Authors:

1.      Bashkirtseva Natalia Yu. - Doctor of Engineering Science, Professor, Head of the Department of chemical technology of oil and gas, Dean of the petroleum and petrochemistry faculty.

Phone number: +7 (987) 2908655

E-mail: bashkircevan@bk.ru

2.      Zhuravleva Marina V. - Doctor of Education, Associate Professor of Technology of basic organic and petrochemical synthesis, Vice-dean for educational work, Assistant rector for educational work.

Phone number: +7 (909) 3080559

e-mail:Guravleva0866@mail.ru

3.      Zinnurova Olga V. – PhD, Associate Professor of chemical engineering in oil and gas, a senior manager of Deanery of Faculty of petroleum and petrochemictry, Vice-dean for career-oriented work.

Phone number: +7 (906) 3216628

E-mail: zinnurovaov@mail.ru

 

Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "Kazan National Research Technological University"

Address: 68 Karl Marx St., Kazan, 420015, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation

Petroleum and petrochemistry faculty.

e-mail: dekanat41@kstu.ru

Phone/Fax: +7 (843) 2314034, +7 (843) 2314123

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof.N.Yu. Bashkirtseva,  Prof. M.V. Zhuravlyova,  PhD O.V. Zinnurova

Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education

"Kazan National Research Technological University"

THE PROJECT-ACTIVITY APPROACH IN FUTURE ENGINEERS TRAINING FOR PETROCHEMICAL COMPLEX

 

The project-activity approach in professional training of future engineers enhances student’s interests to the productive activities, level of their professionalism, facilitates the recruitment process, provides businesses demanded experts. Design features of project-activity training content of such specialists for petrochemical enterprises are presented in this article.

 

Keywords: engineers activity, professionalism , educational process, project-activity training, content of  innovative development project-activity training petrochemical complex

Under conditions of formation of new socio-economic relations and transition to a post-industrial society, the change of role and importance of engineering has allowed to define the basic requirements for an engineer of the 21st century:

1)                a professional competence;

2)                a communicative willingness, a developed ability for creativity in solving professional problems, an ability to navigate in unusual circumstances and situations and to analyze problems, challenges;

3)                 an action plan development and a willingness to implement it;

4)                a sustainable conscious positive attitude to this profession, a commitment to continuous personal and professional development;

5)                a possession of  modeling, forecasting and planning methods in addition to methods of research and testing which are necessary to create intellectual values and material goods;

6)                understanding of the trends and the development of science and technology.

Knowledge of the requirements imposed on the labor market to the level of professional training of engineers in the petrochemical complex helps to develop and validate specific actions to improve the quality of education. One is the project-activity education of students for specific enterprises in the petrochemical complex.

The basic idea of the project-activity education is a graduate who has mastered the knowledge and ways of activity. In this case a student turns from passive consumer of knowledge to active subject of educational activities. Because in its future career a specialist will always face, adapt, participate and implement various types of innovations and focus on the individual work with independent decision making.

The project-active education is aimed at the following objectives: to form a specialist as a member of society; training of highly qualified personnel; continuing professional readiness, motivation for self-development and progress on the career ladder.

In order to prepare competitive engineers and to ensure the production activities of  the planned “Ammonium” JSC and the going ”Mari refinery” LLC”, the project-activity learning is organized in the direction of  240100.62 – «Chemical Technology» by the Faculty of petroleum and petrochemical of the Kazan State Technological University. The key position of the program is to combine the efforts of universities and enterprises when making a list of the required professional skills of future engineers.

Innovative development of petrochemical plants requires trained engineering staff with a high level of professionalism and intellectual creativity that is able to quickly learn new technological processes and production. It means staff is ready to work in the new industrial area.

The essence of project-activity education of future engineers for the petrochemical complex is to train engineers required for enterprises to solve specific problems. A high level of professional training helps to enter the production activity in the enterprise without the adaptation period.

Designing project-active training of engineers for petrochemical plants was based on such principles as systematic, continuity, integration, interdisciplinary connections, correspondence and regionality.

The mechanism for implementing the project-activity training of engineers includes several parts:

1)                Forming project teams from students in association with companies;

2)                Development of individual training plans;

3)                Educational planning of the project-activity training considering a workload of students in the basic educational program;

4)                Development of institutional mechanisms of interaction between the university and the enterprises to implement the project-activity training;

5)                Matching the content of training with companies:

a)                 identifying subjects and organization forms of scientific research and development work carried out by students;

b)                content definition and control of all types of industrial practice by representatives of enterprises;

c)                attracting leading engineering personnel in the educational process;

d)                formation criteria of quality of professional training of engineers.

6)                Employment of graduates.

The educational process is built based on the level of education and training of students from course to course. It’s a dynamic system opened for change, transformation and continuous interaction of structural components with each other. Patterns and trends in the development of enterprises were taken into account when planning the content of the project-activity training of engineers. Changes in the technical and social progress, new technologies, production impact on the content and structure of professional activity. Therefore, the leading rule in determining the selection of the content of the project-activity training of engineers is to focus on current and foreseeable needs of the individual, businesses, industry, region and society in general.

