Instrumentation and Control Engineering Technician

This course is an introductory course in the study of chemistry. This study of analytical chemistry makes use of solution concepts to understand the chemistry on which analytical procedures are based, and how changes in various parameters can affect the equilibrium of the chemical system. Students will be exposed to the various forms of spectroscopy, chromatography, and other analytical methods.

Communications I is a practical course designed to help strengthen essential oral and written communication skills. Students will be exposed to a variety of learning methods and communication formats. Emphasis will be placed on the use of appropriate structure, writing conventions, tone and style as well as the enhancement of interpersonal, teamwork and presentation skills. Students will also develop discipline-specific documents, practice proper business etiquette and learn the importance of ethical behaviour and professionalism in the classroom and workplace. Attention to detail is emphasized.

42 Hours

This course is an introduction to electricity. Its purpose is to develop a foundation for future courses. A clear understanding of basic concepts and their applications to problem solving will be stressed. Lecture topics include electrical quantities, Ohm’s Law, series circuits, parallel circuits, series-parallel circuits, magnetism, electromagnetism, alternating current and voltage.

This course introduces the student to health and safety in their home, in society and within an occupational setting. Students learn about the social and personal benefits of safe work practices and the methods to best prevent accidents or injuries. Students will review the role, right and responsibilities of an individual in today’s health and safety conscious world. Students also learn how to read and interpret the Occupational Act and Regulations.

42 Hours

This introductory course teaches basic principles, terminology and techniques used in process control. Safety, calibration procedures for instrumentation equipment, and control loop diagrams are core subjects. Theory on measuring and test equipment, transducers and recorders is strongly reinforced in hands-on lab assignments throughout the semester.

This two-module course teaches the essentials of pressure and flow measurement in the process industries. Module One topics include: pressure calculations, manometers, pressure elements, gauges, pneumatic and electrical pressure transmitters and differential pressure transmitters. Module Two topics include: using differential pressure transmitters for flow measurement, mechanical, electrical and mass flow meters, weirs and flumes for open channel measurements and weighing and belt scales for solids measurements.

This course covers basic algebra properties, graphing the straight line, basic geometry and trigonometry, and solving a system of equations graphically and algebraically. It also covers vector addition by components and by the cosine and sine laws.

56 Hours

Communications 2 is a one-semester course that applies the oral and written communication tools learned in Comm1 to specific business/technical applications as required by industry today. The student will enhance the writing skills acquired in COMM1 and learn to produce effective documents including business letters, emails, employment documents as well as reports applicable to their field of study. Students will also learn how to plan and participate in meeting situations and participate in mock interviews (as applicable) so that they are prepared to transition into the competitive employment market. Students will continue to learn and apply proper language and grammatical structures and apply editing strategies to business/technical documents through both in-class/online activities and through the usage of the customized Mylab online grammar tool. As with COMM1, the content will be inclusive and reflect the diverse workplace that students will experience in the future.

42 Hours

This course covers interpretation and application of simple wiring and elementary diagrams, standard electrical symbols, electrical control pilot devices, relays, contactors, motor starters, timing relays, float switch, flow switch, limit switch, proximity switch, temperature switch, two-wire control, three-wire control, hand-off automatic control, multiple push button stations, jogging control circuits, time-delay low voltage release relay.

This course is divided into two modules. In the first module, as well as capacitors and inductors are introduced as fundamental electronic building blocks. RC, RL and RLC circuits are studied and applications to instrumentation are examined. In the second module, electronic devices including diodes, transistors and transistor amplifiers, integrated circuits and operational amplifiers and op-amp circuits are introduced.

This is an introductory course designed to teach students the basics of using the AutoCAD drafting software to create 2 dimensional drawings. Lessons include using the draw, modify, layering and annotation commands.

56 Hours

Two additional modules on PID controllers and control valves add to the instrumentation technician’s knowledge of control loops. Further study of process control terminology, controller indicators, adjustments and options and controller types is followed by an introduction to the proportional, integral and derivative algorithms used to tune controllers to a process. Valve bodies, valve actuators and valve positioners are studied as the primary choice of final control element encountered in industry. Other final control elements like variable speed pumps, motors and fans, as well as dampers and feeders are introduced. Auxiliary equipment like regulators and solenoid valves are covered as are relief or safety valves.

Prerequisite: IT1004 Basic Techniques, IT1015 Measuring Principles I

This course adds the third, fourth and fifth measurement modules: level, temperature and safety sensors. Main topics in Module Three include differential pressure transmitters used for level measurement, capacitance probes, ultrasonic, radar and radiation level transmitters. Main topics in Module Four include resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), thermocouples (TCs) and pyrometers. Module Five topics include an introduction to vibration monitoring, speed sensors, flame sensors, and noise and sound sensors.

