CH 4015

Comprehensive Design Project I

Guidelines

Department of Chemical and Process Engineering

University of Moratuwa
Moratuwa

July 2021
 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

Contents
1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 3

2 TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS .................................................................... 3

2.1 Lecture sessions........................................................................................................... 5

3 REPORT SUBMISSION AND ASSESSMENT MECHANISM ...................................... 5

3.1 Expected Output .......................................................................................................... 5

3.2 Assessment summary .................................................................................................. 6

3.3 Oral Presentation and Viva ......................................................................................... 7

3.4 Report Format ............................................................................................................. 7

3.4.1 Outline of the Final Report .................................................................................. 7

4 GENERAL REFERENCES FOR THE DESIGN PROJECT MODULE .......................... 9

5 RESOURCES AVAILABLE ............................................................................................. 9

5.1 Software ...................................................................................................................... 9

5.2 MOODLE access....................................................................................................... 10

6 FINAL INFORMATION FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE DESIGN

PROJECT................................................................................................................................. 10

7 CONTACT DETAILS OF THE SUBJECT COORDINATOR ....................................... 10

LIST OF APPENDICES .......................................................................................................... 11

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

1 INTRODUCTION

The objective of this Comprehensive Design Project course module is to design an industrial
scale process plant that is technically feasible, safe, environmentally acceptable, and
economical. Comprehensive design project I (CH 4015) is the ultimate module in the B.Sc.
Chemical and Process Engineering Degree program to perform a realistic, open-ended
chemical plant design at the flow-sheet level. The unit will allow you to draw upon and
consolidate knowledge gained in the previous years of the course, on a large-scale complex
project.
The Design Project module is also quite different to most subject modules undertaken over
the previous years of the degree program. It is a team effort and open ended. Hence
communication among members is vital. Many subject matter questions which were given in
the course modules are designed ones with known solutions. In the industrial world you will
normally work as a team on open-ended projects where there is no “right” solution but a
“best” solution.
The Design Project is a great learning experience, challenging, but also very rewarding.

2 TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

The students will be grouped into teams of 4 or 5 members at the commencement of the
semester 7. Each team is assigned to a senior academic staff member who will be the
supervisor of the project. The group is expected to work together on all aspects of the project
under the guidance of the supervisor. It is essential that the team members meet and interact
with each other continually throughout the execution of this project. It is advisable to appoint
a team leader. Teams are required to consult their supervisor continuously via meetings and
other modes of communication in order to complete the task successfully.

Each group will be assigned for the design of an industrial scale process plant to produce a
given product. In CH 4015 you are expected to;

A. Perform a market analysis for the given product considering the current local
requirement, buyer availability and market price to determine the production capacity
of the plant.

B. Conduct a literature survey on the available chemical/biological synthesis routes for

producing the given product and select a suitable chemical/biological route, based on
a brief analysis of raw material availability, energy intensity, expected by products,
economy*, etc.

C. Synthesize the overall process by sequencing of major unit operations (Mixing,

reactors, splitters, separation, etc) and incorporation of utilities (process
cooling/heating, compressed air, steam etc.) with appropriate flow transport
mechanisms and recycle streams (base case design of the production process).

D. Prepare a detailed process flow diagram (PFD) for entire production process.

E. Carry out a comprehensive material and heat balance calculations for the complete
process.
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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

F. Prepare Material Flow Sheet (consisting of stream numbers, Mass Flows), and Heat
Balance Sheet for the proposed process using the results from material and energy
balance.

G. Choose a suitable location for establishing the production plant based on the proposed
production process, discussing the suitability of the location, accessibility to raw
materials and market, logistics, public safety and health, environmental aspects,
economics etc.

H. Conduct a preliminary economic feasibility analysis† for the proposed production

plant considering relevant cost components.

I. Perform Health, Safety and Environmental impacts (HSE) assessment considering

possible HSE hazards associated with your production process and propose suitable
mitigatory measures.

