OVERVIEW

The teaching module aims to introduce students, who have reached the end of their three-year course, to certain industrial application topics that are currently not covered systematically in their current three-year course of study.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with an overview of traditional and innovative industrial applications and control technologies. Through contributions from professionals at leading companies, students will gain a practical, up-to-date perspective on the challenges and opportunities in chemical and process engineering.
The course is designed to prepare students to become competent and innovative professionals who can address the challenges of the industrial sector with technologically advanced and sustainable solutions.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Regular attendance and active participation in the proposed training activities (lectures, exercises, numerical exercises, and educational visits), as well as individual study, will enable students to:
- be introduced to the basic technologies of the steel metallurgy supply chain;
- learn about developments in the decarbonisation of steel production;
- understand the nuclear energy production chain and learn about recent developments.
- learn about the main aspects of nuclear safety issues;
- critically discuss working hypotheses using the appropriate vocabulary;
-  learn the basics of specific software for process control and optimisation;
- explore examples of the use of predictive control tools in energy applications;
- manage social interactions with a collaborative attitude, demonstrating constructive         communication and decision-making autonomy in different environments, as well as   negotiation skills and the ability to manage uncertainty.

PREREQUISITES

For a successful learning, basic knowledge of mathematics, chemistry and physics is required, but no formal propaedeuticity is provided.

TEACHING METHODS

The module traditionally involves classroom lectures. The presentation of theoretical content is alternated with exercises, numerical exercises and educational visits aimed at promoting learning and discussion of specific examples of industrial applications.
Transversal skills in terms of independent judgement will be acquired through project work, also using commercial software and ICT tools, and communication skills will be encouraged through the proposal to create a poster presentation to be carried out in groups and assessed during the first exam session.
Through the teaching innovation project adopted by the Chemical and Process Engineering Degree Programme, innovative tools will be used to promote active learning by students. The aim is to enhance students' skills through new learning methodologies, from e-learning to teamwork, through experiences that increase student participation through a higher level of communication and make students more aware and autonomous.

Students with a valid certificate for a physical or learning disability from the University who wish to discuss any necessary adjustments or other issues relating to lessons, courses or examinations should speak to their lecturer and Prof. Federico Scarpa (federico.scarpa@unige.it), the Polytechnic School's disability liaison officer.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The module programme includes the presentation and discussion of the following topics:   
1.    Introduction to the module and a brief history of chemical engineering (2 hours, Arato)
2.    Steel metallurgy (16 hours, taught by SMS Group technicians)
Inside the steel industry: Raw materials, processes, products and challenges
Green steel: hydrogen as a game changer
Electric Steelworks: circularity and low environmental impact
Polluting emissions in steelworks: technologies to prevent them    
From design to construction site: how a steelworks is built    
Energy efficiency in steelworks: strategies and innovations
Customised steel: technologies for finished products
Steel production in the future: prototypes and experiments

3.    Energy production from nuclear sources (15 hours, taught by Ansaldo Nucleare technicians)
Introduction to nuclear energy and the current and future energy landscape 
Basic principles of nuclear technology (chain reaction, fuel/moderator/coolant, power conversion) 
Safety principles (functions, barriers, approaches)     
Reactor chains (pressurised reactors, boiling reactors, heavy water reactors, gas reactors)
Concepts of passive safety and small modular reactors     
Generation IV and advanced modular reactors     
Technologies based on nuclear fusion

4. Predictive Control and Optimisation (15 hours, taught by ABB technicians) 
Introduction to Industrial Process Control        
Intelligent Control: optimisation with software solutions
Advanced Process Control (APC)
Looking beyond, real-time optimisation (RTO)    
Hands-on: practical exercise at ABB    

5.    Supplementary teaching activities  (10 hours) including educational visits to plants and companies 

6.    Conclusion of the module (2 hours Arato) 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The teaching materials used during the lessons will be available on the course website. The notes taken during the lessons and the material on the website are sufficient for exam preparation, but the following documentation is recommended as supporting and supplementary texts:
Nuclear Power Plants, Maurizio Cumo ISBN 978-88-95814-63-6
Fundamentals of Steelmaking, ET Turkdogan ISBN9781906540975
The Making Shaping and Treating of Steel AISE - ISBN: 0–930767–02–0Bequette, B.W. (2003). Process Control: Modelling, Design and Simulation. Prentice Hall.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/en/corsi/10376/students-timetable

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Once teaching has been completed, it will be possible to take the final exam on a dedicated day. In this case, the exam consists of the presentation and oral discussion of a group project proposed by the lecturers during the module on topics that cut across the specific contributions proposed by the various lecturers.
In this case, an exam session will be available at the end of the course on a date agreed upon with all parties involved (students, industry technicians, lecturer).
If this option is not chosen, the exam will consist of the presentation of a technical report and specific questions on the programme developed.  There will be three exam sessions for the “winter” session (January, February and during the Easter break scheduled by the Polytechnic School) and three sessions for the “summer” session (June, July and during the autumn break scheduled by the Polytechnic School).
No special exam sessions will be granted outside the periods indicated by the Polytechnic School, except for students who have not included training activities in their study plan for the current academic year.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

At the first exam session, the date of which will be set shortly before the end of the module, the oral exam consists of a group presentation, on a dedicated day, of the project work summarising the topics covered during the course in the form of a poster.
In subsequent sittings listed in the calendar, the examination will be of the “traditional” type and will consist of the preparation of a technical report on all the topics covered in the module, which may be written in groups, to be presented and discussed during the examination. 
Details on how to prepare for the examination and the level of detail required for each topic will be provided during the lectures.
The exam aims to assess the understanding and basic knowledge of the technologies related to the industrial applications presented, the simulation and control tools in process engineering,  their appropriate application and to verify the ability to critically analyse any related technological issues.
The quality of the presentation, the correct use of technical terminology, the ability to think critically and make logical connections, the ability to work in a team, and the appropriate use of available resources will also be assessed.
The examination will be assessed by a committee made up of university lecturers and industry technicians who have taught the course.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who are working or have a learning disability or other special educational need are advised to contact professor Arato at the beginning of the module. Together, they should agree on teaching and examination methods that take into account individual learning styles and provide appropriate compensatory tools, in accordance with the teaching objectives.