Rainey has the Right Chemistry
Constantly evolving teaching curriculum and trialling innovative teaching methods is what Thomas Rainey credits for his success in Australia’s only chemical process engineering course.
“Typically, universities offer a chemical engineering degree, but the chemicals industry in Australia is relatively small,” Dr Rainey said.
“Industries that employ process engineers include oil and gas, water treatment, food and beverage, paper, sugar industry, that kind of stuff. None of these plants are making chemicals, so to speak.
“The position title for a chemical engineering graduate, more often than not, is a ‘process engineer’.”
Process engineers optimise plant operations to achieve process and product efficiencies.
Dr Rainey said process engineering is often confused with chemical engineering.
While process engineers do have some chemistry knowledge, it is not unusual for mechanical engineers to move into process engineering during their career.
“QUT has the only process engineering course in Australia, so it’s up to us to define what it is.
“We define chemical and process engineering more by elimination — what does not have electrical components; does not have mechanical components, and is not structural. Then, it’s processed.
Despite its separateness from chemical engineering, processing may involve chemical processes and it is for this reason Dr Rainey is evolving the course to include more chemistry.
“Currently, we’re trying to bolster the amount of chemistry learning in the course by trialling more advanced learning in existing units,” Dr Rainey said.
To engage students, he integrated more open-ended activities — those designed to keep them involved in a learning task.
Dr Rainey received the Caltex Award during Chemeca 2019 — Engineering Megatrends and the Elements — for his leadership of QUT’s Chemical Process Engineering course.
The Caltex Award recognises excellent chemical engineering teaching and, in Australia, is jointly decided by Engineers Australia and the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).
To help student learning, Dr Rainey had secured a $5000 QUT teaching grant to develop a series of specialised videos for students to access Aspen software tutorials so they could continue to practice outside the classroom.
Aspen software enables students to build process models and simulate chemical reactions.
“We teach the use of specialised software in class as do most universities, but we also allow students to access it online as well.
“We are scaffolding the content for adaptive release to provide students with some scope.
“They have a couple of self-assessment tests to unlock a tutorial on video. Next, they may do a quiz to unlock the end of the tutorial, and so on.
“If they want the online support, they’ve got to actually do something for it.”
Not without its challenges, Dr Rainey will embed the additional material without additional space in the curriculum, with tremendous support from a small and focussed teaching team.
Nomination backed by students and alumni
Students appreciate the effort, with alumni and current students supporting Dr Rainey’s nomination for the Caltex Award.
Jason Wylie graduated from QUT in 2016 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Process) and now works as a process engineer GPA Engineering, an engineering design consultancy.
He supported Dr Rainey’s nomination for the Caltex Award, recalling his application-focused teaching and direct experience in sugar, pulp and paper industries, and biofuels research.
“Tom’s teaching style has always tied the academic concepts, which are fundamental to the knowledge of all engineers, to their application within multiple industries.
“In addition to the focus on industry was his passion for the ‘what’s next’, which included some of the most recent research within QUT focusing on future biofuels.
“Tom incorporated this research into a number of subjects, including one of the capstone final-year process modelling subjects.”
Based in Brisbane, Jason works on projects across Australia and across industries with a focus on minerals processing, and oil and gas.
“Projects have ranged from concept stage through to on-site commissioning and desktop optimisation,” Jason said.
“Since graduation, I have had experience as both a metallurgist and an operator at two mine sites in North Queensland, in addition to the design experience in my current position.”
Focused on student futures
Anna Wright is a current process engineering student and also supported Dr Rainey’s award nomination.
“Dr Rainey works to ensure that the process engineering students are better equipped for industry by making sure that more key process engineering skills are integrated into the degree.
“His teaching methods are more focused on key process engineering skill sets such as capital cost estimations and mass balances.
“I selected process engineering as it allows me to keep my options open with what industry I want to work in.
“As the process engineering skillset can be so widely applied to many different projects, it means I have the freedom to move between jobs and apply my skills in new ways.
“This is exciting for me as I don’t like to stay doing the same thing for too long and like to find new ways to apply my knowledge.
“In terms of career aspirations, I am currently working in the minerals processing field to gain experience but am eager to see how my developing process engineering skills can be applied to industries I am more passionate about such as renewable energy, horticulture and food science,” Anna said.
Graduates at the forefront of disruptive technologies
Process engineers in industry are the concept developers, and problem-solvers of projects, according to Jason Wylie.
“Process engineering graduates must have an understanding of how all of the discrete elements of a project link together to create a system.
“Process engineering industry focus is developing very quickly from the traditional oil and gas focus to new disruptive technologies.
“A willingness to learn and be adaptable in the workforce is a must.”
Jason says the primary expectation of recent graduates isn’t to the know-how of all the elements of a system work instinctively, rather have the skills and mindset to create the links and develop the systems-thinking understanding.
“When I have been involved in discussions about new graduates, we have always focused on attitude and interests.
“Process engineers will likely organically gain a wide understanding of many industries and disciplines over time. The key to being successful as a new graduate is willingness to learn and being able to communicate effectively.
“Process engineers will be at the forefront of this push in both making existing processes more efficient, and implementing and scaling up the disruptive technologies.”
Engineering and Business have the right chemistry
Dr Rainey said one of his most successful teaching innovations was the marriage of engineering and business education.
Students worked together on a single project to develop a portfolio of premium toilet paper products which were feasible from both a technical and marketable perspective.
The fictional Angel Tissue Pty Ltd was based on a real company experiencing business development-related challenges that derived from a change in the market situation.
Students were given four choices to redevelop the product — using a sugar cane bagasse-based product; using environmentally friendly chemicals; using recycled paper, or putting aloe vera on the toilet paper.
In addition to applying learned engineering skills, the subject introduced project management and taught students how to communicate with people of different skill sets.“
International mobility: a wide world of processes
Dr Rainey says international mobility also gives students opportunities to experience various industries applying process engineering.
His tours have taken students across Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, with some of the more memorable tours including the production of:
- Energy from waste
- Nuclear power
- Beet sugar
- Lego
- Biogas
- Beer
- Pulp
- Paper
- Paint.
Students also visited the Stuttgart Porsche manufacturing plant, which demonstrated principles learned from process engineering.
