Abstract:

Chemical engineer is a professional in charge of the design, development and management of processes that optimise the transformation of raw materials to obtain products on an industrial scale. Their training provides the necessary foundations in basic disciplines (physics, chemistry, mathematics, graphic expression, statistics, computing), specific engineering disciplines (construction, materials, fluid mechanics, projects, heat transmission, control and instrumentation, environmental technology, organisation and production, business economics and management, electronics and automation) and chemical engineering (thermodynamics, kinetics, reactors, chemical-physics, basic operations and separation operations, simulation, experimentation).

The chemical industry is responsible for obtaining products from raw materials, requiring a series of operations that constitute a process. This process involves chemical reactions and conditioning or separation operations, as well as the selection of the techniques and equipment in which this transformation is carried out. The chemical engineer is a competent technician whose professional attributions are set out in Spanish Ministerial Order CIN 351/2009, and which includes the ability to handle mandatory regulations and to sign and develop projects for industrial plants and manufacturing processes. Flow diagrams are the tool used for the graphic representation of processes and provide information on the flows and sequence of stages to be carried out, the equipment involved and the layout of the constructive elements necessary in the installation.

In the subject of Industrial Processes in Chemical Engineering, a fourth-year course in the Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de València, the problem-based learning methodology is proposed for the construction of a flow diagram. The work must be done in groups, and has an open solution. To solve it, students must consult the audiovisual material provided as well as the specific regulations. This work explains the educational innovation proposed, as well as the results achieved of the work performed over 5 academic years and the students' perception of the difficulty, dedication and degree of learning achieved.

Keywords:

Chemical engineering, flowchart, design, industrial processes.