Prerequisite: IT1015 Measuring Principles, IT1004 Basic Techniques

MA2104 is the second course in the math stream for students in an Engineering Technician / Technology program.  The emphasis of this course is on solving equations relating to quadratics, logarithms, exponentials, with sections on factoring, fractional equations, manipulating exponent and radical expressions, and complex numbers, and for some programs studying systems of linear equations and determinants.  Applications of the basic concepts, to particular fields of study, will be covered.

The second semester Mathematics course is designed to give the student the mathematical tools required to function in his/her special field of study.

Students are encouraged to seek help after class hours if problems are encountered in the course.  Every effort will be made to identify problem areas to the student, but in the final analysis, it is the responsibility of the student to ask for help.

Prerequisite: MA1100 – Mathematics I (with 60%)

56 Hours

General Education Courses are selected online each semester by the student from a list provided and exposes students to a related area of study outside of their immediate academic discipline. Certain programs have predetermined electives. 

42 Hours

This course is an introductory course into the study of physics. It consists of 6 theory units and a corresponding laboratory component. The topics covered include: measurement, motion, forces, work and energy, fluids and heat. The lab component gives students the opportunity to connect with the acquired theory.

56 Hours

The aim of this course is to develop the technician’s understanding of analytical measurements and the industrial applications of those measurements. Radiant energy devices operating in the infrared, ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths are studied, as are electrochemical devices including pH and ORP analyzers.

Prerequisite: IT2024 Measuring Principles II

Review of first year material, Interpret loop drawings, troubleshooting techniques, terminology associated with computer and microprocessor control, operation and configuration of digital microprocessor based controllers, digital signal transmission protocols including H.A.R.T., Modbus, Profibus, Foundation Fieldbus, Profinet, and industrial Ethernet, Direct Digital Control, SCADA, and Distributed control.

This course covers binary number systems, binary, decimal, hexadecimal, Boolean algebra, logic gates including truth tables, combination logic, relay logic, programmable logic controllers including principle of operation and programming techniques, Modicon 984, Allen Bradley SLC 500.

This course cover the topics of motor nameplate data and wiring interpretation, three phase and single phase motor connections, DC motors, DC motor starting circuits, DC generators, three phase power, transformers.

This course covers topics such as: graphs of trigonometric functions; trigonometric identities and equations; the study of analytic geometry and the study of inequalities. The students will also be introduced to the rate of change and its relation to graphs and the tangent line.

Prerequisite: MA2104

General Education Courses are selected online each semester by the student from a list provided and exposes students to a related area of study outside of their immediate academic discipline. Certain programs have predetermined electives. 

42 Hours

This general education course will provide students with an introduction to Canadian Indigenous Nations’ history, sovereignty, land titles, cultural history and current critical issues. Topics addressed include the content of Indigenous rights, economic and social development, community and political processes, and business law and policies, justice & social services. Canadian Indigenous History and Relations is a general education course that has been incorporated into all programs at Northern College.

42 Hours

This is an elementary course in SPC with applications relevant to the process industries. Topics include: introduction to quality concepts, measurement and variation concepts, special-cause and common-cause variation, measures of the tendency and spread, organization of data by different graphical techniques, normal probability distribution, variables control charts and attributes control charts and interpretation, gauge capability, operating characteristic curve, selection of the best of curve, and process capability analysis.

This course cover topics such as distributed control, furnace control, boiler operation and control, concentrator controls. Other topics include: roaster controls, acid plant controls, pulp mill controls, nuclear power plant controls, control panels, maintenance scheduling, weighing, pump control, and closed circuit television.

This course cover topics such as Single Phase AC motors, Wound Rotor Induction motors, Reduced Voltage Starters, three-phase multi-speed controllers, Motor Drives, and Motor Maintenance.

Prerequisite: IT3024 Industrial Electronics

This course cover topics such as architecture of a basic microprocessor system, data acquisition systems, data address, and control Bus, memory interfacing, multiplexing analog signals, networking, communications, advanced programmable logic controllers.

This is a basic introductory course in Calculus. Students learn the language of calculus and apply the rules to simple engineering problems. The course includes the derivative of algebraic functions with applications to trajectory motion and minimum and maximum problems. An introduction to integration, with algebraic functions, is also taught with some basic applications to area, volumes of revolution, displacement-velocity-acceleration and other applied engineering problems.

Prerequisite: Mathematics III (MA3105 or MA3033) with 60%