Funny Ph.D Cartoon

This is funny. I got it from my wife who found it in a social network site. She giggled alone. I asked why? She said, this Ph.D cartoon is funny. I checked it out and I also laughed. This illustrates how tense and tough a Ph.D student life is.

Seriously I'm feeling it now. Whenever I do anything, I will think and remember my unsettle Ph.D work. When I walk, drive, rest and even sleep... I still think about my research work. I hope this will be over soon... :)

This cartoon can also provide some ideas on a post graduate students life to the undergraduates. Enjoy the cartoon...

If the cartoon is too small, click on the image to enlarge.

I just share this cartoon for fun and it is nothing at all related to me or anybody.

To enjoy the rest of the Ph.D comic, go to this link.

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Power Failure in Our Industry!

Once upon a time in the Chemical Reaction Engineering Research Laboratory

On a sweet Thursday afternoon (today) when I just started my experiment, a sudden power failure occurred without warning. I was actually in the toilet when the power cut off took place. My wife called and asked, "Do you have electricity there in the lab?". I answered, "We have power here in the lab and I just started my experiment". Then 2 lab assistants walk out from the polymer lab (which is next to the reaction engineering lab) and informed me that the power failure just happened. I was surprised.

Immediately I ran into the lab and discovered that the lab black out. Oh my God!!! This is not good. It's not really about my experiment. It's the Gas Chromatography (GC) which I'm more worried about. The GC is such an important equipment for me and the rest of the students as we use it to identify and quantify our products from the reactor. The GC is very sensitive and frequent power cut-off can jeopardize the equipment and interrupt our research activities. Repairing the GC cost huge amount of money and with limited research budget, we need to do everything to avoid the GC from malfunctioning.

After about 15 to 20 minutes the electrical power resumed. Thank God. I switched it on. I then checked the GC and its PC hoping that nothing will go wrong. When the power failure occurred just now, the oven temperature (of the GC) was 250oC. The standard operating procedure to switch off the GC is when the oven temperature is below 40oC. Sudden GC shut down is not recommended at all. It is strictly a big NO. Luckily the GC works well and nothing seems to be wrong. I restarted my experiment and completed it 3 hours later.

Power Failure in the Plant

The incident reminded me on the power failure that once in a while also occurred in the physical refinery plant I worked in several years ago. Such unavoidable power cut-off from the Electricity Company will firstly trigger chaos within the control room and the entire plant. The supervisor, shift leader and plant operators have to act fast to close all main valves manually from various sections. The flow, temperature and pressure from numerous unit operation equipment such as Niagara filter (filter leaves), deodoriser, packed column, heat exchanger need to be controlled until power resumed. The huge 3000 tonnes per day plant can only be minimally controlled via the PLC which was temporarily powered with UPS (uninterupted power supply) - which provided a few minutes power back up.

Secondly, the power cut off will result in substantial lost and I have to assess and make report about it. Even a milisecond power failure will result in vacuum drop in the plant in result to oil rejection (due to quality off-spec). That also will cost massive lost to the company.

What can we do?

As for my case, in the lab... nothing much can be done. I rest my faith to the God. It's good to install UPS for the GC. If UPS is the answer, then we must have 4 UPS unit in the lab as there are all together 3 GC's and 1 GCMS. However, having UPS alone will not entirely protect this expansive machines. For me, the power company (electricity supplier) must be responsible in providing smooth and reliable power for us (the customers). They should pay all the damage and losses that hit us. Maybe this does not sound like an engineer's solution...

Other option?

A more interesting option is to create and manage our own power system...but can we do it with our resources? I'm referring to solar, wind and frequency (Tesla) energy. I would love to develop one of this power sources AFTER I complete my study. I'll try and do it at my home first... :)

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Image #1 credited to: http://www.wkow.com/Global/story.asp?S=14691294&clienttype=printable
Image #2 credited to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42761336/ns/us_news-life/t/refinery-warnings-way-life-texas-city/

My Ph.D study so far...

I'm now in my 4th semester of my Ph.D studies. I will be lying if I say that doing Ph.D is easy. It's not as easy as that. I told my wife few months ago that preparing the project report for my Institution Engineers Malaysia (IEM) interview (to be a professional engineer) was tougher than doing my Ph.D. I'm wrong!!! Maybe that time, I was not really focus on my Ph.D. But now, as I'm more focus with my studies, I am well aware that completing this study is not as easy as it seems to be. It is so tough. Ask anybody who successfully completed their Ph.D... Nobody says it is easy.