J. Develop the plant layout based on the flow sheet.

Note
* This is a preliminary costing of the process path based on raw material cost, products and
by products cost.
†
This is a top-level study where the student is not required to go into the exact figures of the
costs of each equipment and other project costs. Information from published data to be used
in this exercise and in case of unavailability of such information, sound assumptions and
judgments with reasoning are also acceptable.

In semester 8 each student will have to select one major equipment of the same process
which you will have developed in the design project (CH 4015) and will have to perform a
detailed design for that equipment.

Development of a well-defined process flow during the group exercise (CH 4015) will ease
up the work during the individual design part and hence each student is required to contribute
equally during the group exercise.

Details of the expected output under CH 4015 are discussed in section 3.

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

2.1 Lecture sessions

The following lecture sessions are scheduled to be presented by DCPE academics and
Practicing Engineers to assist you in understanding and carryout this module successfully.

Week Activity Resource Person

1 Introduction and Overview of Project Module coordinator
1 Process Synthesis Prof. S. Amarasinghe
2 Selection of the chemical/biological synthesis route Dr. M. Rathnayake
6 Energy balances and Material balances Prof. S. Egodage
10 Preliminary cost estimation Mr. Susiri Costa
Safety and health assessment of a process and plant
10 Dr. M.Gunasekera
layout design
11 Environment impact assessment Prof. P.G. Rathnasiri

3 REPORT SUBMISSION AND ASSESSMENT MECHANISM

Assessment is through submission of three interim group reports, one final group report,
presentation, and viva. Evaluation is conducted by the supervisor and a panel of staff
members.

Interim group reports and the final report submission is through the MOODLE. Deadline for
uploading interim reports will be at 23.59 (11.59 at night) of the due date. The supervisor
will provide feedback on the interim report and the students should make necessary changes
before submission to the evaluation panels. After reviewing the report, the evaluation panel
will submit their comments to the Moodle. The group should address them accordingly and
incorporate in the subsequent project work where appropriate. It is required to highlight the
addressed reviewer comments in the final report. Note that this is a continuous reviewing
process, and you need to make necessary changes based on both supervisor and evaluation
panel comments.

Final group report should be submitted as a bound copy and a soft copy in pdf format
(labeled appropriately) to the supervisor before the specified deadline.

Late reports are unacceptable. The penalty for late submission will be 5% from the
assigned mark for each additional day. The reports should be the unaided work of you and
your team. Plagiarism in any form whatsoever will not be tolerated.

3.1 Expected Output

Interim report 1 – Should consist of a report on the work carried out in parts A, B, C & D of
the section 2 above. It should consist of the literature review on known chemical/biological
synthesis routes for the desired task and their assessment. Students are required to identify
key process parameters and explain process selection decisions, and finally develop a
detailed process flow diagram (PFD).

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

Interim report 2 - Should consist of a report on the work carried out in parts E & F of the
section 2 above. Results of the complete Heat and Mass balance of the selected process with
Mass and Heat Balance sheets should be reported. SI units should be used for all the
calculations.

If a data sheet or Nomograph in other units were used for any calculation final answer
should be presented in SI units.

Interim report 3 - Should consist of a report on the work carried out in parts G, H, I & J of
the section 2 above. Include location selection decisions, a top-level feasibility report of the
selected process with concerns on macro-economics, and HSE impacts. Student should
provide a plant layout with this report with necessary justifications.

Final report - This submission is the entire group design report which consists of
information provided in the three interim reports and final conclusions. The final report will
allow the reader to fully understand your decisions up to this point and provide complete
material and energy flow information. The report will serve as the basis document for the
detailed design in the Semester 8. Refer to section 3.4 for the format of the final report.

