chemical engineering curriculum development and international recognition in kazakhstan and russia

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Chemical Engineering Curriculum Development and International Recognition in Kazakhstan and RussiaProfessor Stefaan SimonsHonorary Professor of KazNTUDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University College London

Prof. Sergei Mikhalovsky, University of Brighton (UK)Prof. Gennady Kuvshinov, Novosibirsk State Technical University (Russia)Dr Gulzhakhan Yeligbayeva, Kazakh National Technical University (Kazakhstan)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission


Summary of Presentation

• About UCL• Collaboration with KazNTU (Tempus 1)• Why chemical engineering?• Collaboration with Russian HEIs (Tempus 2)• UCL Chemical Engineering Degree Programmes• The current project (Tempus 3)• Conclusions and call to industry


University College London

• Founded in 1826

• The first to admit students regardless of class or religion

• The first to admit women students on equal terms with men

• First teaching labs for physics & chemistry, pioneered engineering


A Top-Ranked University

• Long-standing academic reputation – 21 Nobel Prize winners• Majority of units assessed under the UK’s Research

Assessment Exercise judged as either “world leading” or “internationally excellent” in quality

• One of the highest research incomes of any UK university• 21st in the Shanghai Jiao Tong University top 500 world

universities rankings, 2009• 4th in the Times Higher-QS world university rankings 2009• 8,000 staff and 22,000 students, from 140 countries


Academic Range

• 70 academic departments in 8 faculties • Arts and Humanities• Social and Historical Sciences• The Built Environment (including Architecture)• Law• Engineering Sciences • Mathematical and Physical Sciences• Life Sciences• Biomedical Sciences (including Medicine)

• Programmes at foundation, Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral levels• An emphasis on small group teaching with one of the best staff-

student ratios - approximately 1:9• £245m research income, £250m building projects (2007)


Kazakh National Technical University

• Founded in Almaty in 1934 as the Kazakh Mining and Smelting Institute.

• In 1960, became the Polytechnic Institute, followed in 1994 by KazNTU.

• Made up of 12 “institutes”, including oil & gas, information technology, mining and mechanical engineering.

• In Oil & Gas, covers chemical technology of organic and inorganic substances, in separate degree programmes.

• The leading technical institution in Kazakhstan.


Collaboration with KazNTU (Tempus 1)

• Began with an EU Tempus Tacis project in 1994 involving UCL and the University of L’Aquila, Italy

• Objective was to start to develop a modern chemical engineering degree at KazNTU, building on existing courses and introducing new ones

• Laboratory and computing equipment installed to enhance the teaching and learning process


Why Chemical Engineering?

Chemical Engineering is crucial to the Human Development of Kazakhstan

• Chemical engineering crucial to the extraction and conversion of mineral resources, including oil & gas, and, therefore, to the Kazakh economy

• Chemical engineering also leads to better healthcare, improvements in agriculture, reduction in wastes and other pollutants, diversification in energy production, higher incomes

• Identified as key area for investment in higher education, research and industrial practice by President Nursebayev and by the United Nations Development Programme


Chemical Engineering and Human Development

• A key route to sustainable development is the effective management of energy resources and consumption – the level of energy use in Kazakhstan is currently 3 times higher than in leading industrialised countries, a heavy burden on the economy and the environment.

• Modern technologies promote effective resource use and contribute to public participation in society.

• New, modern degree programmes are required to train young Kazakhs to develop process plant and products of the highest quality and environmental standards. In this way Kazakhstan will be able to rely on its home-grown talent to develop new technologies to ensure its own sustainable development.


Outcomes of Tempus Project

• The following existing courses at KazNTU were identified as being core to chemical engineering: general science, technology and mathematics and Processes and Apparatus of Chemical Technology, which includes topics such as heat transfer and applied thermodynamics

• The following new courses were recommended to be taught in conjunction with the above courses in a chemical engineering degree stream, namely Transport Processes, Mass Transfer Operations, Laboratory Experimentation and Process Plant Design.

• The laboratory experimentation course was facilitated by the purchase of several experimental rigs.


