LABVIRTUAL—A virtual platform to teach chemical processes

The need to develop the capacity for autonomous and critical thinking in students and introduce practical approaches that complement the scientific background, have been acting as driving-forces that motivate engineering educators to develop new teaching methodologies. The Chemical Engineering Departments of both the Universities of Coimbra and Porto have been experimenting in this area and addressing these concerns. Recently, they have been engaged in a broader project, involving a large group of academics with complementary competencies. This project is aimed at developing a virtual platform directed towards the learning of Chemical Processes with a wide scope. From the functional point of view the platform is organized into four main areas: Chemical Engineering, Chemical Processes, Virtual Experiments and Simulators. The Chemical Processes area is further divided into four different sections: Unit Operations and Separations, Chemical Reaction, Process Systems Engineering and Biological Processes. These sections include simulators, applications and case studies to better understand the chemical/biochemical processes. The Virtual Experiments area considers both the laboratory visualization of the basic phenomena related to the processes in the other four sections, and the remote monitoring of laboratory experiments. This platform, constructed around a dynamic Web Portal, allows discussion forums and is also aimed at sharing experiences with other schools. This paper describes the different subjects included in the web platform, as well as the simulation strategies and the web methodologies used for its construction, and also presents examples of application in the classroom.