Archived-Announcements-2013

Previous announcements for 4N4 (in reverse time order):

• 24 Dec: All grades are posted on Avenue today. Please read the column Final graded report on transcript to calculate your grade letter. That column accounts for any adjustments (MSAF, etc), which Avenue's grading system does not handle.

• 04 Dec: the last piece of work due is a comprehensive course reflection and peer evaluation.
  • Reflections are an important last step in self-directed learning, to review what you have learnt, and what still remains
  • It will be available from Friday, 06 December, and due by 20 December at 1pm.
  • You can start it, add bullet point notes; come back to edit it, and complete it by the 20th.
  • Even if you clicked "Submit" you can still sign in again to edit/update your answers before the 20th, at 1pm.
  • It counts 5% of the course grade.
  • The Quests for the reflection have been emailed to you. If you deleted/ignore the email, visit http://quest.mcmaster.ca to re-request a link.
• 04 Dec:

To: Students in Chem Eng 4N04 From: T. Marlin Subject: Learning Resources for Operability Professor Dunn has made resources available to you during the course. In addition, resources are available at the McMaster Process Control Internet site. Of special interest is the chapter on Troubleshooting, which you can download in Adobe format. The resources can be accessed at the following URL. http://pc-education.mcmaster.ca/Operability/Operability_Home.htm This site will be updated periodically with new chapters, so you can utilize the resources after graduation. I hope that you have enjoyed the 4N04 course and am sure that you will find many applications of the knowledge and skills you have developed as you progress through your exciting careers.

• 03 Dec: the final class is tomorrow; we will cover the last topic, of Engineering Ethics. You must read the course page ahead of class.
• 03 Dec: no final reflection is required for the troubleshooting.
• 28 Nov: there is one final self-directed learning element we must cover; Engineering Ethics. Please read the PEO's website, which has a copy of the Code of Ethics. We will discuss this briefly in class on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• 28 Nov: the graded tutorial on Monday is time-critical; similar to last week, you will start and end your tutorial in the allocated time. Please arrive at the tutorial early/on-time; you must attend the tutorial to avoid letting down the other two members in your triad.
• 27 Nov: Yesterday's campus internet outage is a classic example of reliability. What could the university do to increase reliability? Be more specific than just saying: "add a backup connection".
• 25 Nov: I've posted some notes and comments regarding the final exam.
• 25 Nov: there's no reflection required for the tutorial today. You will require one for the tutorial next week.
• 23 Nov: interested in graduate research, perhaps at U of T? They are hosting a research weekend.
• 21 Nov: Good luck 4N4 class as you wrap up your SDL projects. It's been an intense 12 weeks, but you've got all the tools to finish it up!
• 20 Nov: the graded tutorial on Monday is time-critical; you will start and end your tutorial in the allocated time. Please arrive at the tutorial early/on-time; you must attend the tutorial to avoid letting down the other two members in your triad. The printed notes for the final section of this course will also be distributed at the tutorial.
• 18 Nov: here's an interesting article that discusses process operability, batch processes, monitoring and our next topic, troubleshooting in a single bioprocessing application. Although we've learned about distillation columns, flash drums and compressors, the topics apply anywhere.
• 19 Nov: a partial solution to assignment 7 is posted, to help with operating window understanding.
• 15 Nov: I've been asked to let you know that starting from next weekend, the computer lab, JHE 296 will allow key-card access over the weekends.
• 11 Nov: a reading the shows the level of detail required to startup a process system. Use this for the current assignment and for your project.
• 10 Nov: an updated memo has been posted regarding the SDL project.
• 10 Nov: also note that a new Quest has been posted on Friday that you would have received by email. It is due on Monday.
• 08 Nov: the next assignment/tutorial is posted for Monday. Have a good weekend.
• 08 Nov: some things to consider over the next two weeks: Dr Marlin has asked me to post his questions he asked during the SDL meetings. Further, you can see the tentative grading rubric for the SDL project.
• 08 Nov: information on picking 4W4 streaming:
  • polymer stream
  • waste water stream
  • process systems stream: still waiting for information
• 06 Nov: in case you were uncertain, the major deliverable for Friday is the spreadsheet template above, with the capital and operating costs filled in. As mentioned in class, I will turn this spreadsheet around back to you, so you get the capital and operating costs from the other groups, so your economic analysis in the report covers the entire plant.
• 31 Oct: as your groups are working towards your economics submission, please use this template for the cost estimates. Feel free to modify, where necessary (e.g. if you use other sources), but this format should be good for most units.
• 01: Nov: grades from the midterm are posted in Avenue. The midterms will be returned in class on Tuesday.
• 29 Oct: the slides for the next section, Process operability, are posted.
• 27 Oct: as mentioned in class last week, there are no tutorials on 28 October and 04 November. The available time could be spent on your project preparation.
• 23 Oct: a useful reading on flowsheets and P&IDs
• 23 Oct: we are going to have a great guest speak during Friday's lecture from Syncrude Canada, who will be talking about the oilsands in class. Matt Galachiuk (use the link to email him any questions).
• 21 Oct: there's a short memo on the course feedback I received. I also included some pointers on the SDL project meetings in there.
• 21 Oct: the assignment for this week is posted. This assignment will help you prepare for the group meetings coming up next week (which we will discuss during tutorial).
• 16 Oct: the midterm is posted. We will review selected questions in class shortly.
• 09 Oct: the complete Aspen simulation for the methanol process is posted. Use this as your basis for sizing the units, drawing your flowsheets and so forth. Please note: you should show your cost estimates using a calculated procedure (Woods, other sources when Woods doesn't cover your unit of interest). You may use the Aspen capital cost estimates for comparison to your own calculations, and make it part of your discussion.
• 07 Oct: for Tuesday's class we will wrap up the Economics section and have some in-class discussion on some Economics questions and on the course project.
• 05 Oct: solutions to assignment 3 are posted - thank you Danielle.
• 05 Oct: interesting email from a former student: "also wanted to take the opportunity to let you know that 4N and 4C are probably the most discussed courses in any interviews"
• 05 Oct: details for the self-directed learning project are now posted. There are four weeks before the first due date, so planning your group's approach early is essential. The final due date is 22 November.
• 04 Oct: Monday's tutorial will be handed out at the tutorial, then completed in your groups for hand in by the end of the tutorial. See you there. Have a good weekend.
• 03 Oct: a new Quest has been posted - due by Sunday evening (updated).
• 01 Oct: a new version of the Woods book has been uploaded - it's now fully text searchable.
• 30 Sep: A bit of a frustrating tutorial today with Capital Cost estimation; but we'll resolve the issues in class this week.
• 27 Sep: the tutorial for Monday is posted. Have a good weekend.
• 25 Sep: an important memo about the SDL course project has been posted. Please read it before class on Friday.

