PICHE-RELATED WEBINARS
One of the most promising industries for a chemical engineer is the food industry. It has the same unit operations and processes that are vital in the manufacturing process. Starting from the raw material processing up to the packaging and transport, several unit operations related to both food and chemical engineering are employed. For this, the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers Batangas Chapter, in partnership with ECOLAB, hosted an online webinar on July 9, 2022, with the theme, "Food Quality and Safety Webinar: Towards a Sustainable, Fair, and Safe Food Future." The event was advertised to chemical engineering students and licensed chemical engineers as it has corresponding CPD points. Three topics were discussed, and these were: (1) food safety hazards and analysis; (2) safer food, better health; and (3) best practices for food safety. In addition, well-known speakers were invited to speak from different industries, such as DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, and ECOLAB.
On the 16th day of July 2022, a total of six modules were discussed in a webinar where we chemical engineering students participated attentively. Raw Materials, Furnace, and Glass Composition presented by Engr. Bryan Benedict Cuevas, followed by "Glass Forming/ Hot End" Operations discussed by Engr. Ferdinand Ramolete, "Cold End and Quality Assurance Process" discussed by Engr. Mark Anthony Cagape, "Applied Color Labeling" discussed by Engr. Jobel Arcega, "Automation and Process Control" discussed by Engr. Earl John Villosino, and lastly "Glass Mold Process" by Engr. Jeyfree Manalo. After each of these modules, an ice breaker in the form of a pop quiz is flashed onto the screen to evaluate the knowledge of each participant. More care should be taken while handling glass to prevent mishaps that could result in flaws, unlike other industries like ceramics where broken items are recycled.
DAY 1 (RESEARCH)
A webinar was held last July 30, 2022, with the title "Adaptation to the Latest Statistical Software for Design Modeling and Data Treatment", with Dr. Renson A. Robles being the speaker of the said event. It was attended by the third-year chemical engineering students. Dr. Robles discussed the different data analysis strategies for quantitative research in the first part of the webinar. In the second part, he discussed how to use the following software for treating statistical data. After the discussion, Dr. Robles answered all the questions put by the participants in relation to the topic being presented.
The seminar was held on July 30, 2022. Dr. Hui Lin Ong, the speaker of the seminar, discussed why materials are characterized. She also discussed different material characterization techniques using physical methods, mechanical tests, chemical analysis, thermal analysis, and non-destructive evaluation. After her presentation, there were questions and inquiries that Dr. Ong answered correspondingly.
A webinar was held last July 30, 2022, with the title "Adaptation to the Latest Statistical Software for Design Modeling and Data Treatment", with Dr. Renson A. Robles being the speaker of the said event. It was attended by the third-year chemical engineering students. Dr. Robles discussed the different data analysis strategies for quantitative research in the first part of the webinar. In the second part, he discussed how to use the following software for treating statistical data. After the discussion, Dr. Robles answered all the questions put by the participants in relation to the topic being presented.
DAY 2 (PLANT DESIGN)
Chemical engineers work in a wide range of industries, including the traditional processing industries: chemicals, polymers, fuels, foods, pharmaceuticals, and paper, as well as other sectors such as electronic materials and devices, consumer products, mining and metals extraction, biomedical implants, and power generation as a result of their ability to use physical science, experimental results, and knowledge of economics to solve problems, specifically the need for new and sustainable products and processes. Chemical engineering design is a creative activity that is aimed at honing students' ability to practice chemical engineering principles through the design of processes, including the equipment to be used.
To prepare the incoming 4th year chemical engineering students of Batangas State University for chemical engineering design and project, a webinar entitled ChExploration 2022 was conducted. Specifically, on the second day of the webinar, the introduction to plant design was discussed by Engr. Christian Angelo Mapa. Introductory topics such as generation of ideas, techniques in choosing topics, and project planning, which will be helpful in starting plant design were discussed.
Process design is a part of the functions of every chemical engineer that allows analyzing, developing, and applying all kinds of processes that allow meeting the needs of today’s society. This is the main goal of chemical engineering practice, which focuses on facility design and operation improvement to produce goods that increase the quality of life.
The design starts at a conceptual level, to which a chemical engineer is assigned, and ultimately ends in the form of fabrication and construction plans, which are managed by other engineers downstream. They are useful for chemical engineers to communicate ideas to other engineers involved in the design, to external regulatory agencies, equipment vendors, and to construction contractors.
In the discipline of chemical engineering, it is typically prohibitively expensive to construct multiple prototypes to determine which one performs the best. Instead, a design engineer constructs a mathematical model of the process, typically as computer simulations of the process, reactors, and other key equipment. Process simulation and optimization are crucial to the design and operation of chemical manufacturing processes because they can increase productivity, performance, and product quality in a cost-effective and dependable manner.
Plant design and simulation are at the core of the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) sector. In addition to the essential skills and information acquired in college and other engineering-related courses, it was necessary to comprehend the limitations of simulation in the real world. This is a crucial skill that a chemical engineer in the EPC business must acquire.