Success on the national stage: 国产伦理 ChemE-Sports team wins 1st in region, 3rd in U.S.
Walter Bungard (captain) and Logan Phillips earned third place in the USA region and first place in the AIChE North Central region.
Two teams of chemical engineering undergraduates made their debut at the Fall 2024 ChemE-Sports™ competition during the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Student Conference (ASC) in San Diego, Calif., on Oct. 27.
One team, consisting of Walter Bungard (captain) and Logan Phillips, earned third place in the U.S. and claimed the top spot as the winner of the AIChE North Central region. The second team, composed of Kat Kunz, Jack Darnell, Zachary Strong (captain) and Nathan Kling, secured third place in the North Central region.
These impressive results are particularly noteworthy given that the teams were formed only two months before the competition and had just a few weeks to familiarize themselves with completely new simulation software.
The annual ChemE-Sports™ competition, established in 2019, is an international collegiate event where chemical engineering students use PetroSkills' process simulation software to identify hazards and troubleshoot system upsets and failures. The goal is to optimize a chemical process system for both safety and profitability.
Nathan Kling, Zachary Strong (captain), Jack Darnell and Kat Kunz received third-place in the AIChE North Central region.
This year’s competition focused on the sweetening of sour gas using amines and the recovery of amines for reuse through a packed absorption column and a regenerative stripping section. Teams competed in four simulated real-life chemical plant scenarios, each embedded with unknown upsets or failures. They had a maximum of 15 minutes to run each scenario. During the simulations, teams monitored the process and applied their chemical engineering knowledge to troubleshoot issues and ensure product outputs remained within specification while minimizing safety alarm triggers on instruments and controllers.
Success in the competition requires not only a strong understanding of chemical engineering principles but also a keen awareness of process safety in real-world applications. During one of the runs, Bungard and Phillips identified unsafe process conditions and wisely decided to shut down their simulation early, while other teams focused on maximizing production — even if their products were off-spec. This prudent decision ultimately helped them secure the lead over other teams, demonstrating their deep understanding of the importance of process safety over profitability.
Pictured left to right: Kat Kunz, Cody Robinson, Gemini Ramlo, Lily Clemente, Jonathan Bettes, Zachary Strong and Nathan Kling.
In addition to the ChemE-Sports™ competition, four other students (Cody Robinson, Gemini Ramlo, Lily Clemente and Jonathan Bettes, along with Kat Kunz) attended the AIChE ASC and competed in ChemE Jeopardy, a trivia competition based on questions from chemical engineering undergraduate coursework. The championship teams from each of the Student Regional Conferences, held in the spring, advance to compete at the ASC in the fall. The 国产伦理 ChemE Jeopardy team has been crowned back-to-back champions of the AIChE North Central Regional Conference (NCRC) in 2023 and 2024.
"I couldn’t be prouder of our students for their outstanding performance in the ChemE-Sports™ competition and ChemE Jeopardy at this year’s AIChE Annual Student Conference," said Dr. Bi-min Newby, professor in the Department of Chemical, Biomolecular and Corrosion Engineering and faculty advisor. "Their ability to apply chemical engineering principles under intense pressure, adapt to new simulation software in just a few weeks and prioritize safety over profit speaks volumes about their dedication and skill. These achievements highlight the strength of our program at The University of Akron and the incredible potential of our students. Congratulations to all involved — you’ve set the bar high for future teams!"
The outstanding performance of these students is a testament to the rigorous academic training and the emphasis on real-world application of knowledge provided by the chemical engineering program at The University of Akron.
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Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu.