In recent years, a talent shortage has been one of the biggest threats facing chemical and petrochemical organizations. This, together with declining employment, looming retirements, and large demographic age gaps in the workforce, has made us, together with industry, determine to tackle the problem and bridge the gap by developing a formal course between a low-skill operator level and the process engineer. The course needed to address the technical knowledge of introductory chemical and mechanical engineering principles, the chemistry involved in process chemistry, and mathematics. On the 'softer’ side, modules such as Academic and Professional Skills and essential Computer Skills were introduced to develop an all-round chemical operator/technician. This presentation will briefly discuss the course content to provide insight into how this course has been developed and implemented.

Chemical process technician education is important in training students to operate and control various instrumentation. [1] Instrumentation such as pressures, temperature, flow rate, and level, together with numerous other variables, needs to be controlled to ensure smooth plant operation, mitigation of potential consequences that might result in fires, explosions, toxic release of harmful materials, or runaway reactions.

Our Diploma Chemical Process Technology course introduces students to operating stationary equipment (valves, pipelines, heaters, furnaces, etc.) and rotational equipment (pumps, compressors, etc.) through theory and practical activities. Through digital simulation software packages [2], students learn how to troubleshoot equipment start-ups or emergencies and how to decommission equipment through shutdowns.

This research presentation will discuss how these students benefit from process simulations and how What-ifs can be used to pinpoint a potential problem. Once the problem has been identified through simulation, the students will implement a corrective plan to mitigate the risk successfully.

Feedback from student groups and industry partners on the course content and its relevance to today’s industry needs confirms the course's relevance and value.

References:
[1] Gouws S. A Digitalized Simulation Approach to Assist Technology Students, Austin Chemical Engineering, 2024, 11, 1110
[2] Gouws S. Digitalize Learning via Process Simulation to Understand Process Control. Austin Chem Eng. 2022; 9(2): 1092
[3] Shawn Gouws, Teaching for chemical process technicians, Education for chemical engineers, 39, 2022, 6-11

Keywords: Process control, simulation, undergrad chemical technician training.