Projecto de Engenharia Biológica

Objectives

This UC aims to develop in students the skills to integrate knowledge into a preliminary, plant design project, for a bioproduct production process. Faced with a proposed product and its production process, students should: build the product’s framework in terms of scientific, technical and market knowledge; detail product specifications and process description; draw process flowsheets; establish mass and energy balances; select and size the basic equipment; quantify the process requirements in utilities and pollution minimization; carry out an evaluation of the economic viability of the process, including sensitivity analysis. This UC aims to develop in students: team work methodologies, task sharing and management, information exchange and compliance with objectives and deadlines; training in preparing meetings with supervisors and obtaining answers through electronic means; collecting information from external sources; authonomy in the criterious proposal of solutions.

Syllabus

Framework and characterization of the product to be manufactured. Detailed description of the manufacturing process and flow diagrams. Overall balance, on the basis of the quantity to be produced. Stage wise balances (mass and energy): quantification of the raw material consumption and of the production of by-products and wastes; quantification of utility requirements (heating/cooling; water; hygienization; electricity; fuels; compressed air; solvent recovery; waste preparation and disposal; storage; special manufacturing rooms). Selection, expedite sizing and operational specifications of the main process equipment, with detailed sizing of selected units. Summarized equipment diagram and process scheduling diagram. Economic evaluation of the project: estimates of investment and production costs and of revenues; forecast operation accounts and cash-flows; profitability analysis; identification of the main factors and sensitivity analysis.

Prerequisites

Enzyme Engineering; Biological Reactors; Seperation and Purification of Biological Products; Environmental Technology; Integrated Bioprocess Engineering.

Cross Competence Component

Given the nature of the project work, students will develop the following skills: teamwork (including the writing of meeting agendas and minutes, task sharing, and the setting up of objectives and deadlines), self-discipline (compliance with work stage deadlines and adequate preparation for time- limited supervision sessions; participation in peer assessment and self- assessment), capacity for locating and accessing information (most of the data needed for the project work will be obtained by students from scientific and technical literature and other sources, e.g., databases, online calculators), creativity, perseverance and critical thinking in the seach for information and its application to overcome dificulties in project steps and pursue the set objectives.

Laboratorial Component

No laboratory component.

Programming And Computing Component

The project work is intensely quantitative, based on spreadsheet sequences (e.g., Excel). The latter are complemented with the use of simulation software for the optimization of selected process stages or the drawing of diagrams (e.g., Aspen, SuperPro Designer). The modeling of process stages with programming software can also be used (e.g., Matlab).

Ethical Principles

All members of a group are responsible for the group’s work In any assessment every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used. In an oral assessment, every student shall be alble to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.