Project-Based Learning Applied to Distillation and Absorption Education: Integration Between Industry and a Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Course

• Main Authors: Leonardo Fregolente, Henrique Venturelli, Jorge Rodrigues, Erik Da Silva, Iuri Diniz, Regina Wolf Maciel Maria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. 2018-10-01
• Series: Chemical Engineering Transactions
• Online Access: https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/9195

In this work, a successful methodology of Project-Based Learning (PBL) applied to distillation and absorption process education in an undergraduate course on Diffusional Transfer Unit Operations (DTUO) is presented. What is considered essential for the success of the program is the interaction between the discipline and industry. In the presented case study, 10 student teams developed virtual plants for a pulp industry and proposed solutions for given problem statements. Firstly, visits were made to one of the industrial sites of the partner pulp industry to present the educational plan for the process engineer’s team that would support the educational project. Furthermore, in these visits, distillation and absorption operations in the plant that would be addressed in the program were selected. Once the industrial cases were chosen, problems statements were established and previous simulations using Aspen Plus@ Simulation Software were performed in order to check the suitability of the selected cases for an undergraduate course. From the initially selected case studies, 03 plants were selected for modelling considering the availability of the thermodynamic properties of the feed components in ASPEN PLUS@ database. Furthermore, before the first contact of the students with the pulp case studies, during the first two months of the course, concepts on distillation and absorption were presented to the students, so that they were able to solve simple problems by manual calculation and computer simulation. As soon as the students started their work to propose solutions for process problem statements, they were assisted by the discipline lecturer and assistants together with process engineers in order to direct the students to the best problem solutions. To assess the knowledge and skills acquired by students along the conduction of the projects, continuous feedback was established and oral presentations were given by the students to an examining board composed of lecturers and chemical engineers. Students' feedback on the methodology and their learning was evaluated through a survey. It was possible to conclude that the pedagogical practices developed were effective in establishing a positive and affective relationship between the students and unit operations concepts. Results showed a solid learning of the fundamentals on distillation and absorption. In addition, other skills and competencies such as capacity for solving problems and team work were stimulated during the program.