example of an isometric mechanical drawing that                                                            guided assembly.  

 

     

 

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