Further Work with KazNTU

• Both myself and colleagues from L’Aquila have continued to collaborate with KazNTU after the end of the Tempus project in 1998, hosting KazNTU students and staff in research projects and training activities.

• The course teaching the design of process plant at KazNTU was facilitated by the generous donation from the Fluor Foundation in 2005 of a computer design suite, consisting of 12 computers complete with plant design software (with instructions in the Russian language).


Chemical Engineering Education Development in Russia (Tempus 2)

• A second Tempus project focussed on the development of a chemical engineering degree programme at the Novosibirsk State Technical University.

• A 2-level degree structure has been designed, based on that at UCL.

• Next step is to develop the course curricula.


UCL’s Chemical Engineering Degree Programmes

Year of Study: 1 2 3 4CE

CECE CE +SA

CE

BEng (3 years) +BE

Chemical Engineering

MEng (4 years) Chemical Engineering [CE] Chemical Engineering with Study Abroad [+SA] Chemical with Biochemical Engineering [+BE]


Overarching Themes

• The paramount importance of safety in all aspects of professional work, and particularly in the design, operation and control of process plant

• Environmental issues and the knowledge, understanding and skills that are required for sustainable manufacturing processes

• Entrepreneurship and the knowledge, understanding and skills required to identify business opportunities and exploit intellectual property.


SAFETY

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTeconomics, society, environment

PROCESS PRINCIPLES

PROCESS & PRODUCT DESIGN

MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

TR

AN

SF

ER

AB

LE

SK

ILL

S


BEng & MEng in Chemical EngineeringYear 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Mathematics Mathematics Process Dynamics & Control Adv Process Engineering

Physical Chemistry for Chemical Engineers

Experimentation Chem Reac Engng Process Plant Design II

Intro Chemical Engineering Process Heat Transfer Transport Proc III Research Project

Transport Processes I Mass Transfer Operations

“Design Project” Thermodynamics Particulate Sys & Sep Proc Corporate Finance

Engineering Experimentation

Comp-aided Proc Engng Project Management

Intro Biochemical Engineering

Process Engineering Option Adv Matl

Option

Option Option Financial Aspects Option

BEng only Common courses MEng only


Mathematics, Underlying Science and Associated Engineering Disciplines

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Mathematics Mathematics Proc Dynamics & Control Adv Process Engineering

Physical Chemistry for Chemical Engineers

Experimentation Chem Reac Engng Process Plant Design II

Intro Chemical Engineering Process Heat Transfer Transport Proc III Research Project

Transport Processes I Mass Transfer Ops


Engng Experimentation Comp-aided Proc Engineering Project Management

Intro Biochemical Engng Process Engineering Adv Mat Proc & Prod Eng MathematicsLaw for MangrsNew Ventures BusinessPhysics for CE

BiochemistryOption Financial Aspects


Core Chemical EngineeringYear 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Mathematics Mathematics Proc Dynamics & Control Adv Process Engng

Physical Chemistry for Chemical Engineers Experimentation Chem Reac Engng Process Plant Design II

Intro Chemical Engng Process Heat Transfer Transport Proc III Research Project



Engng Experimentation Comp-aided Proc Engng Project Management

Intro Biochemical Engng Process Engng Adv Mat Proc & Prod Eng Fluid-Part Sys Bioc Reac Eng

Option Financial Aspects


DesignYear 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

MATHE001Mathematics

MATHE002Mathematics

CENGE825Proc Dynam & Control

CENGE852Adv Process Engng

CHEMB1E1Basic Chemistry for Engrs

CENGE857Chemistry II

CENGE836Chem Reac Engng

CENGE855Process Plant Design II

CENGE866Intro Chemical Engng

CENGE868Process Heat Transfer

CENGE856Transport Proc III CENGE831

Research Project CENGE802Transport Processes I

CENGE849Mass Transfer Ops

CENGE867“Design Project”

