Capstone design course in chemical engineering

The capstone course in chemical engineering at Widener University is divided into two semesters, In the fall semester, students experience the application of chemical engineering principles to the development, design, operation and evaluation of all major process equipment. Two in-class examinations are given during the term and a common project is assigned to all students. Students are allowed to work in small teams, although each student must submit a separate project report. Typical projects have been the design and equipment specification for the manufacture of propylene from ethylene via metathesis or the conversion of methane to ethylene via oxidative coupling, among others. In doing so, students also gain exposure to industrial computing tools such as ASPEN, SIMSCI, HYSYS, PROCEDE, and STELLA among other programs. The course is taught in a state-of-the-art computer classroom in which each student has his or her own computer station which is part of a LAN that serves the school of engineering. In the second semester, students randomly pick a technology out of an envelope. The course requirements are for students to provide a process design package for a world scale manufacturing facility by the end of the semester. Such a document is often called a ''black book'' in industry. Students are also required to present and defend their design. Feedback from the students has been positive and they exhibit pride and ownership in their work. There are no tests given. Some suggestions on milestones are provided in the course syllabus and the professor works closely with students as they proceed with the design. However, it is the student's responsibility to perform the required literature searches, develop a conceptual block diagram, and to develop the process details during the semester. About midway through the semester, the students give a short, jive slide presentation on the status of their process design to the full faculty and fellow students. A final presentation is due at the end of the course in which the students describe their results. This is one of the few times in their college careers in which their work is completely different than their fellow classmates during the same course. It appears to be a good learning experience for all those involved.