Chemical Product Engineering and Design: Active Learning Through The Use of Case Studies
Chemical Product Engineering and Design: Active Learning Through The Use of Case Studies
Chemical Product Engineering and Design: Active Learning Through The Use of Case Studies
Abstract This paper presents a recently developed web product engineering and chemical product design have been
resource of sample problems to teach chemical product emerging within chemical engineering science and practice
design, which is still a not very well established discipline [2-5].
within chemical engineering. The website is organised One of the major challenges in the teaching of chemical
according to a general template for product development product design is to find and develop plausible and
and incorporates some recently proposed concepts to illustrative examples, in part because industrial innovation
systematise the discipline of chemical product practices are largely undisclosed. The Engineering Subject
engineering. A case study of a cosmetic lotion is Centre (UK) has recently sponsored a project aiming at
presented in more detail, illustrating the benefits of producing a website with examples for chemical product
inductive learning as well as specific topics, namely design teaching, which will be presented in this paper. A
integrated product/process design and the relationship particular example of a cosmetic product will be explored in
between product composition and structure and product more detail.
performance.
CHEMICAL PRODUCT DESIGN WEBSITE
Index Terms Chemical product design, Chemical product
engineering, Emulsions, Learning through case studies. The core of the website is organised in six sections (Table
I), each of them corresponding to a different stage of
INTRODUCTION product development [1]. Each section presents an overview
of approaches and tools relevant for the corresponding
New product development, which involves the integration of design stage and one or more case studies illustrating the
strategic and management actions with technical efforts, is a kind of problems addressed in that particular stage. The case
crucial activity to the success of any corporation. studies were developed to motivate students to deal with
Whilst in some industrial and engineering sectors, such marketing and management topics, which are typically not
as the mechanical and electronic, the technical side of incorporated in their curricula, as well as show them how
product development has always been heavily emphasised chemical engineering core concepts (for example
[1], in the chemical process industries the systematic and thermodynamics and transfer phenomena) can be applied to
efficient design of new products is a relatively recent design a new chemical product. In addition, they illustrate a
concern. Traditionally, the design of chemical products, wide variety of chemical products including formulated
such as a hair conditioner, has been led as an empirical art consumer products (paints, beverages, perfumes and
relying on companies internal background, trade secrets cosmetics), functional materials (fiber-reinforced polymers)
and trial-and-error formulation procedures. However, this and physico-chemical-based devices (cooling system for
approach has become incompatible with the current dynamic drinks).
and demanding markets, and the concepts of chemical
TABLE I
CORE SECTIONS OF THE WEBSITE AND CORRESPONDENT CASE STUDIES.
Section Case study
Identify customer needs Developing a new concept of paint
Set target performance specifications Comfort in beverages: a portable cooling system for drinks
Generate product ideas A long lasting fizzy drink
Select product ideas 1. Developing a UV barrier film
2. Computer-aided design of a fibre-reinforced polymer
composite for application in a storage tank
Set final product specifications Engineering a perfume
Process design Integrated product and process design
for a hydrating body lotion
TABLE II
BODY LOTION FORMULATION.
Part A (10 to 15% (v/v) of the total) % (w/w) Part B % (w/w)
Stearic acid (occlusive) 25.5 Deionized water (solvent) q.s.
Cetyl alcohol (occlusive) 10.3 Glycerol (humectant) 5-12
Petrolatum USP (occlusive) 10.3 Xanthan gum (thickener) 0.5-1.5
Mineral oil, 70 mPa.s (occlusive) 20.5 100
Isopropyl palmitate (occlusive) 20.5 Part C (~0.25%(w/w) of the total)
Glyceryl monostearate (emulsifier) 10.3 Preservatives
PEG-40 stearate (emulsifier) 2.6 Fragrances
100