CENGE808Thermodynamics

CENGE869Particulate Sys & Sep Proc

ELECE773Corporate Finance

CENGE858Engng Experimentation

CENGE862Comp-aided Proc Engng

MASTC001Project Management

BENGE100Intro Biochemical Engng

CENGE853Process Engng

CENGE875Adv Mat Proc & Prod Eng

CENGE864 Fluid-Part Sys CENGE876 Safety & Loss P

Option CENGE813Experimentation

CIVLE237Financial Aspects


Social, Environmental and Economic Context



Physical Chemistry for Chemical Engrs Experimentation Chem Reac Engng Process Plant Design II





Intro Biochemical Engng Process Engng Adv Mat Proc & Prod Eng Safety & Loss PreventionEnergy SystemsLaw for Mgrs New Ventures Management Principles

Option Financial Aspects


Engineering Practice








Intro Biochemical Engng Process Engng Adv Mat Proc & Prod Eng Safety & Loss PEnergy SystemsPublic Hlth EngOption Financial Aspects


Engineering Experimentation

24 experiments over two coursesGroup and individual projects


Experimentation

• Momentum transfer• Pumping & flow, drag coefficients, dimensional analysis & scale-up

• Heat transfer• Steady and unsteady-state, shell & tube and plate heat

exchangers

• Chemical reaction engineering• Kinetics of adiabatic reactions, CSTR and PFR

• Process dynamics• Transient response of a stirred vessel


Drag coefficients on spheres

CSTR

Flow measurement

Pipeline assembly


Computing used for design, process optimisation and control.


Transferable Skills








Intro Biochemical Engng Process Engng Adv Mat Proc & Prod Eng Safety & Loss PEnergy SystemsPublic Hlth EngOption Financial Aspects


Effective teamworking, usingnon-chemical engineeringtasks to develop teamworkskills that can be used in chemical engineering-typeprojects, but that can also betransferred to other situations.

Improves student motivation and project outcomes.


Other MEng fourth years

Chemical with Biochemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering with Study Abroad

North America Australia France Europe

Integrated Downstream Processing Graduate Level Chemical Engineering courses

Level 4 Chemical Engineering courses

Final year of Chemical Engineering studies at a Grande École

Research Project

Design & Control Biochem Reactors

Bioproc Validation & Quality Control Senior Level Science or Engineering courses

Level 3 Science or Engineering courses

Integrated Biochem Engng Design

Bioprocess Design & ImplementationResearch Project Research Project

Molecular Biology

Structure of Biological Polymers Free Electives Free Electives

Metabolic Pathways & Regulation


PhD Programme

• Currently 3 – 4 years, research only• Augmented by skills development, for which the

candidates get points, 20 per year, equivalent to 2 weeks/yr, as required by the UK funding councils

• Moving to a 4 year model with 1 MRes year of academic courses relevant to the project, followed by 3 years of research


The Current Project (Tempus 3)

• Funding has just been awarded under the EU Tempus IV programme for a project to further develop chemical engineering education in Kazakhstan and Russia, involving KazNTU, Eurasian National University (Astana), Kazakh National University (Al-Farabi), Novosibirsk State Technical University, Moscow State University, Russian trade associations, L’Aquila, Brighton, TU Berlin, ICT Prague and led by UCL.

• A particular focus will be on the development of a 3-level degree system (Bachelors, Masters, PhD) and the attainment of international recognition through accreditation (the Institution of Chemical Engineering is also a partner).

• Has support of Ministries of Education in both Kazakhstan and Russia.


The Benefits of Modern Degree Structures

• Mixture of methods of assessment (project work, individual assignments)

• Importance of learning outcomes, linked to accreditation• Emphasis is on what they learn, not the number of learning hours

• Important to encourage critical thinking, creativity and teamwork

• Enhancing the teaching and learning experience benefits both staff and students and substantially reduces teaching hours• Get out of the classroom!

• Project and teamwork encouraged


Conclusions and a Call to Industry

• Kazakhstan is rich in resources and is of great geo-political importance

• Russia also has key oil and gas reserves• Chemical engineering holds the key to human and

economic development in the former Soviet Union states and Russia

• What is lacking is industry pull from national companies to achieve modernisation of chemical engineering education and practice

• Western companies can help to raise awareness

chemical engineering curriculum development and international recognition in kazakhstan and russia

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