3.2 Assessment summary

Submission

Description Due Date

Method of Marks*
(Number of pages in the for
submission (Evaluated by)
report body) submission

Market analysis, production End of Submit team written

capacity, literature review, Week 4 report through Moodle
15 %
Report 1
Interim

chemical/biological route
(Supervisor)
selection, process synthesis,
+
complete process flow
10% (Panel)
diagram.
(20 – 30 pages)
Material and Heat balance, End of Submit team written
15 %
Report 2
Interim

Mass flow sheet, Energy Week 8 report through Moodle

flow sheet (Supervisor)
(~ 20 pages) +
10% (Panel)
Site selection, Economic End of Submit team written 15 %
Report 3
Interim

feasibility study, HSE Week 11 report through Moodle (Supervisor)

analysis, Plant layout +
(~ 20 pages) 10% (Panel)
Final Report with suggested End of Written final report. 5%
submission

corrections Week 13 (Team report) (Module

Final

(~ 60 pages) Coordinator)
Week 14 Presentation and viva 20
(Panel)

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

* Marks will be given individually based on the students’ contribution, presentation and the
performance at the questions and answer sessions.

Please Refer to the Appendix I and Appendix II for the detailed distribution of marks for
CH4015 and Gantt chart for the project respectively

3.3 Oral Presentation and Viva

You will be expected to present and defend your results as a team at the end of your group
report submission. You are supposed to prepare a presentation comprising 3 parts related to 3
assignments to be presented in front of an evaluation committee within 15 – 20 minutes
followed by 10 minutes group Q & A session. The evaluation committee will include a panel
of academics excluding your supervisor.

After the group evaluation, each individual team member must pass three evaluation sub-
committees in which he/she has to face 5 – 10 minutes viva at each sub-committee.

Make certain that you prepare for this presentation and viva since it is an important part of
your assignment. You should bring at least one hard copy of your slides to the presentation
and hand it out to the committee before beginning the presentation.

3.4 Report Format

Each team must submit one hard copy of the final report before the final presentation and one
hard copy of the corrected final report based on the evaluation committee feedbacks. All the
reports should be written on A4 paper (double side) with at least 2.5 cm margin on all sides;
use Times New Roman of size 12 and 1.5 spacing. All design reports should be neatly bound.
Figures and tables should be included as appropriate. Appendices should carry any additional
information. SI units should be used in the report.

Please note:
• Ensure that you keep a copy of the report for yourself for future references and the
Department is not responsible to give a copy on request.
• This report is not for publication without the consent of the supervisor in any manner.

3.4.1 Outline of the Final Report

Format of the final report is given below. You may make minor changes to the format, as
necessary. SI units should be used for all the calculations.

COVER PAGE – Title of the report; addresses; authors; organization; date. Please refer to the
Appendix II.

ABSTRACT – A clear, brief description of the project, the process, and the results along with
conclusions and recommendations. A single page should be sufficient.

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT –A short paragraph to show gratitude and express appreciation for

the support given by others during the design project work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS – Headings, subheadings, Appendices with page numbers.

LIST OF TABLES – List of all the tables included in the report.

LIST OF FIGURES – List of all the figures included in the report.

NOMENCLATURE - All mathematical symbols must be defined. Units must be given for all
dimensional variables. If you use many specialized terms, provide a Glossary to define them.

INTRODUCTION – Include appropriate background on the project, a clear and concise

definition of the problem, and the intended objectives.

MARKET ANALYSIS – Include a market analysis for the desired product. Discuss the
requirement of your product in the industry, demand-supply analysis, benefits and future
opportunities etc. Based on the market analysis decisions, include the estimated plant
capacity.

LITERATURE REVIEW - Include a survey of relevant literature on the product to be

manufactured, available chemical/biological synthesis routes with required
chemical/biological, physical parameters (i.e., the reaction conversions, maximum achievable
purity, maximum pressure, temperature, etc.) and selection decisions taken for choosing a
suitable chemical/biological route.

PROCESS SYNTHESIS – Include process synthesize steps including how you sequenced of
major unit operations (Mixing, reactors, splitters, separation, etc) and incorporated the
utilities (process cooling/heating, compressed air, steam etc.) with appropriate flow transport
mechanisms and recycle streams (base case design of the production process). Include a
detailed process flow diagram for the complete production process.