Suddenly I felt time is very limited. I'm beginning to feel the pressure. I have more or less one year to complete my studies. I need to start working on my experiments. My experimental rig is fine and I believe it will be ok as I already tested it several times. The only concern for me is the quartz reactor that is brittle in nature. I need to keep sufficient stock of it. In addition, I also need to ensure my other equipments and consumables have spare as well. When talking about the experimentation work, the Gas Chromatography (GC) should also be in perfect condition for me and my Iranian colleague (Maryam) to analyze our products. The GC is the basically the heart of the study besides the rig reactor and process. I'm going to start my experimental work tomorrow officially and I hope everything will be fine... (Need to pray a lot!!!) OK ...enough about the experimental work.

Journal Paper... This is another thing hunting my back and consuming a huge chunk of my time. I have a draft prepared and submitted to 2 reputed publishers only to see on both occasions it got rejected for funny reasons (the first one) and out of scope reason (the second one). I admit that I felt miserable being rejected just like that. Well... I need to bounce back and fight to improve my draft paper and then send it again to other journal.

Thermodynamic modeling... Yeah...not only experimental work, I also need to work on the thermodynamic modeling of my catalytic reaction. This is quite interesting but at the same time it is my weakest part. I'm slowly working on this section and I hope I can complete this study in the next 2 months... (also, I need to pray to God a lot on this). I'm receiving some help from Maryam on this. She has been helping me when I got confuse and lost.

There are certainly a lot more to share about my research journey as a Ph.D student. I think I should reserve the rest for future sharing. For the time being, I just need to focus on my study for a while. Wish me luck... :)

Before ending... I would like to thank my other half of her undivided support for me. It is good to have a partner who is also in the same chemical engineering field. She understood what I'm doing and at the same time provided me precious input and ideas.

Also, my other colleague in the lab... All of you are great...haha...especially Emm2020...who has been next door to me in the lab...Let's finish this together!!!

p/s: Sorry if this post is not of any benefit to you guys. I just need to vent off some tense in me.



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Questions and Answers for Engineers

Usually engineers meet very specific questions, which need exact answers from an expert in the area. Actually, with the advancement of internet, we have many solutions for people to find an expert and a get an answer but those are broad in scope and costly. Many solutions need your credit card, while some free options are wider in scope. It's hard to get attention on your question by an engineer as most of users of such website are young internet surfers seeks and support tech questions.

Engineers are professionals, who usually surf internet to explore new knowledge and developments on their existing knowledge. With my experience on internet for more than 4 years, I distinguish most of them even willing for contribution to expand the existing knowledge base around their expertise. I decided to take these trends as advantages to build a questions and answers community around engineers. (www.engineers.name). With leading web technologies available on SAAS (Software As a Service) it was possible to build a comprehensive question and answer platform with many attractive features for answer seekers and experts contributing to the community.

Answer seekers are able to browse for existing questions and answers base to avoid repeating already asked questions which will help them to save time, even when they typing their question the similarities will just list down under the input box. They can even browse for experts on many categories who already being ranked. They can just ask questions from community or select an expert to ask questions personally from them.

Engineers who willing to contributing as experts by answering questions will able to be ranked in their specific area and stand out the community as an expert.

Actually, this is totally free expert questions and answers solution, which is totally powered by sponsored advertisements. According to success stories of Wikipedia and many other free solutions, the platform stand with a hope to contribute to engineering world with a vision to give proper answers for engineering questions.

This article was contributed by my good chemical engineering online friend from Sri Lanka, Dilantha Thushara Subasinghe who is the Editor for Engineering Questions and Answers.

My comment: This is a good effort made by Thushara. He took the initiative to create a platform (www.engineers.name) where questions and answers related to engineering can be viewed. Anybody can participate by asking or providing answers. It's like a forum but it is not. It is more simple. Looks like a wiki-type of site. For us who are from chemical engineering field, we can read several questions related to basic questions by choosing "Chemical Engineering tab" on the side bar.


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International Conference of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology in Conjunction with 25th SOMChe 2011 (ICCEIB-SOMChe 2011)

I have asked many people and searched vigorously in the internet about this year's Symposium of Chemical Engineers Malaysia (SOCHE 2011). Unfortunately no information is available until a colleague forwarded an email in our staff mailing list just now. Finally, the information was revealed, question was answered. SOMCHE 2011 will be organized by University Malaysia Pahang (UMP). This time they will be organizing and combining SOMCHE alongside with the International Conference of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology (ICCEIB). Hence, the two will combine and become ICCEIB-SOMChe 2011.

Important information regarding ICCEIB-SOMChe 2011:

Abstract

Abstract format can be obtained from the official webpage: http://www.icceib.ump.edu.my/.

