Spreadsheet Problem-Solving and VBA Programming Combo Course | AIChE

Spreadsheet Problem-Solving and VBA Programming Combo Course

Take advantage of a three-day immersion into Spreadsheet Problem Solving and Excel VBA Programming specifically covering chemical engineering applications.

This course is a combination of two popular AIChE courses: CH764: Spreadsheet Problem Solving for Chemical Engineers and CH766: Excel VBA Programming for Chemical Engineers.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn:

Spreadsheet Problem Solving for Chemical Engineers (CH764):
  • Improve your basic skills with Excel so that your work is more efficient and reliable.
  • Develop well-organized, well-documented spreadsheets for chemical engineering calculations that can be understood by other engineers (and ... by you a few months down the road).

  • Use Excel’s built-in functions for calculations and table-based operations.
  • Set up spreadsheet-based flowsheet calculations, including processes with recycle streams.

  • Carry out model-fitting calculations using regression techniques, both linear and nonlinear.
  • Learn targeting and case study techniques.

  • Set up cash flow tables for venture-guidance profitability analysis.
Excel VBA Programming for Chemical Engineers (CH766):
  • How to work back and forth between Excel and VBA
  • Recording and editing macros
  • Debugging VBA code
  • Developing Excel add-ins
  • VBA programming fundamentals and techniques
  • Excel user interfaces: message and input boxes and user forms

Who Should Attend:

Chemical engineers with basic knowledge of Excel and common spreadsheet operations. Those involved in process engineering, design and economic evaluation, research and development, and chemical engineering education will find value in this course.

Day One

8:00 – 8:30

Registration

8:30 – 9:45

Spreadsheet Basics

  • Spreadsheet manipulations
  • Cell addressing and naming
  • Engineering formulas

9:45 – 10:15

Morning Break

10:15 – Noon

Table-based Operations

  • Lookup functions – discrete tables
  • Interpolation – continuous tables
  • Quadrature and smoothing

Noon – 1:00

Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:45

Case Studies and Targeting

  • Development of the base example
  • Targeting, Goal Seek and Solver
  • Case Studies, Data Tables

2:45 – 3:15

Afternoon Break

3:15 – 5:00

Numerical Methods

  • Live solution methods
  • Array formulas and functions
  • Iterative solver
  • Solving differential equations

Day Two

8:30 – 9:45

Working with Data

  • Common statistical calculations
  • Histograms and control charts
  • Experimental design/ANOVA

9:45 – 10:15

Morning Break

10:15 – Noon

Model-fitting

  • Linear regression
  • Live solution methods
  • Nonlinear regression

Noon – 1:00

Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:45

Optimization and Economics

  • Design optimization
  • Optimal scheduling
  • Profitability analysis

2:45 – 3:15

Afternoon Break

3:15 – 5:00

Interfacing with Other Software

  • Process simulators
  • Math/statistics software
  • Data acquisition

Day Three

7:30 – 8:00

Registration

8:00 – 9:45

Getting Started with VBA

  • Configuring Excel for VBA programming
  • The Visual Basic Editor environment
  • Recording and editing macros
  • Debugging tools

9:45 – 10:15

Morning Break

10:15 – Noon

User-defined Functions

  • Programming user-defined functions (UDFs) for engineering formulas
  • Including programming structure in UDFs
  • Developing array functions and borrowing Excel functions
  • Packaging collections of functions in an Excel Add-in

Noon – 1:00 Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:45

Delving into VBA Programming

  • Communicating with Excel – object-oriented concepts
  • Data types and scope
  • VBA programming structures
  • Modular programming organization

2:45 – 3:15

Afternoon Break

3:15 – 5:00

User Interfaces and VBA Applications

  • Message boxes, input boxes and user forms
  • Programming event handlers
  • Integrating course concepts into an Excel/VBA application
  • Interfacing with outside programs – process simulator example

Times displayed are in EST. Please email questions to academy@aiche.org .

