The aim of this module to instil is to apply previous learning to two key application areas of nuclear technology and water & wastewater treatment. Industries requiring these skills have fundamental engineering challenges since both are asset intensive and focussed on minimising environmental impact.

The aim of Nuclear Physics and Safety is to give an introduction to the principles relevant to the operation of nuclear facilities. This knowledge is extended in the teaching of Engineering Challenges in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle which considers the engineering processes and wider aspects of the nuclear sector and, together, these provide a valuable grounding for careers in this industry.

Nuclear Physics and Safety

• Structure of the atomic nucleus, radioactive decay processes, fission
• Lessons from history: accidents, safety culture and establishing Nuclear Safety and Environmental Cases

Engineering Challenges in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle

• Overview of story of nuclear in UK & generic lessons about Chemical Engineering design
• Nuclear reactor types & nuclear fuel manufacturing
• Commissioning and operations
• Waste retrievals and decommissioning challenges

The Water and Wastewater Engineering Design teaching provides a design focussed treatment of key topics in Environmental Engineering to complement previous modules with a focus on sustainability - e.g. Environmental Systems, Separation Processes and Sustainable Process Engineering. Emphasis is also placed on understanding and delivering industry standard documentation and design drawings.

Water and Wastewater Engineering Design

• Sources of water pollution.
• Water quality concepts.
• Design and Operation of Water treatment and disinfection processes.
• Biological waste water treatment: design and operation of activated sludge processes.
• Use of industry standard engineering tender documents and drawings.

This module explores the fundamental concepts and applications of modern biotechnology. It begins by examining the cellular and molecular organization of prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the structure and function of biological macromolecules, and key biochemical processes such as transcription, translation, and enzyme catalysis. The module delves into the stoichiometry and kinetics of microbial growth, as well as the metabolic pathways and signalling mechanisms that regulate cellular function.

Building on this foundation, the module connects these biological principles to biotechnological applications, focusing on bioprocesses and industrial biotechnology. Topics include energy metabolism, genetic engineering, bioreactor design, upstream and downstream stages, and bioprocess scalability, with an emphasis on traditional and cutting-edge technologies. Ultimately, this module provides the knowledge necessary to understand and innovate within the biotechnology industry, integrating cellular mechanisms and bioprocess engineering for the production of commercial bioproducts.

By the end of this module, you will be able to apply project management principles to the particular requirements of projects in the process industries. You will be able to create project management structures to plan, track progress, manage risk and take action. You will recognise examples of good and poor practice in projects, and appreciate the advantages and pitfalls of common project management approaches. 

The design project undertaken is a major piece of coursework that integrates key knowledge and skills acquired elsewhere in the degree programme. It is a challenging exercise that is constructed to be as close as possible to a professional engineering design exercise. The students can choose a polymer-related product, such as plastics, rubber and composites and the associated up-steam and down-steam products where they will be designed to meet specific commercial purposes and functions. Students will review literature for the product and associated process routes, including background chemistry and technology, markets, environmental constraints, properties of significant materials handled etc. 

After that, students are supposed to select and justify the overall process route to be designed; to generate a process flow diagram (PFD) and conceptual mass balance for the process; to describe plant operation and control; and to review the design to identify significant safety, health and environment (SHE) and sustainability issues.

Students will then need to choose a zone local to the major plant item to conduct a local mass and energy balance analysis. They will carry out a process design for the plant item, prepare detailed data sheets, and develop an operating and control strategy. Additionally, students will create a P&ID (Piping and Instrumentation Diagram) for the selected zone, recognizing its role within the broader plant system.

Property characterisation is an essential aspect to verify the properties/functions of the designed products, where students will need to propose valid technical methods being able to test the desired properties. Economic evaluation is another key aspect, requiring students to estimate capital and operating costs, forecast income streams, and perform a discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis to determine profitability.

The course concludes with a comprehensive review of the proposed design. Students will explore the sensitivity of economic performance to key design assumptions, both technical and financial. Through this blend of technical knowledge, practical experience, and economic analysis, students will gain the critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for success in chemical engineering.

The research project provides students with a learning experience that will enable them to carry out independent research, and to integrate many of the subjects they have studied throughout their degree. Students are expected to plan, research and execute their task while developing skills in critical judgement, independent work and engineering/scientific competence. Students will also gain experience in presenting, defending and writing up a major piece of research at a level appropriate for an honours degree student.

There is great flexibility in this module which, being at level 7, is designed to instil in students the confidence to plan and execute a detailed research study to answer an important unresolved question. The research can be experimental, computational, desk-based (e.g. a feasibility or design study) or a mixture of these.

Students can express a preference from a list of projects (titles and short abstracts) compiled by the department based on input from academic staff and industrial contacts. Students are also free to suggest their own projects provided that the department is able to supervise and resource the project, and the student can support the proposal with a convincing research question. The specific content of each project can vary considerably depending on the type of study involved.

This is an individual project in terms of assessment. However, this does not preclude groups of students working together on related projects providing the dissertation each author submits is their own and the contribution of the author to the group is sufficient. In addition, the author of each dissertation can refer to joint results achieved with other students, provided these contributions are properly recognised and the appropriate dissertations are cited.

Regular individual or group meetings with the project supervisor throughout the project will ensure that students are able to develop their understanding of the relevant ideas in their chosen subject area.

Projects will typically include: a clear statement of objectives and deliverables; evidence of project planning and time/resource management; a survey of relevant published literature; research methodology (appropriate experiments, use of software tools etc.); analysis and discussion of results; conclusions relative to the agreed objectives, and identification of further work. The analysis will also include the wider impact and potential application of the work.

The assessment methods for this module will allow the students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to communicate complex technical information in a clear and unambiguous form.