EET Capstone Student Project: Chemical Mixing Plant Integrated with Programmable Logical Controller and Human Machine Interface

Abstract

The capstone project course is an intrinsic part of the undergraduate education. The capstone projects are widely regarded as an excellent mechanism for assessing the outcomes of engineering and engineering technology programs and can serve as a direct measure of the quality of graduates. Capstone projects provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their critical thinking skills, communication skills, as well as time and project management skills. The capstone course prepares students to better understand the professional roles in the engineering and technology community. As part of the continuous efforts in developing critical thinking skills among the graduates of Michigan Technological University, the Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) Program at the Michigan Technological University is to engage a group of EET students in solving engineering problems as part of capstone integrating experience and to fulfill the degree program requirements. The purpose of this capstone senior design project is to integrate a programmable logic Controller (PLC) with the Human Machine Interface (HMI) to control a chemical mixing plant. The machine uses various normally open and normally closed contacts, to mix and heat/cool up to three different liquids. The PLC is used to control the various AC and DC inputs and outputs (12 volt DC inputs, 120 volt AC outputs, and 12 volt DC outputs) of the plant to achieve the desired preset conditions of the chemical process. The inputs of the plant are used to collect the data from a flow meter and temperature sensors. The HMI allows the operator to employ additional functions and the integrated PLC provides a variable control for a pressure transducer, heater, and mixer. The final product will be further used in classroom instructions providing the students with hands-on experiences programming PLC and getting familiar with HMI functions. Additionally, the project provides an excellent opportunity for EET students to apply their skills and course work and interact with faculty on a real-world design challenge. The chemical mixing plant build upon completion of this project will be further used as a stand alone training solution to teach PLC and HMI concepts in introductory and advanced PLC courses in EET program at the Michigan Technological University. In this article, we describe an effective approach of conducting capstone senior design project, the project requirements, the significance of the project, and specific project outcomes.