QatarEnergy LNG Honours Winners of 21st Annual Chemical Engineering Plant Design Contest

QatarEnergy LNG sponsored and presented the “Best Overall Prizes” to the winning teams at the 21st Annual Chemical Engineering Plant Design Competition, organised by the Department of Chemical Engineering at Qatar University.

Since its inception in 2004, this annual contest provides Qatar University students with world-class engineering experience and develops the next generation of engineering talent.

Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulla al-Thani, QatarEnergy LNG Chief Engineering and Projects Officer, and Associate Professor Dr Mohammed al-Marri, Head of Department of Chemical Engineering at Qatar University, presented prizes to the winning teams during a ceremony held recently at QatarEnergy LNG head office. 

Each team presented a brief presentation about their plant design project and the innovative solutions they have developed.

Sheikh Khalid delivered opening remarks on behalf of the company.

Supporting and encouraging education is a cornerstone of QatarEnergy LNG’s corporate social responsibility programme and its commitment to premier performance.

QatarEnergy LNG firmly believes that by investing in the next generation of engineers, the company is shaping the future of the energy industry and contributing to the greater prosperity and advancement of the nation. This commitment is in alignment with the human, social and economic development pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

QatarEnergy LNG has witnessed a steady growth in both the scale and impact of this competition over the last 21 years. The company is inspired to see young talents rise to the challenge, applying their academic knowledge to real-world problems and demonstrating the creativity and determination that will define the future of our industry.

The event also recognised advisors and representatives from Qatar University including Associate Professor Dr Mohammed al-Marri, Professor Fadwa Taher Eljack, Associate Professor Dr Zeinab Abbas Jawad along with QatarEnergy LNG representative, Eman Elhmoud, Head of Process and Flow Assurance Engineering.

This year's competition was held at Qatar University's Engineering Building and featured eight female teams and five male teams. 

The competition was of an exceptionally high standard and the top teams were selected by a judging panel comprising engineering experts in Qatar including Dr Lina Rueda, Manager of Research and Development at Qatar Shell GTL; Mathew Swatton, Technology Team Lead at Qatar Shell GTL; Jassim Sheikhan, Head of Process Engineering at QatarEnergy LNG; Awad al-Yafei, Head of Plant Productivity at Qafco; Ahmed M Homssi, Environmental Manager at QChem, and Sarah al-Raeesi, Senior APC Engineer (POT)-Technical, at OryxGTL.

The first place was awarded to the team of An’am Abunahia, Roumaissa Belhadj, Sajida Abel, and Noor al-Najjar for their outstanding design of Qatari Acetic Acid (QATACID) Plant. They were supervised by Associate Professor Dr Zeinab Abbas Jawad.

The second place was awarded to the team of Ibrahim Yousef, Ibrahim Almomani, Sultan al-Jaber, and Ghaith Alqaisi for their innovative design of Methanol Production Plant. The team was supervised by Professor Fadwa Eljack.

The Tthird place went to the team of Asma al-Mannai, Maryam al-Nuaimi, Amna al-Hashmi, and Ohoud al-Yafei for their methanol design plant. The team was supervised by Professor Fadwa Eljack.

Dr Mohammed al-Marri said: “This competition is the department’s flagship event to celebrate our graduating seniors. The seniors compete by presenting their senior design projects to a panel of judges from industry. Working in teams over two semesters, the students develop a simulation-based grassroots design process and complete a range of design tasks, including full process simulation, environmental impact assessment, heat integration, mechanical equipment design, safety analysis, and economic evaluation.

“This year, the students developed designs for liquefied natural gas, methanol, and acetic acid processes. The Department of Chemical Engineering would like to thank QatarEnergy LNG for their support during the 21st year and we look forward to continued collaboration. We also extend our thanks to the judges."