International Teaching | PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL

cod. 0612200040

PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL

	0612200040
	DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
	EQF6
	CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
	2025/2026

CURRICULUM CHEMICAL ENGINEERING Cohort 2023/2024

	OBBLIGATORIO
	YEAR OF COURSE 3
	YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2016
	SPRING SEMESTER

TEACHING UNITS

	SSD	CFU	HOURS	ACTIVITY	TYPE OF ACTIVITY
	ING-IND/26	6	60	LESSONS	COMPULSORY SUBJECTS, CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CLASS

	Objectives
	GENERAL OBJECTIVE THE STUDENT WILL ACQUIRE THE PRELIMINARY AND FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO ADDRESS PLANT REGULATION AND AUTOMATIC PROCESS CONTROL. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING THE STUDENT WILL UNDERSTAND THE TERMINOLOGY USED IN THE MEASUREMENT OF PROCESS VARIABLES, PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION, INDUSTRIAL VALVES, REGULATION, AND AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF PROCESS PLANTS. THEY WILL KNOW THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES FOR MEASURING TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, FLOW RATE, AND LEVEL. THEY WILL UNDERSTAND TOOLS FOR ANALYZING LINEAR DYNAMIC SYSTEMS USING THE LAPLACE TRANSFORM AND THE CONCEPT OF FEEDBACK CONTROL. (SC3) (D3C3) APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO SELECT THE APPROPRIATE SENSOR FOR MEASURING THE MAIN PROCESS VARIABLES IN AN INDUSTRIAL PLANT. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DEVELOP SIMPLE MACROSCOPIC DYNAMIC MODELS OF INDIVIDUAL EQUIPMENT TYPICAL OF THE CHEMICAL AND FOOD INDUSTRIES. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THE CHARACTERISTICS AND ADVANTAGES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SENSORS AND VALVES FOR THE PROCESS INDUSTRY. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH THE DIFFERENCES IN THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF A CHEMICAL OR FOOD PROCESS IN OPEN-LOOP AND CLOSED-LOOP CONFIGURATIONS. (SA3) (D3A3) THEY WILL BE ABLE TO PERFORM BASIC SELECTION AND PRELIMINARY SIZING OF CONTROL VALVES. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DEVELOP SIMPLE FEEDBACK CONTROL SCHEMES, SELECT A SINGLE-LOOP CONTROLLER, AND SET ITS PARAMETERS (TUNING). (SA1) (D3A5) INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO READ AND INTERPRET A MEDIUM- TO LOW-COMPLEXITY PIPING AND INSTRUMENTATION DIAGRAM (P&ID). THEY WILL BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE PROCESS VARIABLES, INSTRUMENTATION, INDUSTRIAL VALVES, REGULATION, AND AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEMS BASED ON THEIR ENGLISH TERMINOLOGY. (TG2) COMMUNICATION SKILLS THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO PREPARE AND PRESENT A BASIC-LEVEL PRESENTATION OR PROJECT RELATED TO THE DYNAMICS OR FEEDBACK CONTROL OF A SIMPLE PROCESS. (TC1) (SA5) LEARNING SKILLS THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTENT OF TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION RELATED TO LABORATORY AND INDUSTRIAL SENSORS AND VALVES. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED TO CONTEXTS DIFFERENT FROM THOSE PRESENTED DURING THE COURSE AND DEEPEN THE TOPICS USING MATERIALS OTHER THAN THOSE PROVIDED. (TA1) THEY WILL BE ABLE TO CONDUCT A PRELIMINARY MARKET SURVEY TO SELECT AN INDUSTRIAL OR LABORATORY SENSOR. THEY WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO CONDUCT A PRELIMINARY SURVEY TO CHOOSE A VALVE OR LABORATORY TAP. (TA3)

GENERAL OBJECTIVE
THE STUDENT WILL ACQUIRE THE PRELIMINARY AND FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO ADDRESS PLANT REGULATION AND AUTOMATIC PROCESS CONTROL.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
THE STUDENT WILL UNDERSTAND THE TERMINOLOGY USED IN THE MEASUREMENT OF PROCESS VARIABLES, PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION, INDUSTRIAL VALVES, REGULATION, AND AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF PROCESS PLANTS. THEY WILL KNOW THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES FOR MEASURING TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, FLOW RATE, AND LEVEL. THEY WILL UNDERSTAND TOOLS FOR ANALYZING LINEAR DYNAMIC SYSTEMS USING THE LAPLACE TRANSFORM AND THE CONCEPT OF FEEDBACK CONTROL. (SC3) (D3C3)

