This project is concerned with satisfying the instrumentation needs of the NIH Biotechnology Unit (Pilot Plant) using modern equipment and low- cost desktop- or laptop-sized personal computers (PCs). PCs have been acquired and installed to supply a variety of services, including process control, data acquisition, data analysis, and administrative functions. The instrumentation and process control functions use commercial equipment as much as possible, and are interfaced using standard I/O connections, such as the IEEE-488 GPIB and the RS-232 Serial I/O ports, as well as direct digital and analog I/O components in the desktop computer. A standard data acquisition and control program has been written and is being adapted for each fermentor system in the Biotechnology Unit. By providing the same operator interface for each system, users need to learn only one command structure to be able to operate any system. Using these techniques allows changes in the parameters measured or controlled to be accomplished relatively quickly and easily. Utilizing the computational capabilities of the computer/controller allows initial selection of the operating parameters and dynamic alteration of these parameters as the process continues, thus allowing optimization of yields or detailed study of the process parameters. Adaptive control techniques have been applied to the process, and further increases in product yield are being realized.
