Enhancing process control education using a web-based interactive multimedia environment

Abstract

SimFurnace is a multimedia simulation of the crude furnace in the upstream end of the refinery. It uses rich content - animation, audio, vector, and bitmap graphics - to dynamically emulate operations of a crude furnace. The interactive nature of SimFurnace allows students to dynamically change manipulated variables and see the system's response. The SimFurnace utilizes two learning modes - (1) an open-ended simulation mode, and (2) the assignments mode - to bring forth key process control related concepts using a realistic case study. SimFurnace has been developed using the Macromedia Flash MX authoring environment and runs in Flash 6 player. In this paper, we describe the design and development of SimFurnace and present some preliminary results from its deployment in an undergraduate course at the National University of Singapore. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.