Hebei University Wins National First Prize at the 20th National Undergraduate Chemical Design Competition
On August 17, the 20th National Undergraduate Chemical Design Competition, sponsored by the China Chemical Society and the China Chemical Education Association, hosted by Ningxia University, and title-sponsored by Zhejiang Tianzheng Design Engineering Co., Ltd., concluded successfully with its national finals. A total of 72 teams advancing from seven domestic divisional competitions and 2 teams from the international track competed fiercely across four judging categories: quality of design documentation, engineering drawing accuracy, application of modern design methods, and on-site presentations. The “Sheng Sheng Ben Xi” team from Hebei University’s College of Chemistry and Materials Science, advised by Associate Professor Wang Yansu and composed of Zeng Qingchao, Zhang Haoxuan, Sun Yinxiao, Bai Jingnan, and Wang Yanyan, secured the First Prize in the national finals. This marks the fourth consecutive time Hebei University has received this honor in its 15 years of participation in the competition.
This year’s competition was themed “Clean Production of Styrene” and required technologies to align with China’s green, low-carbon, and circular development goals. Since its launch in March, 4,690 teams from 503 universities nationwide registered for the competition, with over 23,000 participants, setting new records for both participating institutions and registered teams. The Hebei University representative team advanced to the national finals after winning the Special Prize in Hebei Province, the Special Prize in the North China Division, and the Best Engineering Drawing Award.
The “Sheng Sheng Ben Xi” team’s design project is titled “Ningbo Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical 580,000 Tons/Year Styrene Clean Production Project.” It utilizes dry gas and pure benzene from the parent plant as primary industrial feedstocks to produce styrene via liquid-phase alkylation combined with the SMART ethylbenzene dehydrogenation process. The entire process is characterized by “safety + environmental protection + energy efficiency + emission reduction + economic viability + innovation + applicability.” The team also employed 3D modeling software for multidimensional visualization of the project, reflecting the students' deep understanding of the localization and rapid development of styrene production technology in China, while applying their professional knowledge to actively explore and innovate green chemistry and clean production technologies for styrene. This effort is expected to contribute positively to China’s emergence as a major power in styrene production technology.
The National Undergraduate Chemical Design Competition was included in the National College Discipline Competition Rankings in 2018. It is the largest in scale, highest in standard, broadest in coverage, and most influential comprehensive discipline competition in the chemical engineering field nationwide. The competition aims to foster innovative thinking and engineering awareness among students, enhance their practical engineering design abilities, implement the "Excellent Engineer Education and Training Program," and cultivate teamwork and perseverance.
