Teaching Process Control for the Real World

Paul Oram explains how process control education has evolved, why industry engagement matters and what still needs improving to prepare graduates for real-world automation challenges

Why do so many students struggle with process control at university?

Paul Oram (PO): I’ve heard a familiar grumble from chemical engineering graduates whenever the topic of process control comes up. Many recall struggling through their control lectures at university - finding them difficult, abstract or weighed down by theory with little sense of real-world relevance. Some felt the subject was poorly taught; others questioned whether deep control theory was even used in industry at all. I too was left having some of these feelings as an undergraduate. Being taught Lyapunov stability, without any real-world context, still causes me to shudder.

What improvements have been made in recent years?

PO: The gap between what industry needs and what universities deliver has narrowed. Firstly, there has been a marked improvement in collaboration between industry and universities. Many who were badly taught control at university now hold senior leadership positions within large companies and have provided feedback – excuse the pun – to improve what is taught and how it’s taught. Internships and industrial placements have also helped bridge gaps.

Secondly, the rise of powerful, readily available simulation software, such as MATLAB and LabView, has brought dynamic problems to life and helped students connect theory to practice. During my undergraduate days in the 1980s, the prospect of developing and evaluating sophisticated control systems using a few lines of code and interconnected function blocks would have seemed almost inconceivable; the technology needed simply didn’t exist or seemed light years away.

Thirdly, numerous universities, often in collaboration with industry, have invested in advanced pilot plant facilities that employ valves, instrumentation, and control systems comparable to those used in major industrial process units. These enable students to obtain hands-on experience and provide a tool to bring abstract concepts to life.

Being taught Lyapunov stability, without any real-world context, still causes me to shudder