Sample Chemical Engineering

Student Team PowerPoint for

Analysis
Your Role: You are a manager for Rice
Utility Production, and you missed the
meeting with the consultants design team.
Youve been given their PowerPoint file.
You have to let the other two managers on
the committee know what you think of the
proposed design.

Sample Chemical Engineering

Student Team PowerPoint for
Analysis
Note: Throughout, orange slides like this
one will ask you questions to help you pick
out things you want to remember about
designing team PowerPoints.
For more help or background information: Making Logical Technical
Arguments PPT; Team Presentations in Chemical and Biomolecular
Engineering PPT

Acetone Production Plant

Design
December 2, 20__
Student Team A
From Ace Consultants

Project Motivation
Rice

UP - acetone requirement for

increased Anphal production

Maintain

ROI at higher production rate

Project Goals
Increase

Acetone Production by 30%

Minimize

Plant Costs

Operating

costs
Additional capital purchasing costs

1. Reactor and Stripping Column

1. Reactor and Stripping Column

1. Reactor and Stripping Column

In regard to the previous slide:

What was the point of the process
Sample
Chemical
flow diagram
you just Engineering
saw? Is this
the teams
recommended
Student
Team
PowerPoint for
design?
Analysis
What is the team trying to tell you
about their work?
Are you impressed by their design
so far? Why is it good?
Go back for a second look.
What should the heading be?

2. Acetone Purification

3. Isopropyl Alcohol Recovery Column

Process Specifications
99.9%
90%

Pure Acetone

Pure Hydrogen

TOC<50

ppm in Waste Water Stream

Cost Analysis
$243,000

~1

/yr profit from given base case

per pound of acetone product profit

margin

In regard to the previous slide:

If these are the specifications, what
criteria will you be looking for in the
teams design?
What does the team need to show you
to convince you the design will do
what is needed?
Did the team meet these requirements
in its design solution? How do you
know?

Modeling Issue
UNIFAC

VLE Model does not accurately

predict x-y diagram at high acetone
concentrations

NRTL

is best property package for

acetone/water binary system
Based

on DeChema VLE data

Options
1)

Use extractive distillation methods

2)

Purchase 39MM lb acetone (open

market)

3)

Produce 97.6% acetone

1) Extractive Distillation

3 Solvents

1,2 dimethoxyethane (Diglyme)

Acetonitrile
N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP)

Case Study: Diglyme

Prohibitive Cost

$6.765 MM /yr to purchase Diglyme

Additional Column

In regard to the previous slide:

How do you know the cost of extractive
distillation Is prohibitive?
Why is the Diglyme case of interest?

Is an additional column a solution or

part of the cost?
Is extractive distillation theh usual
method of making acetone?

2) Purchase Acetone
Purchase

39 MM lb per year acetone for

$10.92 MM

Shut

down acetone production

Minimize

investment losses

In regard to the previous slide:

How does the team know the cost will
be this much?
What has been the cost trend for
acetone in the past?
How much of a loss will be avoided?
How do you know?

3) Produce 97.6% Acetone

Need

to add 3 heat exchangers

Renegotiate
Break-even

deal?

point

In regard to the previous slide:

What about the break-even
point?
What would it cost to produce
acetone at this purity?
Is that purity acceptable?
What is this slide telling us about
the option?
What do these three bullet
points have in common?

Recommendations
Buy

acetone off open market

Dissolve

acetone production facility

Recover

maximum amount of lost $$

Conclusions

Adjustment of property package identified

separation difficulty

Possible solutions

Extractive distillation
Purchase acetone on the open market
Renegotiate contract for lower acetone purity

Purchase acetone on open market is best

In regard to the previous slide:

Why put the conclusion after the
recommendation?

TAKE AWAY POINTS

After

viewing this PowerPoint

What are your take-away lessons that
you will apply to your own PowerPoint
next time?

Notes
This team puts its conclusions at the end and did
not use informative headings on its process flow
diagrams. The headings do not outline the
argument.
A pitch that presented the recommendation first
and gave evidence of calculations to support
claims would have been more persuasive.
The PPT cant reinforce the oral message or
persuade readers on its own.
For more help: Making Logical Technical Arguments PPT; Team
Presentations in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering PPT