Chemical Engineering Practice School
(ChEPS)
// EST. 1997
​
Home to Thailand's Only ChE Master's Program with Internship
​
​
Taiwan-KMUTT Internship Program
(TKIP)
// EST. 2017
​
Elevating your Educational Experience through Overseas Practical Training
King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
ChEPS Curriculum
The ChEPS curriculum consists of two academic years and one summer. Admitted students start their basic training in the summer in June. The timeline of the curriculum is depicted in the diagram below.
​
However starting in the academic year 2021, the summer school of ChEPS will be eliminated, resulting in a 37-credit-hour curriculum which is more in line with most Master's curricula in Thailand. So our new ChEPS academic year will begin in mid-August as opposed to early June in the past.
​
​
Problem-based learning (PBL) in the form of industrial design problems are also introduced in every semester during the first year. The students work in teams using simulation tools to solve real-life engineering problems. These exercises enhance the students' problem-solving skills and can be viewed as mini-site projects, which prepare the students for the real thing in the second year.
In addition, the program exposes the students to new ideas and broaden their horizons with regular seminars and plant trips. Outside speakers from academic institutions and the industrial sector are invited to speak on topics of interest. Students will enjoy the chance to learn about a wide range of engineering fields as well as improving their English listening skills.
​
Detailed coursework and the description of each course in the first year are shown below.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
CHE 610: Intermediate Transport Phenomena (3 Credit Hours), Semester II
Prerequisites: Fluid mechanics, heat, and mass transfer Main Instructor: Asst. Prof. Dr. Chutima Kongvarhodom
Special Lecturer from University of New Brunswick, Canada
Formulation and rigorous analysis of the laws governing the transport processes of momentum, heat and mass. The topics studied include the molecular transport, concept of transport coefficient by shell balance techniques, equations of change for multi-dimensional transport, transport with more than two independent variables, turbulent flow, transport between phases, and macroscopic balances.
CHE 644: Applied Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3 Credit Hours), Semester I
Prerequisite: Introduction to thermodynamics Instructor: Prof. Juergen Rarey, Germany
Applied thermodynamics, gas-liquid equilibrium, liquid-liquid equilibrium, cubic equations of state such as Peng-Robinson and Redlich-Kwong-Soave, activity coefficient models such as Wilson, NRTL, and UNIQUAC, selection of physical property package in process simulation.
CHE 642: Chemical Reaction Engineering (3 Credit Hours), Semester II
Prerequisite: Reaction kinetics Instructors: Prof. Dr. Supaporn Therdtianwong
and Prof. Dr. Apichai Therdtianwong
​
Advanced topics in reactor design: nonideal flow and nonisothermal reactors, effect of mixing on reactor operation, scale up techniques, adsorption and heterogeneous catalysis, optional design of various types of chemical reactor, arrangements and reactor stability analysis.
CHE 643: Petroleum and Petrochemical Process Chemistry (3 Credit Hours), Semester I
Prerequisite: Organic chemistry Instructors: Dr. Nonsee Nimitsiriwat (Part I) and
Lecturers from Thai Oil Plc. (Part II)
​
Review of organic chemistry, polymer science and processing in Part I, and petroleum refinery processing and chemistry in Part II.
CHE 651: Mathematical Analysis for Chemical Engineering (3 Credit Hours), Semester I
Prerequisite: Applied mathematics and differential equations Instructor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kwanchanok Pasuwat
Mathematical formulation and solution of problems drawn from the fields of heat and mass transfer, fluid mechanics, and reaction kinetics employing ordinary differential equations and partial differential equations. Analytical solutions and numerical solutions of differential equations.
CHE 654: Computer Application for Chemical Engineering Practice (3 Credit Hours), Semester I
Prerequisite: None Instructor: Asst. Prof. Dr. Hong-ming Ku
​
History and background of chemical process simulation, sequential modular approach vs. equation-oriented approach, flowsheet partitioning and determination of tear streams, mass balance and degree of freedom analysis using elementary modules, steady-state simulation with ASPEN PLUS including sensitivity analysis, design-specifications, calculator blocks, and flowsheet convergence, in-depth coverage of physical property methods and applied thermodynamics used in simulation, discussion of numerical solvers in ASPEN PLUS such as Wegstein, Secant, Direct, Newton’s, and Broyden’s methods.
Fundamentals of MATLAB including solving nonlinear algebraic equations and ordinary differential equations (ODEs), programming in MATLAB and using MATLAB to solve nonlinear algebraic equations and ODEs.
Problem-based learning (PBL) with plant design projects, and oral presentations by teams of students.
​
CHE 658: Fundamentals of Process Dynamics and Control (2 Credit Hours), Semester I
Prerequisite: None Instructor: Prof. Peter L. Douglas, University of Waterloo, Canada
​
Modeling and analysis of the dynamics of chemical processes, Laplace transforms, block diagrams, feedback control systems, and stability analysis.
CHE 659: Optimization of Chemical Processes (2 Credit Hours), Semester II
Prerequisite: CHE657 or Fundamentals of Optimization Instructor: Prof. Peter L. Douglas, University of Waterloo, Canada
​
Problem formulation involving process optimization, process optimization using ASPEN PLUS, optimization solvers such as sequential quadratic programming (SQP) and Complex algorithm.
CHE 670: Business Management for Chemical Industry (3 Credit Hours), Semester II
Prerequisite: None Instructors: Lecturers from industry
Economic and accounting concepts, tools for decision-making and solving the problems in chemical process industries (CPI), basic economics, basic accounting, input-output analysis, marketing, manufacturing, employment, finance, corporate annual reports, project management, environmental aspects of the CPI, international aspects of the CPI, future prospects, threats and opportunities.
CHE 690: Special Research Project (6 Credit Hours), Semester I or Semester II
Prerequisite: Second-year student status
​
This course is a graduate special research project, with a well-defined problem in the area of interest in the Chemical Engineering field.
CHE 691: Intensive Industrial Research Project I (3 Credit Hours), Semester I or Semester II
Prerequisite: Second-year student status
Practice school students will be assigned to work within the host company, on the company’s problem, using the company’s problems with the company’s resources and equipment. The student will work under the quittance of resident faculty at the industrial site. The following steps are included the in the activities: problem statements provided by the company with the approval of the resident faculty, writing a written investigative memorandum, proposal conferencing, final report and final presentation.
CHE 656: Process Analysis and Modeling (3 Credit Hours), Semester II
Prerequisite: CHE654 or A+ Process Simulation & MATLAB Instructor: Asst. Prof. Dr. Hong-ming Ku
System and chemical process analysis and modeling using fundamentals of chemical engineering, dynamic mathematical modeling in terms of linear, nonlinear algebraic equations and ordinary differential equations (ODEs).
​
Introduction and fundamentals of optimization, problem formulations, calculus-based optimization, unconstrained optimization, constrained optimization, linear programming, mixed-integer linear programming, branch-and-bound method, and optimization using MATLAB toolbox.
Problem-based learning (PBL) with team projects on metaheuristic algorithms for optimization, and oral presentations by teams of students.
CHE 692: Intensive Industrial Research Project II (3 Credit Hours), Semester I or Semester II
Prerequisite: Second-year student status
Similar to CHE 691 but on the different topic of equal importance. It requires the work of 3 credits as well.