LabVIEW and Data Acquisition as a Problem Solving Tool in Chemical Engineering
HT
Heidi B. Martin
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Position/Tilt Control: Self-Adjusting
Solar Panel
Max Friedle (Fall 2011, Exchange
Student)
Course Execution:
Educational Objectives
Tim Lam (Fall 2011)
Pressure Control:
Basketball Filling
For the Process Control Course:
Marissa Miles (Fall 2011)
Concentration
Control: Dissolved
CO2 in an
Aquarium
Jeffrey Justus (Fall 2009)
2. Set of eight programming assignments which involve wiring of sensors
and/or actuators to the ELVIS (Weeks 3-11)
3. Hardware Project Idea Assignment - students submit a preliminary idea
for a possible individual project, which includes what sensors and
actuators might be needed; feedback from the instructors is given (Week
6)
Summary of Individual Projects: The controls course
culminates with individual projects (See Examples!) that require
students to interface with hardware in order to implement a
feedback control system. The students must:
•
•
Waterline Control:
Ballast Tanks
1. Hands-on sessions to learn LabVIEW and data acquisition basics using
the NI-ELVIS (Weeks 1-3)
• (Materials) Purchase of NI hardware and custom-building
of pH controller stations; acquisition and adaptation of a
large variety of sensors and actuators for use in
assignments and design projects.
Wire the sensor(s) and actuator through the NI-ELVIS platform

Course (Execution) Structure for the LabVIEW and data
acquisition components (in Process Control):
• (Activities) Hardware Project requiring data acquisition and
conrol.
•

Construct a scale size
“guitar”
Simplify to a single string
Detect string frequency with
magnetic guitar pickup
Use a stepper motor to
increase/decrease tension
on the string
C. Senior Design Project - Student groups have the option to
build their own apparatus and acquire data to help address their design
project; these projects are provided by companies. In Spring 2012, half
of the group chose to pursue this option.
• (Activities) Set of assignments spanning an eight-week
period that couple programming with hardware wiring.
Design the LabVIEW interface

B. Junior (Measurements) Laboratory - One experiment is fully
dedicated to design of the experiment and LabVIEW/hardware
interface, and on all experiments, students are expected to consider
limitations of their data acquisition in assessing their data.
Learning Activities and Materials:
•
Lyle Zyra (Fall 2009)
Follow-up Courses:
• (Materials) Student access to LabVIEW software and our
NI-ELVIS hardware platforms.
Temperature Control:
Stirred Tank Reactor
Acoustic Frequency Control:
“Tone-View” Guitar Tuning

• (Activities) Set of hands-on sessions with handouts to
introduce LabVIEW and data acquisition basics
Control Variable: Restful Sleep
Wish to keep this
variable equal to
setpoint
Manipulated Variable: Rocking
Amplitude for motor
was altered
This was done to reach
setpoint again (restful
sleep)
Disturbance Variable: Restless Infant
Any movement
Tim Hunt (Fall 2010)
A. Chemical Process Control – Traditional lectures on process
control theory are balanced with in-class and lab activities that
introduce practical aspects of designing and implementing a controller
for a chemical process. Students gain experience with wiring sensors
and actuators, and building programs to acquire data and design/run a
control system.
Key Technology: LabVIEW software and NI-ELVIS II data
acquisition platform (National Instruments) as a user-friendly
tool to enable our students to get hands-on practice in coupling
basic data acquisition hardware with a feedback controller.
Mallory Miller (Fall 2010)
Liquid Level Control:
Variable-Size Drink Dispenser
Primary Course:
To empower Chemical Engineering students with the
ability to setup and use data acquisition as a versatile
and fun tool for addressing design problems.
Initial Motivation: Traditional Process Control courses focus
only on process control theory
Motion Control: “Sound Sleeper”
Baby Rocker
Tank
FC
4. Hardware Project Choice – Student selects between a standard project
(pH control) and a self-designed project. More credit is given to selfdesigned projects. Self-designed projects can be related to research they
are doing or other personal interests. (Week 9)
•Ships have lower center of gravity
•Increase draft (may be necessary for
proper propeller immersion)
•Large vessels carrying light loads must
fill tanks
•Large vessels carrying heavy loads must
empty tanks
Above: Physical Setup
Right: Step Change in
Waterline
Far-Right: Boat
5. Written Progress Report and Preliminary LabVIEW program (Week 12)
6. Final Oral Presentation and Demonstration of Working Control System
(Week 15)
Customize existing hardware as needed to build their system
Tune the PID feedback controller and demonstrate a working
control system
Pressure Control:
Trash Compactor
Rob Russo (Fall 2011)
pH Control
(The standard
project)
Erica Wieser (Fall
2009)
Block Diagram – For pH Feedback control; includes pH
sensor and pump actuator
Light Intensity Control: Window Blinds
Jordan Welch (Fall 2009)

1
p (t ) =
p + K C  e(t ) +
τI

Front Panel
t
∫ e(t )dt + τ D
*
0
*
de(t ) 

dt 
Example from
Alaina Strickler
(Fall 2011)
Students must also tune their PID
controllers
Concentration Control:
Saline Conductivity
Erik Becker (Fall 2011)
Compactor Reaching Setpoint Pressure, then
retracting when trash is compacted