CME3039 : Plant Design
CME3039 : Plant Design
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Professor Jonathan Lee
- Lecturer: Dr Richard Law, Dr Stevin Pramana, Dr Jie Zhang, Professor Katarina Novakovic, Professor Kamelia Boodhoo, Dr Sharon Velasquez Orta, Dr Maria Vicevic, Dr Jonathan McDonough, Professor Adam Harvey, Dr Eni Oko, Dr Chris O'Malley, Dr Dana Ofiteru, Dr Wenting Hu, Professor Anh Phan, Dr Fernando Russo Abegao, Dr Shayan Seyedin, Dr Evangelos Papaioannou, Dr Mark Willis, Dr Colin Hare, Dr Vladimir Zivkovic, Prof. Jarka Glassey
- Owning School: Engineering
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 5 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 35 |
| ECTS Credits: | 20.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Pre-requisite
Modules you must have done previously to study this module
Pre Requisite Comment
All previous stages of Chemical Engineering Degree.
Co-Requisite
Modules you need to take at the same time
Co Requisite Comment
N/A
Aims
The detailed design of a chemical process requires a combination of many of the core skills acquired over the three years of a degree programme. It represents a unique exercise in which students can apply and test their knowledge of process selection, conceptual design, equipment design, process safety and sustainability and economic analysis as part of a team exercise. This is applied to a typical client specification and requires to be innovative in suggesting a design solution.
It is a requirement for membership of the Institute of Chemical Engineers that all graduates successfully complete a design project. At the end of the project students will have translated a business, safety or environmental need into a design solution.
Outline Of Syllabus
Design, as part of a small team, a process plant to satisfy a given specification.
All candidates on MEng degrees with specialisms will carry out a project in their respective specialisms.
Learning Outcomes
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
As a result of completing the design project students should have the following skills in line with Engineering Council AHEP4 guidelines :
C2, C3, C4, C6, C7, C9 - Developed an integrated approach to Chemical Engineering.
C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 - Applied chemical engineering principles to a problem of industrial relevance.
C1, C2, C3, C4, C9, C13 - Designed equipment to deliver a process objective which satisfies a given specification.
C5, C6 - Critically analysed design aspects of a given operational/design problem.
C5, C6, C7, C9 - Considered the safety, sustainability and environmental issues of the process they are designing.
C5, C6, C7, C9, C15 - Integrated all the elements of the design into a safe sustainable and economically feasible processing system.
Intended Skill Outcomes
As a result of completing the design project students should have the following skills in line with Engineering Council AHEP4 guidelines :
C16, C17 - Working in a group to meet deadlines and deliver a multi-faceted project
C3 - Application of numerical and computer skills to design problems
C17 - Ability to sell the chosen design to engineers from the chemical industry via oral presentation
C17 - Report Writing
C17, M17 - Oral Presentation and Communication
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 33 | 1:00 | 33:00 | Preparation of reports for milestones 1, 2 and 3. Presentations for milestones 1 and 4. |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 37 | 1:00 | 37:00 | Reading about chemical engineering design methods and procedures. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured non-synchronous discussion | 40 | 1:00 | 40:00 | Discussions between the design group supervisor and individual group members. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 6:00 | 6:00 | Workshop organised by BCECA on the design process and team building. |
| Guided Independent Study | Project work | 200 | 1:00 | 200:00 | Collation of information about the chemical process, understanding design methods etc. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 6 | 0:30 | 3:00 | Design project Briefings, milestone briefings and HAZOP workshops. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 6 | 0:20 | 2:00 | Discussions between staff and students to help with the milestone 2 task. |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 60 | 1:00 | 60:00 | Design group meetings organised and led by the students. Design group supervisor is not present. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Dissertation/project related supervision | 18 | 1:00 | 18:00 | Scheduled over two semesters. Design group supervision meetings. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | Scheduled during induction weeks. Introduction to the design project. |
| Total | 400:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The large guided independent study element in this module reflects the fact that the development of a design comes from many hours spent investigating design options either privately or as a part of a design group and preparing relevant reports. Fieldwork allows students to visit and learn from real industrial processes. Small group teaching is spent with design supervisors receiving answers to specific questions and providing feedback on reports that have been submitted as well as providing an opportunity to interact with visiting specialists.
Reading Lists
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 30 | 2 | M | 10 | Milestone IV. Presentation by whole group lasting 25 mins followed by 5 mins of questions from a panel of industrialists. Week 13 |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 1 | M | 20 | Milestone I. Group report 20 sides of A4 & appendices. Interview with project supervisors Set week 1 |
| Report | 2 | M | 30 | Milestone II. Individual report 20 sides of A4 & appendices. Compulsory pass. |
| Report | 2 | M | 40 | Milestone III. Group report 100 sides A4 & appendices. Individual report 10 sides A4. Set week 1 |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The assessment is a summative appraisal of a student’s understanding of chemical engineering and ability to apply knowledge and skills to an open-ended design problem addressing a typical client specification.
There will be six students per group.
A student must achieve a mark of 40% on the Milestone II report in order to pass the module. Assuming that the module would otherwise have been passed, failure to reach this mark may have the outcome of a 'deferred pass', at the discretion of the Board of Examiners: this means that the failure on the Milestone II report may be redeemed by one re-submission of the Milestone II report without any increase in the original mark. If the Milestone II report remains failed after re-submission, the student will fail the module with a mark of at most 35, and the same principles will apply to a second attempt at the module with one further re-submission of the Milestone II report allowed.
As a result of completing the design project students should have the following skills in line with Engineering Council AHEP4 guidelines :C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C9, C13, C15, C16, C17, M17.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- CME3039's Timetable
Past Exam Papers
- Exam Papers Online : www.ncl.ac.uk/exam.papers/
- CME3039's past Exam Papers
General Notes
Original Handbook text:
Welcome to Newcastle University Module Catalogue
This is where you will be able to find all key information about modules on your programme of study. It will help you make an informed decision on the options available to you within your programme.
You may have some queries about the modules available to you. Your school office will be able to signpost you to someone who will support you with any queries.
Disclaimer
The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2025 academic year.
In accordance with University Terms and Conditions, the University makes all reasonable efforts to deliver the modules as described.
Modules may be amended on an annual basis to take account of changing staff expertise, developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, staffing changes, and student feedback. Module information for the 2026/27 entry will be published here in early-April 2026. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.