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO SELECT THE APPROPRIATE SENSOR FOR MEASURING THE MAIN PROCESS VARIABLES IN AN INDUSTRIAL PLANT. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DEVELOP SIMPLE MACROSCOPIC DYNAMIC MODELS OF INDIVIDUAL EQUIPMENT TYPICAL OF THE CHEMICAL AND FOOD INDUSTRIES. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THE CHARACTERISTICS AND ADVANTAGES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SENSORS AND VALVES FOR THE PROCESS INDUSTRY. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH THE DIFFERENCES IN THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF A CHEMICAL OR FOOD PROCESS IN OPEN-LOOP AND CLOSED-LOOP CONFIGURATIONS. (SA3) (D3A3)
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO PERFORM BASIC SELECTION AND PRELIMINARY SIZING OF CONTROL VALVES. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DEVELOP SIMPLE FEEDBACK CONTROL SCHEMES, SELECT A SINGLE-LOOP CONTROLLER, AND SET ITS PARAMETERS (TUNING). (SA1) (D3A5)

INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO READ AND INTERPRET A MEDIUM- TO LOW-COMPLEXITY PIPING AND INSTRUMENTATION DIAGRAM (P&ID). THEY WILL BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE PROCESS VARIABLES, INSTRUMENTATION, INDUSTRIAL VALVES, REGULATION, AND AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEMS BASED ON THEIR ENGLISH TERMINOLOGY. (TG2)

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO PREPARE AND PRESENT A BASIC-LEVEL PRESENTATION OR PROJECT RELATED TO THE DYNAMICS OR FEEDBACK CONTROL OF A SIMPLE PROCESS. (TC1) (SA5)

LEARNING SKILLS
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTENT OF TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION RELATED TO LABORATORY AND INDUSTRIAL SENSORS AND VALVES. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED TO CONTEXTS DIFFERENT FROM THOSE PRESENTED DURING THE COURSE AND DEEPEN THE TOPICS USING MATERIALS OTHER THAN THOSE PROVIDED. (TA1)
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO CONDUCT A PRELIMINARY MARKET SURVEY TO SELECT AN INDUSTRIAL OR LABORATORY SENSOR. THEY WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO CONDUCT A PRELIMINARY SURVEY TO CHOOSE A VALVE OR LABORATORY TAP. (TA3)

	Prerequisites
	THE REQUIRED SKILLS ARE ONES USUALLY GAINED WITH THE COURSE OF “PRINCIPLES OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING”, I.E. THE TRANSPORT PHENOMENA COURSES OF B.SC. LEVEL. THIS MEANS BALANCE OF MASS, MOMENTUM, AND ENERGY, UNDER STATIONARY AND TRANSIENT CONDITIONS; BASIC THERMODYNAMICS AND BASIC CALCULUS (ODES SOLVING, ZEROES FINDING, TAYLOR EXPANSION).

	Contents
	1.INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE COURSE (2 HOURS OF THEORY) 2.SOFTWARE (23 HOURS, COMPOSED AS FOLLOWS: 13 HOURS OF THEORY, 10 HOURS OF EXERCISES) THERMODYNAMIC SYSTEM: STATE PARAMETERS, STEADY STATE, TRANSIENT, EQUILIBRIUM. LUMPED PARAMETER AND DISTRIBUTED PARAMETER ANALYSIS. PHYSICAL-MATHEMATICAL MODELS: BALANCE EQUATIONS AND TRANSPORT EQUATIONS. INPUT-OUTPUT MODELS: SISO AND MIMO. THE LAPLACE TRANSFORM. THE TRANSFER FUNCTION. REFERENCE LINEAR DYNAMIC SYSTEMS: 1ST ORDER, 2ND ORDER, WITH DEAD TIME. 3.HARDWARE (15 HOURS, COMPOSED AS FOLLOWS: 9 HOURS OF THEORY, 6 HOURS OF EXERCISES) SENSORS: MEASUREMENT OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, FLOW RATE, LEVEL; ACTUATORS: VALVES; CONTROLLERS. 4.FEEDBACK CONTROL (20 HOURS, COMPOSED AS FOLLOWS: 10 HOURS OF THEORY, 10 HOURS OF EXERCISES) BLOCK DIAGRAM OF FEEDBACK CONTROL. SET POINT, LOAD, DISTURBANCE, OPEN LOOP AND CLOSED LOOP RESPONSE. P, PI, PID CONTROL. NOTES ON THE STABILITY OF SYSTEMS. CONTROLLER TUNING.