Important Deadline
Abstract submission due : 30 Apr 2011
Acceptance notification : 30 Jun 2011
Full Paper submission due : 31 Jul 2011
Registration deadline : 15 Oct 2011

Language
All Papers, Oral and Poster Presentation must be in English.

Venue
The Zenith Hotel & Sultan Ahmad Shah International Convention
Centre, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

For more information, please download brochure Page 1 and Page 2.


Objectives & Topics

The objectives of this conference are:

1. To provide professional development relevant to the needs of chemical engineers, academics as well as researchers in the field of chemical engineering. This will be achieved by providing opportunities for the sharing of opinions, ideas, industry best practices as well as the latest research and development.

2. To provide an opportunity for face-to-face contact between chemical engineers from around Malaysia and the rest of the world and hence to facilitate networking both nationally and internationally.

Call for Papers

The ICCEIB-SOMChE 2011 Organizing Committee welcomes the
submission of original contributions for oral and poster presentations
on the following topics:

1. Food/Pharmaceutical engineering and manufacturing
2. Biotechnology/Bioprocess
3. Fluid flow and Thermodynamic
4. Bioenergy/ Green technology and Renewable energy
5. Waste to wealth
6. Advanced material / composites / nanotechnology
7. Enzyme technology/Industrial biochemistry
8. Petrochemical Processing
9. Natural products / Commodity Crops
10. Process Control, Instrumentation and Optimization
11. Combustion / Reaction engineering
12. Environmental Engineering
13. Membrane Separation
14. Safety and Health Management
15. Related chemical and biochemical engineering issues

Fees & Payment

The conference fee is structured as follow:
1. International : USD 400.00
2. Local : RM 1000.00
3. Student : RM 750.00

ICCEIB-SOMChe 2011, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia 28 Nov 2011 - 1 Dec 2011

The International Conference of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology in Conjunction with 25th Symposium of Malaysian Chemical Engineers 2011 (ICCEIB-SOMChe 2011)


CALLING FOR PAPERS

The Symposium of Malaysian Chemical Engineers (SOMChe) is the name given to the annual symposium, now under the auspices of IChemE in Malaysia. SOMChe has been held annually since the late 1980s and the event has been rotated annually amongst Chemical Engineering Department in Malaysian Universities. This year, Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) is given the honor to host the SOMChe.

In conjunction of SOMChe, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Pahang jointly organizes the International Conference of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology (ICCEIB 2011). This conference is expected to provide good and meaningful platform for presentations from all over the world, academia and industry to exchange their valuable ideas amongst the professional chemical engineering community. (refer to the attached brochure for the details of the conference)

Interested participants should submit the papers/posters titles now or as soon as possible. The contributions of attendees such you might enrich the program through enhancing the diversity of perspectives and content represented. In addition to this, it is highly appreciated if you could forward this matter to the interested professors, researchers, especially students, and junior faculty members, who need visibilities to present/share their research outcomes either in the form of oral or posters presentation.

If you have any questions or concerns, or if I may be of assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Tel: +609-549 2864
Fax: +609-549 2889
Email: icceib@ump.edu.my, info@ump.edu.my

Publicity & Protocol
ICCEIB-SOMChe 2011,
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Natural Resources,
Universiti Malaysia Pahang

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Have you downloaded my free "Choosing Alternative Fuel" Ebook? If not, then please download it here. It's Free and on top of getting the free ebook, you'll get eCourse on Alternative Fuel. It's a good and easy way to add more valuable information to yourself.

Chemical Engineering Is the Future of Technology

In today's world, it is becoming increasingly necessary for man to be able to manipulate the world around him in order to thrive, and as we continue to thrive we have to learn how to undo the damage we have done in past years. Chemical engineers are the only tool we have for new research and development in almost every field, including the medical field, environmental science, research science, and a large portion of the research done in the technological fields.

Microelectronics involves itself in the development of technology that will aid those in the medical professions. They study plasma processes, which are used in a number of treatments, and laser technology, which enables doctors to perform surgeries faster, more safely, and more affordably that ever before. They also study super-molecular self-assembly and organization and colloidal systems, all for use in the continued study of the human body and how it grows and develops. These technologies are enabling doctors to treat patients quicker and cheaper, which is more than necessary when one considers the dramatic shortage of doctors and nurses and the ever-growing list of people needing medical treatment. These technologies help an entire host of issues; the decrease in cost leads to health insurance becoming more affordable and therefore more accessible to the everyday citizen. Easier recovery times and safer surgeries lead to a higher survival rate and a better standard of living.



Technological development is not the sole focus of chemical engineering, however. Biochemical engineering involves the study of mammalian tissues, virus removal from blood, protein manipulation, and a wide array of genetic engineering technologies. These research scientists are leading the way to a number of cures and treatments that will improve the health of America Imagine a day when HIV/AIDS, cancers, and a wide array of terminal and debilitating conditions have been eradicated or are easily treated.



The focus of chemical engineering spans more than just the medical field, however. Almost all students majoring in chemical engineering study the use of resources like oil and natural gas and can delve into research for more efficient methods of obtaining these fuels and exercising them to their full potential. In today's world, with gas prices fluctuating and the populous dissatisfied, no profession could be in higher demand.



The U.S. Military, as well, is interested in chemical engineers that specialize in polymer engineering, which is the study of the synthesis of different chemicals, and process engineering, the study of catalyst development and fault detection and control, as they can work with the military to develop weapons.



Chemical Engineers are closer than ever to finding cures for deadly diseases, defending our nation from hostile countries, and improving the standard of living for citizens. Those that invest their time and money in a chemical engineering program will not be disappointed, as there is an endless spectrum of meaningful, important careers, opportunities, and chances to shine.



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This article is contributed by Sally.Sally is a dedicated writer for StudentScholarships.org. She is an expert in Scholarships, Financial Aid, Career Advice, and most other things college related.

Image credited to cecon.com/uniqueness/chemical-engineering.html

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Have you downloaded my free "Choosing Alternative Fuel" Ebook? If not, then please download it here. It's Free and on top of getting the free ebook, you'll get eCourse on Alternative Fuel. It's a good and easy way to add more valuable information to yourself.

Masters and Ph.D Students Wanted

Do you have intention to further study in Chemical Engineering? If you have a chemical engineering degree and would like to pursue your masters or Ph.D degree, now is your chance. My wife, Dr. Mazura Jusoh from Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, is searching for a few post graduate students and this is an opportunity for those who are interested.

The field is obviously Chemical Engineering which will focus on Separation Technology. To be more specific, you will explore the fundamental and science of Progressive Freeze Concentration, a field which is still not explored in Malaysia.

Financial assistance will be provided for the first few students only. So, to grab hold of this offer, you need to act fast.

Masters duration - Full time research - 2 years.
Ph.D duration - 3 years.

Interested candidate can write and send your CV to the following email address:

mazura[alias]cheme.utm.my.

Here is an example of a related study of this field...

Abstract : DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL DESIGN FOR PROGRESSIVE FREEZE CONCENTRATION PROCESS

Industrial wastewater may well be treated by freeze concentration, a process which freezes or crystallises out water content as pure ice crystals and leaves behind a highly concentrated solution in a smaller volume. In conventional suspension freeze concentration (SFC) whereice crystals formed as a suspension in the mother liquor, separation of the solid-liquid mixture is difficult and costly. The size of ice crystals is still very limited and the seeding process requires usage of scraped surface heat exchangers (SSFE), which is significantly expensive and accounted for approximately 30% of the capital cost. Progressive freeze concentration (PFC) invented later is believed to provide cost saving and simplify the subsequent ice-liquid separation as ice crystals are formed as a layer or a block on the cooling surface. Quest for a design providing convenience and good efficiencies continues, and in this study a helical structured copper crystalliser was developed and fabricated named Multi-wind Crystalliser (MWC). Effects of several operating conditions on the performance of MWC in context of wastewater treatment were then investigated including circulation flowrate, initial solution concentration, coolant temperature and circulation time. The performance of the design was evaluated by three dependent variables including the effective partition constant, K, calculated from the volume and concentration of the solid and liquid phase. Two other parameters were ice purity and solution volume reduction. A process optimisation was also performed thereafter employing STATISTICA to produce optimum conditions in favour of the stated independent variables. As the crystalliser designed involves heat transfer, the overall heat transfer coefficient was also calculated through temperature profiling subsequently generating a prediction model for ice crystal mass. At the end of the research, a new crystalliser design for PFC is established and an observation of how the operating conditions affect the performance of the system was obtained. Optimum operating conditions was determined by process optimisation and an overallheat transfer coefficients were also generated. Adequacy and reliability of the ice crystal mass prediction model produced was proven by error analyses revealing relatively small errors.


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Have you downloaded my free "Choosing Alternative Fuel" Ebook? If not, then please download it here. It's Free and on top of getting the free ebook, you'll get eCourse on Alternative Fuel. It's a good and easy way to add more valuable information to yourself.