A series of qualifying stages of the "CASE-IN" championship has ended in IRNTU

The qualifying stages of the XII International Engineering Championship were held in IRNTU on March 20 "CASE-IN"in four areas related to the main objectives of the university's development program (Priority 2030). The projects were presented by 42 teams from Irkutsk, Bratsk, Krasnoyarsk, Angarsk, Tula and Moscow. The students worked in the interests of JSC NIPIGAZ, LLC Gazprom Energoholding, JSC System Operator of the Unified Energy System and PJSC SIBUR Holding.

The International CASE IN Championship is included in the platform of ANO "Russia – the land of opportunities", implemented by the Reliable Change Foundation in cooperation with educational organizations. Schoolchildren, students and young specialists solve engineering cases in the interests of companies in the fuel and energy industry and the mineral resource complex. The best teams complete internships at the project's partner companies and get promising jobs.

In 2024, IRNTU became a venue for the championship in eight areas.: mining, metallurgy, geological exploration and oil and gas business, design engineering, heat and power engineering, and petrochemistry. The tasks of the XII season are united by the theme of lean manufacturing.

The diplomas were presented to the petrochemical leaders by Rinat Mugultdinov, head of the Kazanorgsintez project (part of SIBUR).

The winner was the team of IRNTU "Four Barrels", the author of two proposals for the technological development of PJSC SIBUR Holding.

"We supported the opening of a workshop for the production of 3D printing filaments on the basis of the Himterra Industrial Park. A long polymer thread can be obtained from plastic products on a screw-type extruder and a planetary multi-screw type. To protect the tanks, we offer a digital twin based on a set of load cells attached to the tank walls and special software. When a voltage occurs, the sensor detects the load and transmits the data to the computer. A color map of the loads is displayed on the screen, which makes it possible to assess the strength of the equipment in a timely manner. The second solution is to create a control system and complete visualization of logistics, inventory, and employee employment data using Big Data. Our service will allow you to track the volume of products, equipment, materials and reagents in real time, as well as predict the company's performance," said team member Alexander Prokofiev.

The students of the Angarsk State Technical University from the Selenium team were recognized as the second in petrochemistry.

Vladimir Kornilov, a representative of the Irkutsk branch of the Unified Energy System System Operator JSC, congratulated the best electric power engineers. 

In the qualifying stage, the Transformers team, consisting of students from the Baikal BRICS Institute, was in the lead. The Polytechnic students talked about the synergetic management of the energy system using artificial intelligence. The project corresponds to the theme of lean manufacturing, helps to increase the resilience of the power grid to extreme weather conditions and emergencies. With further development and implementation, this initiative can count on the support of the Russian Information Technology Development Fund, the Skolkovo Foundation, investments from major banks, as well as preferential financing under the federal Clean Air project.

The second place in the electric power industry was taken by Espada of Bratsk State University.

The contestants of the "Thermal Power Engineering" direction proposed ways to provide consumers with thermal energy by switching loads from boiler houses to thermal power plants. The assignment from Gazprom Energoholding LLC was successfully completed by Energy of Siberia.

 Anatoly Tetyukov, Deputy Director and Chief engineer of the case author company, presented diplomas to the Polytechnic students: "The Engineering Championship has become an excellent platform for exchanging ideas, getting to know students and employers. At IRNTU, I headed the expert commission and got well acquainted with the competition papers. Despite the complex subject matter of the case, the students showed a high level of training, the ability to work with industry literature and regulatory legal acts. Many of the projects are dedicated to the use of artificial intelligence in heat supply."

The engineering teams were awarded diplomas by Ildus Galyautdinov, Associate Professor of the Department of Automation and Control at IRNTU.

The Tech-Novatik team, prepared by Associate Professor Vladimir Konyukhov, took the first place. The students have good experience in solving cases from JSC NIPIGAZ. Last year, Polytechnic students became the bronze medalists of the XI "CASE-IN" season. Back then, Irkutsk residents proposed automating the production of liquefied natural gas using domestic equipment and software. In 2024, they presented to the experts the concept of an engineering center for the creation of a polyolefin production facility.

The BlaBla Operator (Moscow Power Engineering Institute) and the Creative Mid (IRNTU) also received high marks in project engineering.

Representatives of Tula State University, including Evgeny Kharitonov, a master's student in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, were involved in solving the case in this area: "We took a serious approach to project work, so we received positive feedback from experts who noted the proximity of the initiative to real conditions. The creation of an engineering center based on the Omsk Rubber enterprise has every chance of implementation. I would also like to thank the Polytechnic University for the warm welcome, fascinating tours of the campus, and acquaintance with the Mineralogical Museum. We were amazed by the variety of exhibits."

A source