Contents

1.INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE COURSE (2 HOURS OF THEORY)
2.SOFTWARE (23 HOURS, COMPOSED AS FOLLOWS: 13 HOURS OF THEORY, 10 HOURS OF EXERCISES) THERMODYNAMIC SYSTEM: STATE PARAMETERS, STEADY STATE, TRANSIENT, EQUILIBRIUM. LUMPED PARAMETER AND DISTRIBUTED PARAMETER ANALYSIS. PHYSICAL-MATHEMATICAL MODELS: BALANCE EQUATIONS AND TRANSPORT EQUATIONS. INPUT-OUTPUT MODELS: SISO AND MIMO. THE LAPLACE TRANSFORM. THE TRANSFER FUNCTION. REFERENCE LINEAR DYNAMIC SYSTEMS: 1ST ORDER, 2ND ORDER, WITH DEAD TIME.
3.HARDWARE (15 HOURS, COMPOSED AS FOLLOWS: 9 HOURS OF THEORY, 6 HOURS OF EXERCISES) SENSORS: MEASUREMENT OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, FLOW RATE, LEVEL; ACTUATORS: VALVES; CONTROLLERS.
4.FEEDBACK CONTROL (20 HOURS, COMPOSED AS FOLLOWS: 10 HOURS OF THEORY, 10 HOURS OF EXERCISES) BLOCK DIAGRAM OF FEEDBACK CONTROL. SET POINT, LOAD, DISTURBANCE, OPEN LOOP AND CLOSED LOOP RESPONSE. P, PI, PID CONTROL. NOTES ON THE STABILITY OF SYSTEMS. CONTROLLER TUNING.

	Teaching Methods
	THE COURSE CONSISTS IN FRONT LESSONS (34H) AND CLASSROOM EXERCISES (26H) FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF 60 HOURS WHICH ARE WORTH 6 CREDITS. FOR SOME EXERCISES WE WILL USE SPREADSHEETS AND SOFTWARE TO SOLVE ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS (ODES) AND FOR THE SIMULATIONS OF PROCESSES. ATTENDANCE AT THE LECTURES IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. THE COURSE IS GIVEN IN ENGLISH. ALL COURSE SLIDES ARE MADE AVAILABLE BY THE LECTURERS ON THE MS TEAMS® PLATFORM OF UNIVERSITY. IN ADDITION, OTHER NOTES, TEXTS OF PREVIOUS WRITTEN EXAMS AND SOLVED PROBLEMS ARE AVAILABLE. TEACHING INCLUDES THEORETICAL LECTURES CONDUCTED BY THE LECTURER WITH EXTENSIVE USE OF COMPUTERIZED SLIDES AND ANIMATIONS, LECTURE EXERCISES DONE BY THE LECTURER ON THE BLACKBOARD OR SLIDE-BASED, INTERACTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING IN COMPUTER CLASSROOM WITH THE USE OF THE EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE LOOP-PRO CONTROL STATION® OR SIMCET/PITOPS PICONTROL, AND OF THE WHEELED FESTO EDUCATION MPS® PA WORKSTATION FOR MEASUREMENT AND AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF LEVEL, FLOW, TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE. A STUDENT SOFTWARE LICENSE IS MADE AVAILABLE TO EVERY STUDENT WHO REQUESTS IT, PURCHASED ANNUALLY ON THE DIDACTIC LABORATORIES OPERATION FUND OF THE DIDACTIC COUNCIL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING. AT THE END OF THE COURSE, EACH STUDENT WHO OPTIONALLY WANTS TO CARRY OUT AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT WORK TO STUDY THE DYNAMICS OR CONTROL OF A PROCESS, IS ASSIGNED AN ESSAY TO BE DEVELOPED WITH BY MEANS OF THE EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE AND TO BE DELIVERED TO THE LECTURER AT THE EXAM.

Teaching Methods

THE COURSE CONSISTS IN FRONT LESSONS (34H) AND CLASSROOM EXERCISES (26H) FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF 60 HOURS WHICH ARE WORTH 6 CREDITS.
FOR SOME EXERCISES WE WILL USE SPREADSHEETS AND SOFTWARE TO SOLVE ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS (ODES) AND FOR THE SIMULATIONS OF PROCESSES.
ATTENDANCE AT THE LECTURES IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.
THE COURSE IS GIVEN IN ENGLISH.

