Module manager: Dr D Harbottle
Email: d.harbottle@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- analyse and evaluate the technical and business requirements; sustainability; safety, health and environmental issues; public perception and concerns associated with the design of a major chemical manufacturing plant;
- apprise alternative processes for manufacturing a product and create an optimum process route based on sound scientific and engineering data and arguments;
- evaluate and synthesise unit operations into a manufacturing process to meet product specifications and environmental requirements;
- apply chemical engineering knowledge to carry out rigorous process calculations (e.g. material and energy balances, process integration) and design of plant equipment to meet the process and product specifications;
- analyse and evaluate results to develop a design with appropriate checks on feasibility and practicality to demonstrate a significant degree of engineering competence;
- work in a design team and communicate effectively within the team;
- create a project plan with timeline and milestones on a Gantt Chart for carrying out specific tasks and identify task leads; prepare a rota for the Project Managers;
- communicate project outcomes effectively in written and verbal form.
On successful completion of the module, students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Understand the importance of identifying the objectives and context of the design in terms of: the business requirements; the technical requirements; sustainable development; safety, health and environmental issues; appreciation of public perception and concerns.
2. Understand that design is an open-ended process, lacking a pre-determined solution, which requires: synthesis, innovation and creativity; choices on the basis of incomplete and contradictory information; decision making; working with constraints and multiple objectives; justification of the choices and decisions taken.
3. Be able to deploy chemical engineering knowledge using rigorous calculation, including mass and energy balances, and results analysis to develop a design and with appropriate checks on feasibility and practicality.
4. Be able to take a systems approach to design appreciating: complexity; interaction; integration; being able to synthesise a conceptual multi-step process and apply analysis techniques to it.
5. Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of their design, including its immediate and life cycle environmental impacts.
6. Be able to work in a team and understand and manage the processes of: peer challenge; planning, prioritising and organising team activity; the discipline of mutual dependency.
7. Be able to communicate effectively to: acquire input information; present the outcomes of the design clearly, concisely and with the appropriate amount of detail, including flowsheets and stream data.
8. Be able to find and apply, with judgement, information from technical literature and other sources.
9. Be aware of the benefits of continuing professional development and of personal development planning.
10. Be able to reflect on their own work and implement strategies for personal improvement and professional development.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills:
- Communication, time management, planning & organising, teamwork/collaboration, technical/IT skills, problem solving & analytical skills, leadership, creativity, critical thinking, interpersonal skills.
- Core literacies, decision-making, systems thinking, information searching, reflection, presentation skills, academic writing, ethics, referencing.
Design groups will undertake a comprehensive study to evaluate the build of a new chemical plant. Design groups will be supported through weekly consultancy sessions advising on process route evaluation, mass and energy balances, process integration, Safety, Health and Environment (SHE), equipment design, process control, plant layout, plant commissioning, and environmental and economic evaluation.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consultation | 20 | 1.5 | 30 |
| Meetings | 20 | 1 | 20 |
| Supervision Meetings | 20 | 0.5 | 10 |
| Practical (computer based) | 14 | 2 | 28 |
| Lecture | 16 | 2 | 32 |
| Private study hours | 280 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 120 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 400 | ||
Background reading
Literature search and review
Design evaluation
Process related calculations (e.g. mass and energy balances)
Design of plant equipment
Report preparation
Students' progress will be monitored via:
- Submission of a project plan (semester 1)
- Feedback on process related calculations (e.g. mass/energy balances and equipment design) in weekly meetings with technical consultants
- Part 1 report (semester 1)
- Plant equipment design report (semester 2)
- Verbal presentation (semester 2)
- Extent of participation and response to questions asked in weekly tutorials with supervisors
- Attendance in lecture classes and tutorials.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Short-cut and rigorous design methods | 10 |
| Report | Process route development | 40 |
| Report | Unit design and final design evaluation | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
A suitable alternative to the group project will be offered as a resit where appropriate.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2025
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