This compact teaching / training unit offers every opportunity to learn the fundamentals of process control through experimentation on a temperature control system. The experimentation set-up is mounted on a solid housing which accommodates all the electronics. A metal bar, which is thermally insulated with cladding, is heated or cooled at one end by a Peltier element. Three temperature transducers along the axis of the bar allow the variation in temperature along the length of the bar, and hence the associated thermal lags, to be obtained for differing operating conditions. A dial-gauge thermometer offers the advantage that the temperature can be read off directly at any time. The temperature is measured using a thermal resistor (PTC). The transducer output signal is sent to the software controller. The output signal from the controller influences the operating voltage of the Peltier element and hence the heating power. A fan that dissipates part of the heating energy can be activated by the software to investigate the influence of disturbance variables.

The powerful state-of-the-art software is an integral part of the training system, embodying the principle of hardware/software integration (HSI). It enables the experiments to be conducted and evaluated in a user-friendly manner. The software has network capability. The link between the practice system and the PC is made via a USB port.
The clearly structured instructional material sets out the technological fundamentals and provides a step-by-step guide through the experiments.

- Fundamentals of process control based on the

  example of a temperature control system. System

  dead time can be obtained from the response

- Open loop control response.

- Effects of different control parameters and methods

  on the response of the closed loop system
- Recording of step responses 
  + reference variable
  + disturbance variable
- Controller optimisation
- Software-based controlled system simulation
  + comparison of different system parameters