ALL COURSE SLIDES ARE MADE AVAILABLE BY THE LECTURERS ON THE MS TEAMS® PLATFORM OF UNIVERSITY. IN ADDITION, OTHER NOTES, TEXTS OF PREVIOUS WRITTEN EXAMS AND SOLVED PROBLEMS ARE AVAILABLE.
TEACHING INCLUDES THEORETICAL LECTURES CONDUCTED BY THE LECTURER WITH EXTENSIVE USE OF COMPUTERIZED SLIDES AND ANIMATIONS, LECTURE EXERCISES DONE BY THE LECTURER ON THE BLACKBOARD OR SLIDE-BASED, INTERACTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING IN COMPUTER CLASSROOM WITH THE USE OF THE EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE LOOP-PRO CONTROL STATION® OR SIMCET/PITOPS PICONTROL, AND OF THE WHEELED FESTO EDUCATION MPS® PA WORKSTATION FOR MEASUREMENT AND AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF LEVEL, FLOW, TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE.
A STUDENT SOFTWARE LICENSE IS MADE AVAILABLE TO EVERY STUDENT WHO REQUESTS IT, PURCHASED ANNUALLY ON THE DIDACTIC LABORATORIES OPERATION FUND OF THE DIDACTIC COUNCIL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING.
AT THE END OF THE COURSE, EACH STUDENT WHO OPTIONALLY WANTS TO CARRY OUT AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT WORK TO STUDY THE DYNAMICS OR CONTROL OF A PROCESS, IS ASSIGNED AN ESSAY TO BE DEVELOPED WITH BY MEANS OF THE EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE AND TO BE DELIVERED TO THE LECTURER AT THE EXAM.

	Verification of learning
	THE LEARNING ASSESSMENT PROCESS INVOLVES A WRITTEN TEST. THE WRITTEN TEST LASTS TWO HOURS, IT IS AN "OPEN BOOK" TEST: THE CANDIDATE CAN USE WHATEVER HE/SHE WANTS (NO INTERNET), AND THE TEST REQUIRES THE SOLUTION OF TWO PROBLEMS. THE LEVEL OF SUFFICIENCY CORRESPONDS TO THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY THE METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS TO USE, TO CORRECTLY ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS AND TO INDICATE VIABLE RESOLUTION SOLUTIONS. THE LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE IS ACHIEVED BY PROVIDING THE CORRECT ANSWERS TO ALL THE QUESTIONS POSED BY THE TEST.

Verification of learning

THE LEARNING ASSESSMENT PROCESS INVOLVES A WRITTEN TEST. THE WRITTEN TEST LASTS TWO HOURS, IT IS AN "OPEN BOOK" TEST: THE CANDIDATE CAN USE WHATEVER HE/SHE WANTS (NO INTERNET), AND THE TEST REQUIRES THE SOLUTION OF TWO PROBLEMS.
THE LEVEL OF SUFFICIENCY CORRESPONDS TO THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY THE METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS TO USE, TO CORRECTLY ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS AND TO INDICATE VIABLE RESOLUTION SOLUTIONS.
THE LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE IS ACHIEVED BY PROVIDING THE CORRECT ANSWERS TO ALL THE QUESTIONS POSED BY THE TEST.

	Texts
	REFERENCE TEXTBOOKS 1.GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, CHEMICAL PROCESS CONTROL: AN INTRODUCTION TO THEORY AND PRACTICE, PTR PRENTICE HALL (1983), ISBN-13: 978-0131286290 2.DALE E. SEBORG, THOMAS F. EDGAR, DUNCAN A. MELLICHAMP, FRANCIS J. DOYLE III, PROCESS DYNAMICS AND CONTROL, WILEY (2019), ISBN-13: 978-1119587491 AUXILIARY TEXTBOOKS 3.SOHRAB ROHANI, COULSON AND RICHARDSON'S CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: VOLUME 3B: PROCESS CONTROL, BUTTERWORTH-HEINEMANN (2017), ISBN-13: 978-0081010952 4.GIANANTONIO MAGNANI, GIANNI FERRETTI, PAOLO ROCCO, TECNOLOGIE DEI SISTEMI DI CONTROLLO, MCGRAW-HILL EDUCATION (2011), ISBN-13: 978-8838672750

Texts

REFERENCE TEXTBOOKS
1.GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, CHEMICAL PROCESS CONTROL: AN INTRODUCTION TO THEORY AND PRACTICE, PTR PRENTICE HALL (1983), ISBN-13: 978-0131286290
2.DALE E. SEBORG, THOMAS F. EDGAR, DUNCAN A. MELLICHAMP, FRANCIS J. DOYLE III, PROCESS DYNAMICS AND CONTROL, WILEY (2019), ISBN-13: 978-1119587491
AUXILIARY TEXTBOOKS
3.SOHRAB ROHANI, COULSON AND RICHARDSON'S CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: VOLUME 3B: PROCESS CONTROL, BUTTERWORTH-HEINEMANN (2017), ISBN-13: 978-0081010952
4.GIANANTONIO MAGNANI, GIANNI FERRETTI, PAOLO ROCCO, TECNOLOGIE DEI SISTEMI DI CONTROLLO, MCGRAW-HILL EDUCATION (2011), ISBN-13: 978-8838672750

	More Information
	Teaching is provided in English. COURSE WEBPAGE HTTPS://WWW.GRUPPOTPP.IT/EN/PROCESS-INSTRUMENTATION-AND-CONTROL/

BETA VERSION Data source ESSE3

International Teaching | PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL