A common difficulty students experience is a lack of understanding of how real process and their underpinning theory work in a real-world setting. The CHEMMAT 306 Methanex visit provides an excellent opportunity for students to not only bridge this knowledge gap but also develop a design mindset, which is critical for final-year projects.

Throughout CHEMMAT 306, students learn about the engineering design process, covering concepts such as front-end engineering design, process safety, ethics and many other topics. The primary case study that is used to teach these concepts throughout the course is Methanex’s methanol plant in Motunui, New Plymouth, with the plant’s steam system being given particular attention.

The visit takes place over two days; the first day sees the students on-site for a full day, while the second is for a half day. On day one, students and staff were received into the Kauri conference room, where they were introduced to the engineering team, who presented the plant’s history, the methanol production process, and the steam system. Students were also given a tour of three sections of the plant: reforming and conversion, distillation, and utilities. Many students commented on how seeing the real-life counterpart really allowed them to conceptualise the unit operations at a level beyond what theory can achieve on its own.

On the second day, students were given additional presentations on safety and materials at Methanex before exploring the reforming and conversion section of the plant with a list of questions to answer. This was to give the students an opportunity to learn about some of the finer aspects of design, such as instrumentation and piping, that they were introduced to in CHEMMAT 306.

A site visit is always an excellent opportunity for students to develop their understanding of process engineering. We’d like to thank Methanex for always graciously opening their doors to us, as the visit is definitely a highlight of the CHEMMAT programme as a whole.