1. Laboratory Remote Operation: Features and Opportunities
Jim Henry, Ph.D., P.E.
College of Engineering and
Computer Science
University of Tennessee
at Chattanooga
National ASEE, Albuquerque, NM

2. Chattanooga, Tennessee

3. What is “Laboratory Remote Operation”?
REAL lab experiments,
offered via the WEB
-- Experimental design
-- Operation of equipment
-- Retrieval of data
-- Sharing with team members

4. What is “Laboratory Remote Operation”?
Controls systems stations -- 6 systems
Chemical engineering -- 9 systems
Mechanical engineering -- 5 systems

5. What are “Features”? Features that Accommodate Scheduling Problems
Allow additional experimentation
Cure Faculty Boredom

6. What are “Opportunities”?
Opportunities to
Re-examine the role of laboratories
Re-examine teaching methods
Examine Imputed Accuracy of Results

7. What is “the role of laboratories”?
1. Hands on experience
2. Guided discovery
3. Verifying text or lecture claims
4. _________________(other)

8. What about “teaching methods”?
1. Diagrams on black board or overhead
2. Problems from back of chapter
3. Individual or team work
4. _________________(other)

9. What is “Imputed Accuracy of Results”?
“If the computer says it, it’s right.”

10. NOT True Story, 1962 EE Lab 1: Analog voltmeter to measure voltages
Oscilloscope to measure voltages
NOT
Report by JMH:
“Oscilloscope is more accurate”

11. Controls Laboratory Equipment Details
7 - Stations All S.I.S.O., “Stable”
Pressure Level
Voltage Speed
Flow Temperature
Position

12. Classical Control Systems
Set
Point
Output
CONTROL
SYSTEM + -

13. Laboratory Remote Operation
Set
Point
Output
CONTROL
SYSTEM + -
LAB SYSTEM
(server)
USER
(client)

14. Temperature
Pressure
Flow

15. Speed and Voltage
Level, 2-tanks

16. Process Laboratory Equipment Details
10 - Stations
Distillation Filter
Absorber Dehumidifier
Heat Pump Drying Oven
Combustion Heat Exchanger
Cooling Tower Pressure Swing Absorption

17. Distillation
Pressure Swing Absorption

21. Mechanical Engineering
Laboratory Details
5 - Stations
Piston and Cam Kinematics
Heat Exchanger
Refrigeration Trainer
Forced Vibrations
Engine-Generator Set
...more to come

22. Piston and Cam Kinematics
Engine-Generator Set

23. Refrigeration Trainer
Forced Vibrations

24. Laboratory Experiment Details
System Performance (Identification)
Steady-State Transient
Feedback Control

25. Good News- Bad News Hardware Managing "distant" experiments students
It works
Flexible
Managing "distant"
students

26. The Connections WWW based Netscape or Internet Explorer
Familiar & accessible & friendly
Moderate bandwidth demands
Direct via Internet
Custom LabVIEW programs
Low bandwidth demands

27. WWW Protocol BROWSER SERVER Set Point Forms Output CONTROL SYSTEM + -
Graphs
Data

31. Direct Connection Custom Software SERVER Set Point Input Data Output
CONTROL
SYSTEM + -
Output
Data

33. Diponegoro University, Indonesia
University of Koeln, Germany

34. May-June, 2001

35. chem.engr.utc.edu Web Sites www.engineering-labs.net
link to all Web-Labs:

36. Vision & Plans for students
-- access to on-line labs with a
variety of experimental systems
in chemical engineering

37. Vision & Plans for students
-- easily design and conduct experiments
from home, dorm, ….
-- compare local lab experimental results
with on-line lab results

38. Vision & Plans for faculty
-- materials to implement remote laboratory
experiments in their own institutions
-- more diverse laboratory offerings
-- easily use on-line labs in classroom
demonstrations

39. Vision & Plans www.RealLabs.net Dissemination opportunities
-- New systems
-- Renovated and Updated systems

40. Acknowledgements ---> Booth at Expo Dave Kauffman
Tennessee Taxpayers
National Science Foundation
UTC's Center for Excellence in Computer Applications
National Instruments
Microsoft Corporation
---> Booth at Expo