Day One (CH764VTL) 

10:00 – 11:30  Session 1

Basic Spreadsheet Skills

  • Configuring Excel for engineering calculations
  • Efficient spreadsheet manipulations

12:00 – 1:30  Session 2

Basic Spreadsheet Skills

  • Formulas, cell addressing, and range names
  • Creating engineering graphs

2:30 – 4:00  Session 3

Process Calculations

  • Dealing with engineering formulas and units
  • Debugging spreadsheet calculations
  • Flowsheet calculations including recycle streams

4:30 – 6:00  Session 4

Process Calculations

  • Targeting calculations
  • Case studies

Day Two (CH764VTL) 

10:00 – 11:30  Session 1

Dealing with Data

  • Table look-up and interpolation
    • Incorporating discrete table-lookup in engineering calculations
    • Continuous tables with linear interpolation

12:00 – 1:30  Session 2

Dealing with Data

  • Quadrature and smoothing
  • Excel’s Data Analysis Toolpak
  • Histograms and distributions
  • Model building through curve-fitting

2:30 – 4:00  Session 3

Numerical Problem-Solving

  • Solving algebraic equations and systems
    • Single nonlinear equations
    • Sets of linear equations
    • Sets of nonlinear equations
  • Numerical solution of differential equations

4:30 – 6:00  Session 4

Numerical Problem-Solving

  • Optimization calculations
  • Capstone design calculations
  • Process economic evaluation
    • Cash flow and profitability

Day Three (CH766VTL)

10:00 – 11:30  Session 1

Getting Started with VBA

  • Configuring Excel for VBA programming
  • The Visual Basic Editor environment
  • Recording and editing macros
  • Debugging in the Visual Basic Editor

12:00 – 1:30  Session 2

User-Defined Functions

  • Programming user-defined functions (UDFs)
  • Including programming structure in UDFs
  • Borrowing Excel spreadsheet-based functions
  • Developing array functions
  • Packaging collections of functions in an Excel add-in

2:30 – 4:00  Session 3

Delving into VBA Programming

  • Communicating with the spreadsheet
    • Object-oriented concepts
  • Data types and scope
  • VBA programming structures
  • Modular organization of VBA programs

4:30 – 6:00  Session 4

User Interfaces and VBA Applications

  • Message boxes, input boxes and on-sheet buttons
  • Programming event handlers
  • Designing and creating userforms
  • Integrating course concepts into an Excel VBA application
  • Interfacing with external programs

Day One

8:00 – 8:30

Registration

8:30 – 9:45

Spreadsheet Basics

  • Spreadsheet manipulations
  • Cell addressing and naming
  • Engineering formulas

9:45 – 10:15

Morning Break

10:15 – Noon

Table-based Operations

  • Lookup functions – discrete tables
  • Interpolation – continuous tables
  • Quadrature and smoothing

Noon – 1:00

Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:45

Case Studies and Targeting

  • Development of the base example
  • Targeting, Goal Seek and Solver
  • Case Studies, Data Tables

2:45 – 3:15

Afternoon Break

3:15 – 5:00

Numerical Methods

  • Live solution methods
  • Array formulas and functions
  • Iterative solver
  • Solving differential equations

Day Two

8:30 – 9:45

Working with Data

  • Common statistical calculations
  • Histograms and control charts
  • Experimental design/ANOVA

9:45 – 10:15

Morning Break

10:15 – Noon

Model-fitting

  • Linear regression
  • Live solution methods
  • Nonlinear regression

Noon – 1:00

Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:45

Optimization and Economics

  • Design optimization
  • Optimal scheduling
  • Profitability analysis

2:45 – 3:15

Afternoon Break

3:15 – 5:00

Interfacing with Other Software

  • Process simulators
  • Math/statistics software
  • Data acquisition

Day Three

7:30 – 8:00

Registration

8:00 – 9:45

Getting Started with VBA

  • Configuring Excel for VBA programming
  • The Visual Basic Editor environment
  • Recording and editing macros
  • Debugging tools

9:45 – 10:15

Morning Break

10:15 – Noon

User-defined Functions

  • Programming user-defined functions (UDFs) for engineering formulas
  • Including programming structure in UDFs
  • Developing array functions and borrowing Excel functions
  • Packaging collections of functions in an Excel Add-in

Noon – 1:00 Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:45

Delving into VBA Programming

  • Communicating with Excel – object-oriented concepts
  • Data types and scope
  • VBA programming structures
  • Modular programming organization

2:45 – 3:15

Afternoon Break

3:15 – 5:00

User Interfaces and VBA Applications

  • Message boxes, input boxes and user forms
  • Programming event handlers
  • Integrating course concepts into an Excel/VBA application
  • Interfacing with outside programs – process simulator example

A laptop with Excel installed (preferably the latest version) is required for this course.

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  • Course ID:
    CH768
  • Source:
    AIChE
  • Language:
    English
  • Skill Level:
    Intermediate
  • Duration:
    3 days
  • CEUs:
    2.25
  • PDHs:
    22.50
  • Accrediting Agencies:
    Florida
    New Jersey
    New York
    RCEP