Senior Capstone Design

CHEN 426, also known as Plant Design, is the culminating class for undergraduate chemical engineers. The class utilizes all the science and engineering skills built over the past three years to challenge students to design a standard process for chemical engineering. The end products could include plans for a chemical process, oil and gas refining unit, or another real-world manufacturing process.

Each team of 4-7 chemical engineering seniors receives the same problem statement and a set of data from a sponsoring industry company. The teams have one semester to design a set of unit operations to achieve the goal. For example, one year, students were asked to design an oil platform to treat crude oil and send it to shore. These complicated but rewarding projects prepare students to tackle chemical engineering problems in their first jobs.

Students also refine their professional development through presentations and interactions with their industry sponsors. Awards are given for technical and overall achievements.

Like the TAMU College of Engineering’s High Impact Experience requirement, it is important for Aggie chemical engineers to be capable of applied science and engineering. Senior Plant Design equips students with skills that they will need immediately after graduation, including communication, technical knowledge, and leadership. The students also use software like that used in industry, such as ASPEN, HYSYS, and more.

When chemical engineering students are two semesters away from graduation, they will enroll in CHEN 425, Process Integration, Simulation, and Economics. CHEN 425 is the first course in a two-course sequence focused on the synthesis, integration, simulation, and design of chemical engineering processes, introducing students to core principles of process design and economics. It covers tools for process integration, flowsheet development, equipment design, and environmentally responsible approaches, reinforced through practical problem‑solving. The lab component provides hands-on experience with computer-aided simulation of chemical‑engineering systems.

In their final semester, chemical engineering seniors enroll in CHEN 426, Plant Design. Students who complete this course will design major process equipment and determine appropriate sizes for units such as pumps, compressors, heat exchangers, and distillation columns. They will synthesize full chemical and biological processes by creating and evaluating interconnected systems of equipment to determine the most effective design. They will also develop proficiency with industry-standard computational tools, including process simulators, planning software, and graphical programs. In addition, students will learn to evaluate safety, environmental impacts, and ethical considerations using computational methods to compare design strategies. Finally, they will produce professional-quality design reports and presentations and work effectively in teams to plan, execute, and refine complex problem-solving projects.

We are always looking for new project sponsors. Please see the sponsorship section for more information.

Sponsoring a chemical engineering senior project benefits both the academic and industry sides of the partnership. The chemical engineering seniors will gain experience with solving problems in your field, and learn from your company’s unique problem statement, specifications, and dataset. Your company will have the opportunity to provide a deeper understanding of your work to a talented, hirable set of engineering seniors. You may even gain new technical insight from some of our students’ creative solutions! Our past projects have spanned the oil and gas, petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, biochemicals, and semiconductors fields.

Becoming a sponsor requires a full semester’s commitment to:

1. Identify at least one engineer to represent your company throughout the project. The sponsor typically communicates with students and faculty through email, although in-person meetings may be possible.
2. Provide a well-scoped chemical engineering problem statement, specifications, and data.
3. Work with faculty to set up meetings and presentations with the students.
4. Provide technical feedback- and encouragement- to students at mid-semester check-in meetings.
5. Choose the best team projects to recognize with awards.
6. Provide financial support; sponsors typically cover the expenses for plaques and prize money awarded to the top 3 best teams.

For more detailed information or to start the process of becoming a sponsor, please contact the department at chen-admin@tamu.edu.