A celebrated anniversary at Hamburg University of Technology: For the tenth time, the Olin Poster Award was presented at the Institute for Systems Process Engineering—and this year, the award went to an all-female student team. The award marked the conclusion of the “Development of Process Engineering” module and is presented annually in cooperation with the chemical company Olin. Deborah Nnko, Isabel Schmidt, Finja Stadtler, Jannie Stadtler, and Ester Kezia Styne impressed the judges with their outstanding poster on the design of a biodiesel plant and were each awarded 250 euros in prize money by the sponsor, Olin.
From Idea to Plant: Practical Process Development as a Team
The goal of the course is to apply theoretical expertise to specific industrial challenges. In the group project that runs throughout the semester, students go through all the key steps of real-world process development: from creating flow diagrams to mass and heat balance calculations and final cost assessment. In addition to the purely technical aspects, the project also focuses on economic and environmental considerations.
The project teams summarize their results in a poster, which is presented at the end of the semester during a traditional “poster party.” During the subsequent technical discussion, the award winners impressed the six-member jury with their in-depth understanding of the process and creative ideas for further developing the plant.
About Olin
Olin is a U.S.-based chemical company and a global leader in the production of chlor-alkali products, chlorinated organics, and epoxy resins. These products form the basis for numerous applications, ranging from clean energy and clean water to sustainable materials, as well as components in smartphones, wind turbines, hydrogen pressure vessels, and automotive and aircraft components. In Germany, Olin operates production sites in Stade, Rheinmünster, and Baltringen.