HEAT AND MASS BALANCE – State all the assumptions you made for the heat and mass
balance calculations and include heat and mass flow sheets in this section. Append your
calculation work sheets, data sheets and any relevant information as Appendices. Hand
calculations are compulsory in this section. You can also include any simulated results in this
section (optional).

SITE SELECTION – Include how you selected a suitable location for establishing the
production plant. Discus the suitability of the location, accessibility to raw materials and
market, logistics, public safety and health, environmental aspects, economics etc. Include
your plant layout diagram and provide justifications for the proposed layout.

ECONOMICS ANALYSIS – Raw material cost and product values, transportations costs,
price fluctuations are required to discuss. This should be compounded with simple payback
calculations.

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

HEALTH, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS – Identification of HSE hazards

with respect to the production process is required. Discuss how you address those hazards
and include mitigatory measures. A simple environment impact assessment is required.

CONCLUSIONS -Summarize the design and assess how well the design meets the objectives
presented in the Introduction section and what could be modified to improve your design.
Give a future perspective how the design will be used in the future.

REFERENCES - References, including books, technical journals, patents, and web pages,
should be made in text wherever necessary. Use IEEE referencing style. Guideline document
can be found from: https://www.bath.ac.uk/publications/library-guides-to-citing-
referencing/attachments/ieee-style-guide.pdf

APPENDICES - Include any information that is too detailed to be placed into the text of the
report.For example:

a) Detailed computations and computer-generated data.

b) Manufacturers' specifications.
c) Data sheets or Nomographs etc.

4 GENERAL REFERENCES FOR THE DESIGN PROJECT MODULE

Following books are available in the University main library

1. Turton R., Bailie R.C., Whiting W.B. and Shaeiwitz J.A., "Analysis, Synthesis, and
Design of Chemical Processes", Prentice Hall, 2nd Edition, 2003
2. R.H. Perry, D.W. Green, J.O. Maloney, (eds.), “Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook,”
7th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1997.
3. D.W. Green, “Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook,” 8th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2006.
4. J.R. Couper et al., "Chemical Process Equipment: Selection and Design", Elsevier, 2005.
5. S.M. Walas, "Chemical Process Equipment: Selection and Design", Butterworths, 1988.
6. M.S. Peters, S. Max, "Plant design & Economics for Chemical Engineers", McGraw-Hill,
New York, 1968.
7. R.K. Sinnot, “Coulson and & Richardson’s Chemical Engineering", Vol. 6, 4th Edition,
Oxford, 2005.
8. ‘Ullmann's encyclopedia of industrial chemistry’, executive editors, Ullmann F, Gerhartz
W, Yamamoto Y.S., Campbell F.T., Pfefferkorn R, et al. Weinheim, Federal Republic of
Germany ; Deerfield Beach, FL, USA: VCH, 1985

5 RESOURCES AVAILABLE
5.1 Software

The department has a limited number of software that can be used when carrying out your
design project. A computer room (CAPD Centre) with limited number of terminals will be
dedicated for this purpose during your design project. DCPE will ensure the availability of
the following software packages in these terminals for your training and application
purposes.

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

ChemCAD – for chemical symbols and notations

Physpro – to obtain Physical data of components.
Aspen plus – for simulation
Super pro – for basic flow sheeting and material balance calculation

5.2 MOODLE access

You should get registered to CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I, on MOODLE for
getting access. CH4015 guidelines and any other relevant documentation will be uploaded to
the site. All the assignment submissions will be through the MOODLE.

6 FINAL INFORMATION FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE DESIGN

PROJECT

• Have regular meetings with your supervisor. Bring technical information and
evidence of your work to the meetings to have productive discussions. Present what
you’ve done to your supervisor and get a feedback.

• You may not be able to find all the data you need. Make reasonable assumptions and
proceed with your calculations. Seek advice from your supervisor before making
critical assumptions.

• The deadlines are critical. Aim to complete all the technical work and report writing
early and allow sufficient time to get a feedback from your supervisor and for
proofreading, printing, and binding.

