Course overview
This course is for engineers, technical staff and managers wishing to develop and extend their current standard control implementations, also scientists and engineers working in broader bio-based industries where the concepts and approaches can be applied.
Our advanced courses are aimed at those who are already working in the bioprocessing and biomanufacturing sector who want to gain a deeper understanding of relevant theory and techniques, understand and experience state-of-the-art techniques and methodologies, and appreciate the current and future challenges in biomanufacturing.
This course moves on from standard control strategies, to demonstrate how operational efficiencies can be achieved through state-of-the-art process automation, control, and process analytical technology (PAT). You will learn about the initial phases of building the control improvement business case, and how the benefits of advanced automation, control and PAT often far outweigh the cost of implementation. The Advanced Control Engineer’s ‘Toolkit’ is discussed in detail to understand how these approaches can be implemented in the development and regulated manufacturing environment.
Learning outcomes:
- Gain in depth knowledge of the opportunities afforded by process control to maximise productivity, efficiency, and quality in bioprocessing.
- Use cost-benefit analysis to evaluate state-of-the-art process automation and control.
- Apply gained knowledge and a ‘Toolkit’ approach to implement improvements in process automation and control in a regulated manufacturing environment.
Course details
What you study
Module 1 - Perfecting Conventional Control
- Introduction to biotechnology and bioprocessing
- The systems engineering landscape in bioprocessing
- Instrumentation including PAT
- Control concepts, performance metrics and PID control
- Strategy design in advanced conventional control
Module 2 - Performance Assessment and Quality Improvement
- Control system cost benefit analysis
- Introduction to design of experiments
- Statistical process control methods
- Lean Six Sigma
- Control and automation in the validated environment
Module 3 - Maximising Information from Available Data
- Data pipelining
- Systems modelling concepts
- Data modelling in bioprocessing
- Visualisation of process development bioprocess data from small bioreactors by multivariate data analysis with SIMCA
- Monitoring of production bioprocess data by multivariate data analysis with SIMCA-online
Module 4 - Advanced Approaches: Process Analytical Technologies and Control Opportunities, Benefits, and Implementation
- Process analytical technologies: Process spectroscopy and its role in control improvement
- Process analytical technologies: Online measurement of biomass and case study examples
- Process analytical technologies: Rapid measurements of quality of product
- Automation case study
Module 5 - Bioprocess Simulation and Automation in Development
- Bioprocess simulation
- Bioreactor automation
- Mechanistic modelling of chromatography
- The future of bioprocess automation
How you learn
This four-day course is delivered through a combination of lectures, workshops, and practical sessions. The content covers theoretical aspects and practical techniques in biomanufacturing, including process control, automation, and process analytical technology (PAT).
How you are assessed
No assessment required.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
At least 3 years’ experience within the biomanufacturing industry.
Employability
Career opportunities
Completing this course can benefit careers in biomanufacturing, process development, and R&D. It is particularly useful for roles focused on process control, automation, and data analysis in the bioprocessing industry.
