ECTS credits ECTS credits: 6
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Hours of tutorials: 1 Expository Class: 2 Interactive Classroom: 50 Total: 53
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary subject Master’s Degree RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Chemistry Engineering
Areas: Chemical Engineering
Center Higher Technical Engineering School
Call: First Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable | 1st year (Yes)
The main objective of the subject is that the students acquire the competences associated with the conceptual design of processes. For this purpose, the development of a group project of conceptual design of a productive process will be carried out. The following partial objectives are proposed:
- To integrate the knowledge acquired in the degree to conceptually design a process.
- To develop the necessary steps to reach the conceptual design of a new productive process or the improvement of an existing one, including aspects related to safety and environment.
- To understand the usefulness of performing experimental work in the laboratory, or operating a pilot plant prior to the construction of a full-scale plant, to obtain experimental data in order to correctly select and optimise the units of a process.
- To use process engineering methodologies, heuristic design criteria, and computer programmes to create flow diagrams and perform simulations of new or improved production processes.
- To use energy integration methodologies and design separation systems for the synthesis of production processes.
- To evaluate aspects related to the economic viability of the designed process.
The conceptual process design (CPD) consists of a creative activity for the definition of new industrial production process schemes. In a conceptual engineering project, a set of activities must be carried out to generate a process flow diagram, which serves to perform the preliminary evaluation of a possible new process or to achieve the improvement of an existing process.
The contents developed in the course are those succinctly contemplated in the subject descriptor: "Practical development of a conceptual design project, by student teams, in which aspects such as the following will be considered: (i) conception and stages in the design of processes; (ii) identification and interrelation of the main units; (iii) obtaining process data in the laboratory, and their interpretation; (iv) simulation and operation strategies; (v) economic viability; and (vi) safety and environmental aspects".
Basic bibliography:
* SEIDER, W.D., SEADER, J.D. and LEWIN, D.R. Principles of Product and Process Design - Synthesis, Analysis and Evaluation, 3rd ed. John Wiley and Sons, USA, 2010. ISBN 978-0470-04895-5. SINATURA ETSE: A150 10 C
Complementary bibliography:
* TURTON, R., BAILIE, R.C., WHITING, W.B. and SHAEIWITZ, J.A. Analysis, Synthesis and Design of Chemical Processes, 4th ed. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle, NJ, USA, 2013 (and earlier editions). ISBN 978-0-13-261812-0. SINATURA ETSE: A151 9
* PERRY, R.H. and GREEN, D.W. Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, 7th ed. McGraw Hill, USA, 1998. ISBN 9780071422949. SINATURA ETSE: 100-3
* SINNOTT, R. and TOWLER, G. Chemical Engineering Design, 2nd ed. Elsevier, Oxford, UK, 2009. ISBN 9780080966595. SINATURA ETSE: A140 11 , A140 16
* SMITH, R. Chemical Process, Design and Integration. Wiley & Sons, New York, 2010. ISBN 9780471486817. SINATURA ETSE: A151 13
Knowledge:
(CN04) To acquire advanced knowledge for the design and holistic understanding of chemical processes, from both a fundamental and practical perspective.
Competence:
(CP01) To apply knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and other natural sciences, obtained through study, experience, and practice, with critical reasoning to establish economically viable solutions to technical problems.
(CP03) To design products, processes, systems and services of the chemical industry, as well as the optimisation of others already developed, taking as a technological basis the various areas of chemical engineering, comprehensive of processes and transport phenomena, separation operations, and engineering of chemical, nuclear, electrochemical, and biochemical reactions.
Skill:
(HD01) To have ability to solve problems that are unfamiliar, incompletely defined, and have competing specifications, considering the possible solving methods, including the most innovative ones, selecting the most appropriate, and to be able to correct the implementation, evaluating the different design solutions.
(HD02) To adapt to structural changes in society caused by factors or phenomena of an economic, energetic or natural type, to solve the derived problems and provide technological solutions with a high commitment to sustainability.
(HD03) To communicate conclusions, together with the knowledge and reasons that support them, to specialised and non-specialised audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
Students taking this course will have to carry out the conceptual design of an industrial process. To do so, they will work in teams of 3-5 students. Students will work on the proposed process throughout the semester.
The seminar-based teaching is structured around activities that constitute the parts of the conceptual design of a process. Different activities throughout the development of the course will be associated with the delivery of written documents in the Virtual Learning Environment or with oral sessions, evaluable in both cases. The final report will be presented and defended orally before the teachers of the course.
The student will be the main actor in the development of the subject in the laboratory and in the computer classroom. The student will be responsible for proposing ideas and defining the tasks to be performed at each stage of the conceptual design. The specific tasks developed will depend largely on the selected process.
The teachers will adopt a role of supervision and continuous advice, they will not be the promoters of the decisions related to the progress of the conceptual design.
A session of justification of the progress made is proposed as a group tutorial, in the middle of the semester, before the teachers of the course, after submission of a preliminary version of the project report (pre-report).
The Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle) will be used as a tool to provide information/announcements about the teaching activity throughout the course and complementary materials for the study of the subject.
A visit to a company related to the contents of the course will be made, depending on the economic resources available, and seeking, if possible, an integration with the contents of other courses of the Module. The objective of the visit is to connect the contents of the course with the industrial reality. If the visit cannot be carried out, it will be substituted by an activity of approximation to the industrial world; for example, a seminar given by a specialist in the industrial sector.
Description of the activities to be carried out:
* EXPOSITIVE CLASSES AND INTERACTIVE SEMINAR CLASSES (10 sessions):
- Presentation of the course, including detailed description of the teaching guide and the philosophy of work in the course. Elaboration of working groups.
- Concretisation of conceptual design projects.
