Qatargas Operating Company Limited (Qatargas) sponsored and presented the Best Overall Prizes for the first, second and third place winning teams at the 18th Annual Plant Design Competition, organised by Qatar University (QU)'s Department of Chemical Engineering.
With a rich legacy dating back to 2004, this annual contest aims to provide students with opportunities to gain world-class engineering experience, a press statement noted.
The 18th Chemical Engineering Plant Design Contest was held at the College of Education, Qatar University. Twelve female teams and three male teams participated in this year’s senior design projects.
The competition was of an exceptionally high standard and the best three teams were selected by the judges unanimously from the contesting teams. Mubarak al-Hajri, head of Process Engineering Onshore South, represented Qatargas as the lead judge.
Ahmed Salem, process engineer from Qatar Chemical Company (QChem), and Abdulla Hussein al-Ishaq, process engineer from Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco), were among the judging panel.
The first-place winning team created a project titled 'Designing of Methanol Plant – Methanol Production Pioneers Company (MPPC)'. The team included Lujain Aljohi, Sali Hamze, Nora Mohamed and Sara Raeesi and was supervised by Dr Donghyun Kim.
The project involved the concept, design and construction of a methanol production company. The students also drew up detailed plans for operating the company.
The second-place winners presented the concept and design of an ethylene plant that follows Qatar's regulations, based on chemical engineering principles and expertise that was gained through years of study. The team included Naba Ali, Sara al-Kuwari and Samah Abdulla, and was supervised by Prof Fadwa Eljack.
The third-place winning project focused on the design of a GTL (gas-to-liquids) process plant, in which natural gas was to be converted to produce approximately 140,000 barrels per day of highly demanded liquid hydrocarbon fuels, such as gasoline and diesel.
The final GTL plant design consists of three main stages: an initial reforming reaction, followed by a Fischer-Tropsch reaction step, and the final hydrocracking and separation stage. The team members are Anas Ahmed, Mhd Kher al-Alami and Ali Ibrahim, who were supervised by Dr Mohamed AlMarri.
The evaluation criterion for the competition included technical content, computations and analysis, quality of the presentation, visual aids, oral communication abilities and teamwork.
Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulla al-Thani, chief Engineering & Projects officer, Qatargas, and Dr Rashid Sultan al-Kuwari, Asset & Surveillance Engineering manager, distributed prizes to the winning teams during a special ceremony held at the Qatargas Doha head office.
Dr Majeda Khraisheh, Dr Fadwa ElJack, Dr Mohamed al-Marri and Dr Donghyun Kim of Chemical Engineering at QU were acknowledged at the event.
Commenting on the contest, Sheikh Khalid said: “This award encourages students to think practically and face real challenges in their chosen career path, furthering their knowledge and skillset as students and future engineers. Supporting and encouraging education is a key element of the Qatargas Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. We believe that partnerships between academic institutions and the industry help students develop themselves as professionals who can contribute remarkably to the industry and serve the greater interests of the country.”
Professor Majeda Khraisheh, head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at QU, extended the appreciation and gratitude to Qatargas and its management on behalf of the College of Engineering at Qatar University. She said: “We are grateful to Qatargas and its leadership for the continuous support offered over the last 18 years. This Plant Design Competition has been the department’s flagship event that senior chemical engineering students strive to participate in every year. Seniors work on their plant design project for a full year, where they consider the design of a industrial manufacturing facility following international standards, considering market demand, environmental, societal and economic impacts. And it’s the engagement of industry in our senior design projects that provides the students opportunities to communicate with professionals in their field, while they gain insights into the technical and operational challenges.”
With a rich legacy dating back to 2004, this annual contest aims to provide students with opportunities to gain world-class engineering experience, a press statement noted.
The 18th Chemical Engineering Plant Design Contest was held at the College of Education, Qatar University. Twelve female teams and three male teams participated in this year’s senior design projects.
The competition was of an exceptionally high standard and the best three teams were selected by the judges unanimously from the contesting teams. Mubarak al-Hajri, head of Process Engineering Onshore South, represented Qatargas as the lead judge.
Ahmed Salem, process engineer from Qatar Chemical Company (QChem), and Abdulla Hussein al-Ishaq, process engineer from Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco), were among the judging panel.
The first-place winning team created a project titled 'Designing of Methanol Plant – Methanol Production Pioneers Company (MPPC)'. The team included Lujain Aljohi, Sali Hamze, Nora Mohamed and Sara Raeesi and was supervised by Dr Donghyun Kim.
The project involved the concept, design and construction of a methanol production company. The students also drew up detailed plans for operating the company.
The second-place winners presented the concept and design of an ethylene plant that follows Qatar's regulations, based on chemical engineering principles and expertise that was gained through years of study. The team included Naba Ali, Sara al-Kuwari and Samah Abdulla, and was supervised by Prof Fadwa Eljack.
The third-place winning project focused on the design of a GTL (gas-to-liquids) process plant, in which natural gas was to be converted to produce approximately 140,000 barrels per day of highly demanded liquid hydrocarbon fuels, such as gasoline and diesel.
The final GTL plant design consists of three main stages: an initial reforming reaction, followed by a Fischer-Tropsch reaction step, and the final hydrocracking and separation stage. The team members are Anas Ahmed, Mhd Kher al-Alami and Ali Ibrahim, who were supervised by Dr Mohamed AlMarri.
The evaluation criterion for the competition included technical content, computations and analysis, quality of the presentation, visual aids, oral communication abilities and teamwork.
Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulla al-Thani, chief Engineering & Projects officer, Qatargas, and Dr Rashid Sultan al-Kuwari, Asset & Surveillance Engineering manager, distributed prizes to the winning teams during a special ceremony held at the Qatargas Doha head office.
Dr Majeda Khraisheh, Dr Fadwa ElJack, Dr Mohamed al-Marri and Dr Donghyun Kim of Chemical Engineering at QU were acknowledged at the event.
Commenting on the contest, Sheikh Khalid said: “This award encourages students to think practically and face real challenges in their chosen career path, furthering their knowledge and skillset as students and future engineers. Supporting and encouraging education is a key element of the Qatargas Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. We believe that partnerships between academic institutions and the industry help students develop themselves as professionals who can contribute remarkably to the industry and serve the greater interests of the country.”
Professor Majeda Khraisheh, head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at QU, extended the appreciation and gratitude to Qatargas and its management on behalf of the College of Engineering at Qatar University. She said: “We are grateful to Qatargas and its leadership for the continuous support offered over the last 18 years. This Plant Design Competition has been the department’s flagship event that senior chemical engineering students strive to participate in every year. Seniors work on their plant design project for a full year, where they consider the design of a industrial manufacturing facility following international standards, considering market demand, environmental, societal and economic impacts. And it’s the engagement of industry in our senior design projects that provides the students opportunities to communicate with professionals in their field, while they gain insights into the technical and operational challenges.”
