PROCESS OPERATION AND MANAGEMENT - 2025/6

Module Overview

The financial and operational management of a chemical process is essential to Chemical Industry; students who have first-hand experienced these activities will become more rounded and employable graduates.  Following a comprehensive grounding in the science of Crystallisation students will complete a number of Case Studies related to the performance and operation of the pilot plant rig processing a crystallising system.  Following comprehensive training in the safe operation of the pilot plant students will then adopt a number of different rolls in the management and operating structure of the unique pilot plant and will manage/operate the unit in semi-batch mode for 4x12hr consecutive days of production.

Module provider

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Module Leader

DUYAR Melis (Chst Chm Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

Indicative content includes:

Team Working                       Introduction, concepts, problems

Process Background           Process operations

                                   Safety management

                                   Process dynamics and planning

Case Studies                         Health and Safety

                                    Process Operation

                                    Plant/Process Management

                                    Environmental Management

Pilot Plant Operation            Introduction

                                                Maintenance

                                                Start-up trial

                                                Production runs

                                                Process Dynamics

Note    To ensure that the University properly fulfil the requirements of current safety legislation it is a             pre-requisite of taking part in the Pilot Plant Operation section of the module that students have             attended and properly participated in both the Health and Safety and Process Operation   sections of the Case Studies.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the full range of learning outcomes.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Coursework (individual): Element 1 – 10%, 8 hours (LO1, LO2); Element 2 – 30%, 22 hours (LO2)


• Small group project report – 30%, 3000 words (LO3, LO4)


• Process operation – 30% (LO3, LO4)

Formative assessment

Computer-based Pilot-Plant health and safety test (requires a pass mark of 70% before process operation can be allowed); multiple attempts possible.

Feedback

Verbal and written feedback on Coursework 1 and 2

Written feedback on the small group project

Daily verbal feedback during the process operation phase of the module

Module aims

• A comprehensive grounding in the science, design, selection and operation of equipment for Crystallisation
• An opportunity to develop their teamwork, communication, problem solving and other essential transferable skills in technical context in particular in the area of plant operation and management

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Allow students to experience the safe operation, maintenance and management of a pilot plant scale production process from the perspective of a process operator, maintenance technician, member of the management team and research engineer.  This is achieved by a combination of lectures on scientific fundamentals, presentation and exercises on group working, case studies necessary to process operation, safety and management and hands-on pilot plant operation/maintenance/management.  The module is taught semi intensively using whole days with two days in the first week (usually week 4 of the semester), one day each in the second and third week 4 days in the following week.  

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures/Case Studies           


• Simulation week                   


• Individual learning                 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENG3190

Other information

The School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas

 

Employability: This module allows students to experience the safe operation, maintenance and management of a pilot plant scale production process from the perspective of a process operator, maintenance technician, member of the management team and research engineer. By performing these hands on roles reflective of the chemical industry, students are prepared to apply their chemical engineering education to real life hands on problem solving.

 

Digital Capabilities: The pilot plant is equipped with sensors that feed data to the digital mimic of the plant in the control room. By plotting plant data in real time students are empowered to make decisions related to production on the go and see the outcomes of their decision making through data from the plant.

 

Sustainability: Through “development projects” students perform studies that investigate plant operation and make suggestions to increase the efficiency of production and decrease the energy consumption.

 

Resourcefulness and Resilience:  By working in a group setting and experiencing different roles in a real chemical production environment, students develop communication and group-work skills and learn to manage timelines of different group members to deliver engineering projects. Formal training is offered by the teaching staff on effective communication and time management strategies in group settings.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.