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UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering

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Project Appraisal for Bioprocesses 

Course Title  BENG3006
Level  Three
Credits  0.5
Course Tutors
Richard Hill and Rolf Clayton (Co-ordinator: Professor Suzy Farid)
Assessment  Written Examination Paper (70%)
Assignments (30%)
Prerequisites
None

Aims

To provide students with an understanding of the way in which the engineering design and construction of a new bioprocess plant project should be addressed from a business, economic and regulatory framework.  It should also provide students with the necessary background for economic and SHE assessments as part of the design project (BENG 3004).

Learning Hours

Includes:

Lectures: 40h
Written Assignments: 60h

Syllabus

The course is based on the premise that that engineering projects depend as much on financial matters as they do on technology. Without money projects don’t get built, and without profits there would be no incentive to build them. It explains the techniques for appraising processes and projects for profitability and how capital is raised to provide the necessary investment. This includes general industrial, sociological and political factors as well as economic ones such as capital cost estimation, raw material and energy sources and costs, competitive pricing, budgeting and financial control. The course also covers the implications on projects of ethical and environmental factors, health and safety legislation, sustainability and the regulatory framework within which the bioprocessing industry operates.

The majority of biochemical engineering graduates will either work for or, at some time, be customers of engineering contracting companies, and the course provides an introduction to this important industrial sector. It explains how construction companies are structured, how they operate, how projects are costed, planned and executed, and the roles of suppliers and subcontractors. It also introduces students to the important legal background to engineering contracts and how disputes are handled.