“An applied guide to process and plant design” and the epistemology of engineering

A significant divergence between the academic study of engineering and its professional practice was identified. This was reported to colleagues and the wider engineering community. Further investigation established that there was no modern textbook which described professional design practice. The most recent textbooks consistent with professional design practice dated from the 1980s. Whilst descriptions of the engineering design process consistent with professional practice were to be found in modern textbooks by engineers from other disciplines, the most widely-used textbooks in chemical engineering tended to describe a kind of ‘process design’ (Douglas, 1988) which was significantly different to its professional counterpart. The author identified that limited peer-reviewed research had been published on professional design practice in chemical engineering and, more generally, on engineering education. Furthermore, this research had largely been undertaken by scholars outside the field of engineering using methodologies which would not be considered robust by scientists, thus diminishing the perceived quality of the research. Finally, it was identified that students, recent graduates and employers reported surprise at the disconnect between chemical engineering degree courses and industry requirements, a factor which adversely affects the employability of early-career engineers. An Applied Guide was thus conceived in order to address the above issues, each of which is explored in this abstract. The objectives at the time were to provide a means for those without experience of process plant design practice to connect their teaching more effectively to real-world requirements; and to provide new designers with a bridge between what they were taught in university and professional design practice. [Material from the book "An applied guide to process and plant design is under copyright by Elsevier and can only be used for non-commercial purposes