Looking Ahead - Restructuring Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum for Optimal Impact of Process Simulation - Student Benefits in Optimization and Sustainability

Oct 15, 2026

Proper chemical process simulation knowledge supports senior chemical engineering students in achieving optimal design outcomes and multiple learning objectives. The study highlights continuous improvements through undergraduate curriculum restructuring, especially when the simulation course is introduced earlier. The revision includes updating upper-division courses, such as senior design, to add deeper optimization and sustainability skills, while enhancing students’ summer training to simulate and troubleshoot industrial case studies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Research Questions

Methodology

Curriculum Restructuring Approach

| | Ad | vances in Engineering Edu | cation | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2021: VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4 Looking Ahead: Restructuring Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum for Optimal Impact of Process Simulation: Student Benefits in Optimization and Sustainability SAAD AL-SOBHI SHAHEEN AL-MUHTASEB AND HESAN ELFAKI Department of Chemical Engineering Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713 Qatar ABSTRACT Proper chemical process simulation knowledge is valuable for senior chemical engineering students to deliver optimal design outcomes and achieve many learning objectives. This study aims to highlight the benefits of continuous improvements and innovations in chemical engineering’s undergraduate curriculum. In particular, curriculum restructuring benefits when the simulation course is offered earlier in the curriculum. Most importantly, it elaborates on how this change creates opportunities to help the program attain multiple learning objectives at higher levels. There is a direct modification to the upper-division undergraduate courses (for example, the senior design project course) to incorporate more important in-depth skills, such as optimization and sustainability. The students’ summer training experience has also been enhanced to simulate and troubleshoot industrial case studies. Key words: Chemical engineering undergraduate curriculum, Process simulation, Senior design project INTRODUCTION The simulation of chemical processes via professional simulation software is a vital tool needed by chemical engineering graduates . Mastery of such computer skills helps students 2021: VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4 1 ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Looking Ahead: Restructuring Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum for Optimal Impact of Process Simulation Figure 1. Aspects of process simulation. function effectively in their senior design projects, industrial training internships, and postgraduation studies. Chemical process simulation, also known as process flowsheeting, represents chemical processes using embedded material and energy conservation, thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and design equations that are solved simultaneously using built-in models to predict process performance (R. L. Motard 1975) . Thus, process simulation plays an important role in chemical system design and optimization (A. W. Westerberg 1979) . Aspen Plus, Aspen HYSYS, ChemCAD, and PRO/II are examples of commercial simulation packages (Aspentech 2017) . The role of process simulation in addressing chemical systems is extensive, as shown in Figure 1. Process simulation helps in process operation and production planning, process optimization, training and education, sustainability analyses, and decision-making studies. (Ghasem 2016) showed that the simulator-based learning approach enhanced students’ technical knowledge. He highlighted that learning through simulators also favors the industrial community and stakeholders. (KlemeŠ et al. 2013) indicated that process design, modeling, simulation, synthesis, integration, optimization, and dynamics are examples of essential subjects for students 2 2021: VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4 ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Looking Ahead: Restructuring Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum for Optimal Impact of Process Simulation to attain the skills necessary for solving complex engineering problems. This recommendation was reached after reviewing the standards, such as the EUR-ACE framework standards. Some of our previously published works presented the simulation-optimization frameworks. For example,(Al-Sobhi and Elkamel 2015) developed a strategy via simulation to optimize an enterprise-wide natural gas processing network. Al-Sobhi et al. extended the simulation-optimization framework for the optimal selection of economic and environmental sustainability pathways (Al-Sobhi, Shaik, et al. 2018) (Al-Sobhi, Elkamel, et al. 2018) . Thes

FAQs

What is the main goal of restructuring the chemical engineering undergraduate curriculum?

To highlight how continuous improvements and innovations can improve learning objectives, especially by offering the process simulation course earlier.

How does earlier exposure to simulation skills affect senior students?

The study investigates whether earlier training helps students reach higher learning levels and deliver more sustainable senior project designs.

What changes are made to course structure and training?

The computer-aided course is moved from the senior year to the junior year, and upper-division courses and summer training are modified to include optimization, sustainability, and industrial case simulation and troubleshooting.

Oct 15, 2026

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