CHEMICAL PRODUCT DESIGN - 2025/6

Module Overview

The chemical industry can be divided into commodity chemical production, where the volume of production is high and the commercial margins are low and speciality chemicals production, where the volume of production is low but the commercial margins are high.  The oil and gas industry and petrochemicals production can be regarded as being in the former category whereas pharmaceutical production falls into the latter.  The purpose of this module is to provide students with the information that will prepare them for work in the speciality sector (hence the lectures) and then to give them an opportunity to use their total chemical engineering knowledge in project work related to several examples from the speciality chemicals industries.  This can involve products that are made for only small groups of people to use and as such may require a consumer related approach.

Module provider

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Module Leader

GADKARI Siddharth (Chst Chm Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

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

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

The general requirement for progression to level 7 of the programmes in Chemical Engineering but in particular

• ENG2109 Transfer Processes
• ENG2113 Chemical Reaction Engineering
• One of the design project modules

This module cannot be taken with ENGM001 (MDDP)

Module content

Indicative content includes: (numbers of lectures)

• An introduction to the product design process 


• Consumer survey design and product specification 


• Sorting, screening, and selection of ideas 


• Particle technology (for accurate drug delivery) 


• Advanced rheology (as used in the manufacture of paint or shampoo) 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

• that they have learnt and understood the science behind the formulation of products for consumers


• that they can apply this knowledge to examples taken for the speciality chemical industry

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• three mini projects judged by marked presentation


• a one hour exam

Assessment pattern: 

1 mini group project based on a pharmacetical or food product, assessed by poster presentation (including an element of peer assessment) 

1 mini group project based on a rheologically-based consumer product,assessed by poster presentation (including an element of peer assessment) 

1 individual project assessed by (e.g. Powerpoint) presentation (including an element of peer assessment) 

1 hour written exam: answer 3 questions.  A mock exam will be posted in SurreyLearn

Formative assessment

The numerical answers on the tutorial sheets provide formative assessment.

Feedback

The students will have drop-in sessions in connection with the mini projects.  There is commented feedback after each of the firwst two mini-projects and the marks fo the first two projects will be published before the next project is undertaken.

Module aims

• Prepare students to workk in the sector of the chemical industry that makes products for consumers

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Offer the best mix of learning and teaching methods to prepare the student for the chemical product manufacturing environment.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures


• Examples sheets and examples classes/tutorials 


• Mini project sessions and feedback (during)/after the (poster) presentations

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: ENGM282

Other information

This module has a capped number and may not be available to ERASMUS and other international exchange students. Please check with the International Engagement Office email: ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk

 

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:

Digital Capabilities: Throughout the programme students learn to navigate and utilise the Virtual Learning Environment @ Surrey (SurreyLearn) and other digital resources and online databases to aid their learning and undertake research. Students are encouraged to use current media such as WhatsApp, Teams, Zoom, and utilize cloud/file sharing for communication and team working in the Thermodynamics group coursework.

Employability: This module provides students with the information that will prepare them for work in the chemical speciality product sector. The three-project work undertaken in this module help students in developing the ability to use their total chemical engineering knowledge to critically appraise the qualities of market leading chemical products and develop/design new chemical product with unique selling proposition.

Sustainability: This module teaches students about the importance of environmental and economic sustainability in developing market leading chemical products.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: This module requires practical problem-solving skills in coursework that teach students how to conduct a survey to determine the need of customers and designing and developing practical solutions for a given need. Mini projects 1 and 2 are group coursework which help students in learning skills related to teamwork, managing of timelines, and communication.

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.