• Make regular, multiple backups of all your documents.

7 CONTACT DETAILS OF THE SUBJECT COORDINATOR

Dr.(Mrs.) Dilhara Sethunga

Email: dilharap@uom.lk
Tel: 077-8589964

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX I: Detailed description of marks allocation for CH4015

APPENDIX II: Gantt Chat for CH4015

APPENDIX III: Sample cover page for reports

APPENDIX IV: Regular Meeting Agenda

You will have to keep a record of regular meetings conducted with your supervisor
and make one document at the end of each interim report due date and attach at the
end of interim report.

APPENDIX V: Self and peer evaluation form for final year research and design projects
It is compulsory to upload “[DCPE QAC] Self and peer evaluation form for final year
research and design projects” to the given link in the Moodle at the end of every
interim report. Note that we keep this document confidential.

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

APPENDIX I

% Contribution
Evaluation Marks % Contribution
Evaluated by to the final grade
Component Given Group/Individual
Interim report No1 Supervisor 100 33/67 15
Interim report No2 Supervisor 100 33/67 15
Interim report No3 Supervisor 100 33/67 15
Panel Subgroup
100 100/0 10
01
Final Report (1st Panel Subgroup
100 100/0 10
Submission) 02
Panel Subgroup
100 100/0 10
03
Final Report (2nd Module
100 100/0 5
Submission) Coordinator
Group Presentation
Panel 100 100/0 5
and viva
Panel Subgroup
100 0/100 5
01
Individual Evaluation Panel Subgroup
100 0/100 5
(viva) 02
Panel Subgroup
100 0/100 5
03
Report 100 100/0 50
Total Marks
Viva 100 10/90 50

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APPENDIX II
APENDIX III

CH 4015 Comprehensive Design Project I

Group Report

Project Title

Supervised by:

Group Members

(Submission Month/Year)
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering
University of Moratuwa
 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

* Marks will be given individually based on the students’ contribution, presentation and the
performance at the questions and answer sessions.

Please Refer to the Appendix I and Appendix II for the detailed distribution of marks for
CH4015 and Gantt chart for the project respectively

3.3 Oral Presentation and Viva

You will be expected to present and defend your results as a team at the end of your group
report submission. You are supposed to prepare a presentation comprising 3 parts related to 3
assignments to be presented in front of an evaluation committee within 15 – 20 minutes
followed by 10 minutes group Q & A session. The evaluation committee will include a panel
of academics excluding your supervisor.

After the group evaluation, each individual team member must pass three evaluation sub-
committees in which he/she has to face 5 – 10 minutes viva at each sub-committee.

Make certain that you prepare for this presentation and viva since it is an important part of
your assignment. You should bring at least one hard copy of your slides to the presentation
and hand it out to the committee before beginning the presentation.

3.4 Report Format

Each team must submit one hard copy of the final report before the final presentation and one
hard copy of the corrected final report based on the evaluation committee feedbacks. All the
reports should be written on A4 paper (double side) with at least 2.5 cm margin on all sides;
use Times New Roman of size 12 and 1.5 spacing. All design reports should be neatly bound.
Figures and tables should be included as appropriate. Appendices should carry any additional
information. SI units should be used in the report.

Please note:
• Ensure that you keep a copy of the report for yourself for future references and the
Department is not responsible to give a copy on request.
• This report is not for publication without the consent of the supervisor in any manner.

3.4.1 Outline of the Final Report

Format of the final report is given below. You may make minor changes to the format, as
necessary. SI units should be used for all the calculations.

COVER PAGE – Title of the report; addresses; authors; organization; date. Please refer to the
Appendix II.

ABSTRACT – A clear, brief description of the project, the process, and the results along with
conclusions and recommendations. A single page should be sufficient.

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 CH4015 Comprehensive Design Project I Guidelines

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT –A short paragraph to show gratitude and express appreciation for

the support given by others during the design project work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS – Headings, subheadings, Appendices with page numbers.