Academic disciplines are focused on the ultimate goal of the training of engineers - formation of specific skills and knowledge relevant to future careers for maximum adaptation in this production. Each subject serves not just as a separate section, but is organically linked to the previous and subsequent material. For example an individual curriculum of the project-activity education includes “The chemical industry in the region and the resources base of the petrochemical complex” lectures helping the students to form a complete knowledge of the natural resources of the region, petrochemical complex, to form an idea of processes and interactions among leading petrochemical enterprises. This allows solving problems related to the supply of raw materials and the search for possible ways to replace. Self-study involves the study of additional literature, periodicals such as "Actual problems of petrochemical", "Chemistry and Life - XXI century", "Refining and Chemicals" and other for writing essays on different topics such as "State and prospects of oil and gas in RT", "Gas Processing Company as suppliers of raw materials for petrochemical plants," "Methods of preparation and processing of oil depending on the hydrocarbon composition," "Natural bitumen as sources of raw materials for the petrochemical industry", "Associated gas as the main source raw materials for the chemical industries” and so on.

Introduction to the curriculum the "Logistics" course is connected with the need for good knowledge of how to manage raw, goods and money flows in the production. The basis of the theoretical material is a production logistics in the petrochemical industry. It means studying of the organization and management of material flows, a production planning in the petrochemical industry and in the system of a single enterprise. It is necessary that the expert was able to determine the need for different types of resources, anticipate production costs and the expected economic impact of the enterprise, know such concepts as logistics systems, link of the logistics system, logistics chain, logistics channel, logistics costs and etc. Practical exercises involve the tasks of forecasting supply and demand for commodity products (ammonia, methanol, carbamide, ammonium nitrate), planning and inventory of raw materials, management of transport processes. Self-study involves the preparation of reports on the subject of discipline.

The purpose of “Organization, technology, equipment and ISC of the “Ammonium” JSC” and the ”Mari refinery” LLC”” discipline is to form a comprehensive picture of the manufacturing process and it contains four blocks.

The first unit called “Technology of production of “Ammonium” JSC, ”Mari refinery” LLC” reflects the theoretical aspects of the technology of ammonium nitrate, ammonia, carbamide, methanol, urea-formaldehyde concentrate, which form the basis of the process of the enterprise.

The second unit called “The equipment of “Ammonium” JSC and ”Mari refinery” LLC” is devoted to the issues of hardware design process involving the use of petrochemical units, both domestic and foreign.

The study of automatic control systems and process control to ensure compliance with the norms of the technology is provided by the third unit of discipline – “ICSs of “Ammonium” JSC and ”Mari refinery” LLC”.

General issues related to the functioning of the main production, study of plant facilities, auxiliary facilities, management structure units of the company are reflected in the unit “Production organization of “Ammonium” JSC and ”Mari refinery” LLC”. Students study additional literature and perform essays on topics defining the specific production, for example: syntheses based on ammonia; especially ammonia production; review of nitrogen fertilizer that exist in the world; the demand for nitrogen fertilizers.

A detailed study of dangerous factors of production in the “Procedure safety of “Ammonium” JSC and ”Mari refinery” LLC” discipline can prevent emergency situations. The study of national and international experience of design and construction of petrochemical enterprises provides awareness of improving emergency stability of petrochemical plants, ways to reduce pollution and the best options for the allocation of financial resources.

The “3D Modeling” course provides a basic understanding of modern methods of design processes in the chemical and petrochemical industry. Practical work with 3D-graphics helps to visually evaluate the detailed modeling of equipment, arrangement of equipment in the field, equipment binding by industrial pipelines, regulating fittings, metal structures, convenience and reliability of joints.

Work in project teams focused on solving scientific and industrial problems of enterprises. The main criteria for the formation of students project groups were awareness of career choices, the willingness to work in production, good performance, mobility, communication, self-confidence.

The main form of educational work in project groups is collective cognitive activities. Individual efforts of each person are combined and are directed to solution of the general cognitive tasks increasing the capabilities of each student. The results of joint scientific research, production work are submitted by students in the form of course and diploma projects.

Thus the project-activity training of engineers for petrochemical complex allows to implement competence-based approach in education, which provides a high level of professionalism of the students and the ability to multi-disciplinary innovation. There’s an increased interest in industrial activity in the enterprise among students. Besides a period of vocational adjustment in production is reduced, the company is ensured by demand specialists.

 

References

1.                 Gurie L.I., Kirsanov A.A., Kondratiev V.V., Yarmakeev I.E.// Integrative framework of innovative educational process in high professional school: monograph / Ed. by Kondratiev V.V. Moscow: Vinity, 2006. – P. 288.

2.                 Kirsanov A.A., Kochnev A.M. // Integrative framework of wide-profile training in technical universities / Kazan: publishing house “ÀÁÀÊ”, 1999. P. 290.

3.                 Official site of Heriot-Watt University, Scotland - Access: http: // www.pet.hw.ac.uk, a general description of the program http://www.postgraduate.hw.ac.uk/courses/view/229/.

4.                Official site of Newcastle University, UK - Access: http: // www.ncl.ac/uk, Official master's study program in the field of petroleum geochemistry http://www.ncl.ac.uk/regulations/programme/2010-2011/civg.php, a general description of the program http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/subjects/geochemistry/courses/96,