How exactly does one go about doing chemical engineering design?
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I am a student majoring in Chemical Engineering and Technology, and I’m about to graduate. My professor assigned me a graduation project focused on the one-step synthesis of p-toluenecyanide from p-xylene through ammonia oxidation (in gas or liquid phase). There are four key technical challenges: (1) the design of the reaction bed and the modeling of the catalyst. (2) How to control the ratio of ammonia to oxygen within the explosive limit range. (3) There is a small amount of the by-product hydrocyanic acid (a highly toxic substance); environmental protection issues, as well as the treatment of waste gases, waste liquids, and waste solids, are very important. (4) The types of by-products in the product are relatively complex, making separation a challenging task. Some master, could you please help? Thank you so much! :handshake :)
Friend, no one can replace you in completing your graduation project! Regarding your project, you already know that there are four technical challenges. So, the first thing you need to do is go to the school library, sit down quietly, and find out who has conducted research in this area before, and what experiences and lessons they have gained. Only by standing on the shoulders of giants (the foundations laid by those who came before) can you see further! Once a large amount of information is found, start studying it right away. How to read it? Extensive reading combined with precision: identify the most valuable documents on your own and summarize them (this is the literature review section in your paper; the more materials you find, the more content you can write). Then, based on those summaries, develop an appropriate experimental plan to gradually test your ideas. Don’t be afraid of failure; even if you fail, you can analyze the reasons for it and thus write a high-quality paper. After all, failure is the mother of success!
I agree with what was said above. My undergraduate thesis involved the design of a small catalytic cracking unit. Even though I spent days reading books, searching for information and literature, and studying, progress was very slow and little was accomplished. Seeing other students conducting experiments made me extremely worried. But after completing my thesis, I felt that I had really learned a lot. It’s important to do one’s work thoroughly
This mainly depends on your own efforts – searching for information, learning from others’ experiences and lessons, summarizing them, and applying them to your own use. If you have any specific questions, feel free to raise them for discussion.
Doing a graduation project means solving problems, researching extensively, working hands-on, and of course seeking advice from others. This process itself is one of learning, and it helps to gain experience
The graduation project is a test of what you have learned during your undergraduate studies. So you will be given a task to analyze and solve problems on your own; it’s a good opportunity. If you can’t find the right direction, you can always ask your supervisor for help. Never treat your graduation project as a task; consider it an excellent opportunity to learn. After all, once you enter society, you’ll find that many times you need to analyze and solve problems on your own; moreover, it’s not always possible to find someone to ask questions of. By then, it will be too late to regret it. So, you still need to think of your own solutions; it’s up to you to solve the problem!