LIST OF TABLES – List of all the tables included in the report.

LIST OF FIGURES – List of all the figures included in the report.

NOMENCLATURE - All mathematical symbols must be defined. Units must be given for all
dimensional variables. If you use many specialized terms, provide a Glossary to define them.

INTRODUCTION – Include appropriate background on the project, a clear and concise

definition of the problem, and the intended objectives.

MARKET ANALYSIS – Include a market analysis for the desired product. Discuss the
requirement of your product in the industry, demand-supply analysis, benefits and future
opportunities etc. Based on the market analysis decisions, include the estimated plant
capacity.

LITERATURE REVIEW - Include a survey of relevant literature on the product to be

manufactured, available chemical/biological synthesis routes with required
chemical/biological, physical parameters (i.e., the reaction conversions, maximum achievable
purity, maximum pressure, temperature, etc.) and selection decisions taken for choosing a
suitable chemical/biological route.

PROCESS SYNTHESIS – Include process synthesize steps including how you sequenced of
major unit operations (Mixing, reactors, splitters, separation, etc) and incorporated the
utilities (process cooling/heating, compressed air, steam etc.) with appropriate flow transport
mechanisms and recycle streams (base case design of the production process). Include a
detailed process flow diagram for the complete production process.

HEAT AND MASS BALANCE – State all the assumptions you made for the heat and mass
balance calculations and include heat and mass flow sheets in this section. Append your
calculation work sheets, data sheets and any relevant information as Appendices. Hand
calculations are compulsory in this section. You can also include any simulated results in this
section (optional).

SITE SELECTION – Include how you selected a suitable location for establishing the
production plant. Discus the suitability of the location, accessibility to raw materials and
market, logistics, public safety and health, environmental aspects, economics etc. Include
your plant layout diagram and provide justifications for the proposed layout.

ECONOMICS ANALYSIS – Raw material cost and product values, transportations costs,
price fluctuations are required to discuss. This should be compounded with simple payback
calculations.

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DCPE/QAC/F/02.0 06th May 2021

B.4. Did your group discuss everyone’s role in completing the project?

B.5. What were your specific responsibilities in during this group project?

B.6. Did you prepare an action plan before working on the project?

B.7. Did any conflicts of ideas occur during the group project? If conflicts did occur, how did you
resolve them?

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DCPE/QAC/F/02.0 06th May 2021

B.8. Did someone dominate or take-over the project to the exclusion and detriment of others? If
yes, who, how so exactly, why do you think that happened, and what did you do?

B.9. Did someone lack critical contributions to this group project (i.e. you felt they were invisible
and did not add anything specific to the project)? If yes, who, how so exactly, why do you
think that happened, and what did you do?

B.10. Any other comments:

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DCPE/QAC/F/02.0 06th May 2021

C. Self and peer evaluation

Please assess the work done by you and your colleagues by using the following criteria. Please try
to be as honest and fair as possible in your assessment.
5 = Excellent work; was a crucial component to the group’s success
4 = Very strong work; contributed significantly to the group
3 = Sufficient effort; contributed adequately to the group
2 = Insufficient effort; did not meet the minimal standards of the group
1 = Little or weak effort; was detrimental to the group
C.1. Self evaluation

Name: __________________________________________

Index number: __________________________________________

Criteria Marks (out of 5)

Participation in developing ideas and planning the project

Willingness to discuss others’ ideas

Cooperation with other group members

Interest and enthusiasm in the project

Participation in leading/facilitating discussion

Ease and familiarity with discussion material

C.2. Peer evaluation

Please fill the table in the next page

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DCPE/QAC/F/02.0 06th May 2021

C.2. Peer evaluation

Group member details Criteria – Enter marks out of 5

No Name Index Participation in Willingness Cooperation Interest and Participation Ease and
developing to discuss with other enthusiasm in leading/ familiarity
number ideas and others’ group in the facilitating with
planning the ideas members project discussion discussion
project material
1