Development of a Web-Based Control Laboratory for Automation Technicians: The Three-Tank System

This paper introduces a Web-based control laboratory for experimentation on a nonlinear multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) system: the three-tank plant. Using this application, automation technician students can learn in a practical way many fundamental aspects of control processes. The client-side of the virtual laboratory has been developed using the programming support provided by Easy Java Simulations (EJS), an open-source tool for teachers with limited programming skills who want to create Java applications and applets. The lab has been integrated in the collaborative Web-based experimentation environment eMersion which provides more flexibility for the students performing the laboratory experiments.