• 23 Sep: for those with a management background, this description of PV and FV will be easy to understand in terms of annuities. For the rest of the class, this is an alternative view of the PV and FV calculations.

• 20 Sep: An article from CEP on Calculating financial indicators, written by two people at Dow Chemical. Please read this article as self-directed learning.

• 19 Sep: an electronic version of the group instructions issued at the tutorial last Monday. This additional task is not supposed to take too much time; your group should be keeping track of minutes in some form; this process just formalizes that.

• 18 Sep: Interesting stats in this article today that 40% of retirees in the study believed they did not prepare enough for retirement, and about 40% of this subset didn’t realize this until they left the work force. Read the article to see what prevented them from saving more.

• 17 Sep: the slides for Wednesday's class are ready. I always post the old and new slides, because most students print multiple slides per page, and need the older slides to continue their printouts seamlessly.

• 17 Sep: the topics of DCFRR and MARR are always confusing at first, this is normal and OK. Take a minute to tell me what you find confusing, and I will address it in tomorrow's class with an example.

• 16 Sep: The first Quest test is posted, and you would have received an email about it. The email contains a unique login code for you; please click and answer the questions. If you did not receive a code, or wish to receive another one, please go to http://quest.mcmaster.ca
  • The Quests are graded [12% of your overall course grade].

• 12 Sep: The slides for Friday's class are posted now.
• 11 Sep: The midterm date is confirmed, 16 October, 19:00, MDCL 1102

• 11 Sep: A spreadsheet with all the calculated examples in class is posted. I will add to this spreadsheet as the course progresses.

• 11 Sep: Stats Canada just released a video today on the income sources for Canadians

• 11 Sep: Please note, as stated in the course outline, it is imperative that all group submissions include a cover letter. There is a heavy penalty for not doing so. Please read this advice on composing your cover letters. Also, there are some instructions (below) on how to submit electronically - please follow them carefully.

• 10 Sep: slides for Wednesday's class are posted now

• 09 Sep: slides for Tuesday's class are posted now

• 08 Sep: Here is the group allocation for 4N4 for the rest of the term. See you in the tutorial on Monday where you will get to know your group members and start developing your team.

• 06 Sep: The cut-off time for the questionnaire has passed. If you have not filled it out, please do so anyway. You might still be able to get the grouping you choose, but there are no guarantees, as most of the groups have been formed. Fill in this questionnaire.

• 04 Sep: Your first reading for the first tutorial/assignment: the 2013 AIChE Salary Survey.
  • An actual job interview question: "What kind of salary do you expect"?

• 04 Sep: Be prepared to fill in this questionnaire before Saturday evening (18:00) to select your groups for the course. We will start tutorials off on Monday morning in your groupings. More info will be given in class on Friday, or check out the class slides ahead of time.

• 03 Sep: The course starts on 6 September 2013 at 09:30. See you at the first class where we will review the course outline and the course objectives. The optional slides are available for you to print and bring with.