- Stages for the design of a preliminary flow diagram.
- Heuristics applied to process design.
- Environment and safety in a project of conceptual design.
- Energy integration aspects
- Analysis of projects in the context of the sustainable development goals
- Economic assessment of the process
* INTERACTIVE LABORATORY CLASSES (6 sessions)
- Laboratory - Safety standards and available equipment
- Experiment planning
- Experimental laboratory work
- Data processing and discussion of results
* INTERACTIVE COMPUTER CLASSROOM CLASSES (4 sessions)
- Simulation and optimisation of process units, using the commercial simulators Aspen Hysys, Aspen Plus, or SuperPro Designer.
* GROUP TUTORING
- Presentation of the pre-report and discussion of the progress with the teachers.
Activities carried out and competencies to be achieved:
- Expositive and interactive seminar classes: CN04, CP03, HD02, HD03.
- Interactive laboratory classes: CP01, HD01
- Interactive computer room classes: CP03, HD01
- Group tutorial: CP01, CP03, HD03
The assessment of the student will be based on the different assessable activities carried out throughout the course, the final report, and the presentation and oral defense by each team. The grade will be complemented with a teachers' report on the attitude and aptitude developed in the course, that will allow the differentiation of each student's grade.
Distribution of the grade:
- Proposed activities, technical visit, laboratory and computer classroom work: 35 % of the final grade.
- Group tutorial (pre-report and its discussion): 15 % of the final grade.
- Final conceptual design report: 25 % of the final grade.
- Final exam: 25 % of the final grade. This exam will consist of two parts: a knowledge test on aspects of the conceptual design of processes (10 % of the final grade) and the presentation and defense of the development of the conceptual design (15 % of the final grade).
A minimum of 3 out of 10 will be required in each of the above sections, as well as in each of the parts of the final exam, in order to average and pass the course. If the 5 points are reached in the final grade without fulfilling any of the partial minimums, the final grade will be that of the section in which the minimum has not been reached.
Relationship of the assessment of activities and the competences:
- Activity 1 (Proposed Activities): CN04, CP03, HD02, HD03.
- Activity 2 (Group tutorial): CP01, CP03, HD03
- Activity 3 (Computer classroom and laboratory work): CP01, CP03, HD01
- Activity 4 (Report): CP01, CP03, HD03
- Activity 5 (Exam): CN04, CP01, HD03
Attendance to the interactive laboratory and computer classroom classes will be mandatory.
Likewise, attendance to the first session of lectures, according to the schedule of the course, is strongly recommended, as it is considered critical for the proper development of the rest of the course.
The participation in the visit to the company (or substituting activity) will be mandatory and will be assessed with a questionnaire, and will be one more graded element within the continuous assessment.
The assessment system will be the same in the first and second opportunity, keeping from the first to the second opportunity the marks of the sections that exceed the minimum indicated. No grade will be retained between exams.
Students who do not participate in at least 25% of the proposed activities will be considered as not-shown.
For cases of fraudulent performance of exercises or tests, the “Normativa de avaliación do rendemento académico dos estudantes e de revisión de cualificacións” will be applied.
A total of 150 h (6 ECTS) is estimated, which is divided between 55 h of face-to-face activity and 95 h of autonomous work by the student. The distribution of the face-to-face hours according to the type of activity will be as follows:
- Expositive lectures: 2 h
- Interactive seminar teaching / technical visit: 18 h
- Interactive teaching of laboratory / computer classroom: 32 h
- Tutoring in small groups: 1 h
- Exam and revision: 2 h
In order to pass the course, students are recommended to carry out a continuous and sustained work during the entire instruction period.
For the laboratory, students must come equipped with a lab coat and safety goggles. The admission and permanence of students enrolled in the practical laboratory requires that they know and comply with the rules included in the ‘Protocolo de formación básica en materia de seguridade para espazos experimententais’ of the School of Engineering, available in the safety section of its website, which can be accessed as follows:
1. https://www.usc.gal/gl/centro/escola-tecnica-superior-enxenaria
2. Access the intranet with your personal credentials.
3. Go to Comisións > Seguridade e Saúde > Formación
4. Click on ‘Protocolo de formación básica en materia de seguridade para espazos experimententais’.
The language of instruction will be Spanish.
Students who wish to obtain additional information on issues related to the teaching and research organisation of the centre can consult the following web pages:
- Department of Chemical Engineering (e-mail, offices, and telephone numbers of the department's faculty staff, as well as research activities carried out).
- School of Engineering (description of the degree, organisation of the centre, timetable of classes, organisation of practical groups, calendar of exams, and administrative forms).
Eva Rodil Rodriguez
- Department
- Chemistry Engineering
- Area
- Chemical Engineering
- Phone
- 881816796
- eva.rodil [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
Anuska Mosquera Corral
- Department
- Chemistry Engineering
- Area
- Chemical Engineering
- Phone
- 881816779
- anuska.mosquera [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
Hector Rodriguez Martinez
Coordinador/a- Department
- Chemistry Engineering
- Area
- Chemical Engineering
- Phone
- 881816804
- hector.rodriguez [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
| Wednesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00-13:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Classroom A6 |
| Friday | |||
| 10:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | Spanish | Classroom A6 |
| 12.20.2024 10:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLIL_01 | Classroom A6 |
| 12.20.2024 10:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | Classroom A6 |
| 12.20.2024 10:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom A6 |
| 12.20.2024 10:00-12:00 | Grupo/CLIL_02 | Classroom A6 |
| 06.24.2025 10:00-12:00 | Grupo/CLIL_02 | Classroom A6 |
| 06.24.2025 10:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLIL_01 | Classroom A6 |
| 06.24.2025 10:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | Classroom A6 |
| 06.24.2025 10:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom A6 |