For the first time, the selection stage in the field of "Project Engineering" was held at IRNTU

For the first time, Irkutsk Polytechnic University hosted the qualifying stage of the X International CASE-IN Championship in the field of Design Engineering. Nine teams from Irkutsk to Vladivostok offered solutions aimed at introducing advanced technologies in Industry 4.0.

The competition was moderated by Professor of the Department of Automation and Control Vladimir Konyukhov. According to him, the CASE-IN design engineering competitions are being held for the second time. However, Irkutsk Polytechnic University hosted a tournament in this area for the first time.

"IRNTU is a participant of the federal Program "Priority 2030". Polytech has a package of case simulators for oil refining, energy and production management in its arsenal. This "portfolio" is gradually being introduced into the educational process. In addition, the new profile of the educational program "Innovation: Engineering business in the Fuel and Energy complex" of IRNTU fully corresponds to the tasks of case studies and project training. Thanks to such opportunities and competencies, the university was entrusted with the right to hold a new stage of the championship. I am pleased that Irkutsk residents have been joined by teams from universities in the Far East. The general sponsor of the event is NIPIGAZ, Russia's largest gas processing company. The most distinguished contestants will be included in the personnel reserve of the company" - said the professor.

The students were offered to solve a case related to improving the efficiency of design and operation of construction facilities. Technological solutions involved the search for digital modeling technologies. Possible points of implementation are enterprises for the production of methane-hydrogen mixtures from natural and associated gas and the subsequent separation of pure hydrogen from them.

Three Irkutsk and Khabarovsk teams advanced to the semifinals. The leader was a group from IRNTU Techno-vatika, consisting of the future manager Maria Sambulova, chemists Mikhail Kovalev and Nikita Goryashin. The authors proposed to create a project complex combining BIM technologies, logistics, legal and economic parts.

According to Mikhail, the development will be based on software capable of evaluating the effectiveness of various processes, from excavation preparation to commissioning of a specific workshop. It is expected that the software will independently calculate production design options and find the best way to develop the company in terms of ecology and economics. Its digital counterpart will model the life of the enterprise.

The project also involves the use of RFID and AR tags when working with devices designed for staff training. Using AR, you can hone the skills of performing complex operations, for example, launching a technological installation.

"Such an innovative solution can be used at any petrochemical and gas processing plant", - Mikhail noted.

According to Maria Sambulova, participation in the "CASE-IN" allowed her to gain a deep understanding of production processes.:  "In lectures on innovation, we are taught to increase business profitability. Special attention is paid to economic calculations. However, it was the case study that showed how important it is for a manager to be able to navigate the internal structure of a company. This teaches us to understand the needs of specialists, helps to avoid accidents at the plant, and therefore contributes to the economic growth of the enterprise."

Another IRNTU team, Innovatika, received a ticket to the next round. These are students Maxim Gordt, Margarita Maeva, Snezhana Ermolova and Maria Panko. The authors presented an overview and analysis of BIM modeling and VR technologies, focusing on their phased implementation in construction. The key advantages of BIM are called environmental friendliness, the elimination of the risk of overestimation of the cost of the estimate.

"The cost of setting up one BIM engineer workplace is $2-16 thousand. Therefore, only the giants of the construction business can afford such technologies. Nevertheless, the effect of digitalization justifies the investment", - Maxim Gordt reflects.

The three leaders of the qualifying stage were rounded out by the team of the Far Eastern State University of Railways EnergoHab.

The winners will have a semi-final, which will be held on April 20 in an online format. The best participants will go to the final of the championship in Moscow.

The expert of the competition was the Deputy Technical Director for Engineering of JSC Angarskneftekhimproekt (Rosneft) Natalia Neznanova. She called the participants of the championship people who are able to see and implement innovations.

"At such events, students are inspired by ideas and gain interpersonal communication experience. In the future, the success of the industrial industry as a whole will depend on this.", - the expert emphasized.

Natalia Neznanova emphasized that she represents a corporate design institute that actively supports innovative solutions. The company invites IRNTU graduates who are ready to develop BIM, three-dimensional modeling and 4G technologies to cooperate. Angarskneftekhimproekt has a special need for civil engineers, mechanics and power engineers, and process engineers in the field of oil refining.

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