College of Engineering News
As some of you may know, I was in Houston, TX at the ISA Expo 2006 [October 17 - 19, 2006] for the International Student Games (ISG) competition on Oct. 16-17, and I just wanted to share with you how it went. Sandy Kwan, Steve Jankly, Amir Eshraghi, and I from Cal Poly Pomona competed against 11 colleges and universities all over the world. Students were asked to solve four different engineering problems typically found in industry, mainly dealing with plant controls, operation, and monitoring. Emerson and Honeywell were the two companies that designed these problems, and provided the equipment needed to solve them. We were given 45 minutes to solve each problem, and we were graded according to timeliness, teamwork, and how well the problems were completed. Emerson provided three out of the four problems, and each problem revolved around their DeltaV product line. Here is a brief description of the problems we were given:
Problem #1: Modeling Flow Control and Monitoring using DeltaV and MiMiC Applications
We were given a pre-built simulation of three tanks connecting to a large blending tank. We had to use the DeltaV and MiMiC control software to create a realistic flow model to simulate the tanks in operation. This involved setting up the tank characteristics and flow calculations for the simulation and tuning the system such that it would model realistic characteristics of a plant.
Problem #2: Troubleshooting a Real Life Pressure Tank and PID Tuning
We were given a hardware model of a pressure tank with valves, pumps, etc. being monitored by a DeltaV controller. We were given the information that the system was operating fine until maintenance was performed on the system. We were asked to troubleshoot and isolate the problem to get the system running again. Once the system is functioning normally, we were asked to fine tune the PID controller until the system is stable.
Problem #3: DeltaV Safety Instrumented System (SiS) Valve Tripping
A hardware model of a system with a valve being controlled and monitored by a DeltaV controller was given to us. We had to design a safety system using the DeltaV software to control a shutoff valve when the level of a water tank reaches critical.
Honeywell provided the equipment and design of the last problem for the competition:
Problem #4: Burner Controller and Safety Code Compliance
Honeywell provided a hardware model of a burner control system for a chemical plant boiler. Specifications and documentation of the system were also provided. We were asked to replace an old burner controller with one of their new 7800 series controllers. We were also asked to rewire the model such that the new burner controller would be installed correctly to produce a pilot flame. First we were asked to read specifications from two NFPA safety documents (NFPA 85 & 86). We then had to choose which safety code we would need in this application, and add the specifications needed in our model. Should we choose the wrong code, the system would not work.
The results of the competition were very close. Our Cal Poly Pomona team ranked 2nd place in the competition, trailing Lambton College (Sarnia, Ontario, Canada) by 2 points for 1st place. The 3rd place team was from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (Burnaby, Canada) trailing us by 1 point. Emerson also provided gifts for teams that ranked the highest for each problem, and Cal Poly ranked highest on problem #1, being the only team to finish the entire problem.
This competition has been one of the most challenging and rewarding competitions I've ever been involved in. It allowed me to experience firsthand how it is to be on the field dealing with control systems and plant operations. It has also helped me develop teamwork and motivation in trying to solve intense problems, and also experience how it feels to be in a high pressure, time sensitive situation. Lastly, I made a lot of new friends and contacts with some of the brightest and hardworking individuals in engineering. Overall, this competition has been extremely rewarding, and I suggest to anyone who is studying engineering in college to become an ISA member and get involved in the ISG for next year. Membership was only $10, and the organization and school paid for our entire trip (airfare, lodging, banquet, etc.). That is too sweet of a deal to pass up.
SAIF RAWAS
ISA Student Section President
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
October 2006
