Combining Experimentation and Simulation in a Unit Operations Lab Course

Abstract

The continuous distillation experiment in the Unit Operations Lab was moved to a virtual platform. Students used old data and equipment specifications to simulate the column in Aspen HYSYS. Students experimented without the limitations of existing equipment. For example, they studied the number of trays in the virtual column, something that is impossible with the physical set-up. In this work, we present the outline for the module and discuss student experiences and feedback.