Student Experiences of Distillation Via A Remotely-Controlled Column

The Chemical Engineering program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) has a remotely operated fractional distillation column controlled by the online system, web lab. The column is almost entirely controlled by a simple program hosted by the UTC website. The column offers many benefits to the student both in the laboratory and home settings. Controlling the column via the internet allows for the user to run experiments from start to finish and gather accurate and useful data wherever and whenever they desire. The system takes temperature data for all the systems, such as the reboiler, trays, and the condenser, along with data such as flow rates and power usage. All of this information is combined in an easy to use format on the website. Using the system in the lab also allows for instantaneous updates of what is occurring while an experiment is running. Very few things are not controlled by the program such as valves that control the condenser flow. The few downsides of the system are evident in the form of a perceived lack of hands-on activity with the column. This lack, however, is overcome by one's own initiative and professorial involvement in learning how the column works, how the data is gathered and where it is obtained. Apathy in learning from a user will leave the student with sub-par knowledge of the column and its workings. The advantages of the distance-controlled system are a powerful tool when it is in the control of a professor who enhances a student's knowledge with hands-on activity. This presentation will illustrate the benefits and disadvantages to student-learning about distillation operation, and offer some suggestions for improvement using the current system.