Semi-finalists of the CASE-IN championship will tell how to introduce technological innovations in petrochemistry

14 youth teams consisting of future specialists in the field of petrochemistry will compete for tickets to the finals of the XIII season The International Engineering CASE-IN Championship, which is included in  the presidential platform "Russia – the land of opportunities", and is also included in the "Science to Win" initiative of the plan for the Decade of Science and Technology in Russia.

At the qualifying stages in the field of Petrochemistry, held on the basis of 13 specialized universities, students in teams solved tasks on the main theme of the season, "Technological Innovations," and then presented their developments to experts.

Future specialists in the petrochemical industry, on behalf of SIBUR, have developed technological solutions to reduce losses of isobutylene, the gas needed to produce various types of synthetic rubbers.

On April 23 and 24, student teams from 14 universities will compete in the semifinals.:

1. "Shift Catalysts", Siberian Federal University
2. Jabyab, Voronezh State University of Engineering Technologies
3. "Spare parts", Dzerzhinsky Polytechnic Institute of the Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University named after R.E. Alekseev
4. Inertia, Kuzbass State Technical University named after T.F. Gorbachev
5. Initiators, Kazan National Research Technological University
6. Mighty Bunch, Perm National Research Polytechnic University
7. Petrochemicals, Irkutsk National Research Technical University
8. "Polymers", Tyumen Industrial University
9. Cyclomethane Condensation, Volgograd State Technical University
10. "Stray pipes", National Research Tomsk State University
11. Limba, a branch of Tyumen Industrial University in Surgut
12. NeoOctans, Amur State University
13. Oilympians, Ufa State Petroleum Technical University
14. SCT Project, Saint Petersburg Mining University

An expert commission consisting of specialists from industry companies, universities and organizations will review the decisions of the youth teams and determine the finalists of the championship.

The semi–finalist team of Inertia (Kuzbass State Technical University named after T.F. Gorbachev) has developed two solutions at once. The first is the change in the flow rate of the cubic part in the distillation column. In the second, the students suggested changing the boiler to a new one to increase the heat exchange surface.

How noted the captain of the team Vladislav Chirva The key factors for reaching the semifinals were team cohesion, well-developed visualization, and knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the solution. "Surprisingly, the jury's questions were not difficult. We were well prepared and knew the strengths and weaknesses of our work. Besides, our unity helped. We met every day and solved the case for six hours, if not more. A detailed visual also helped. The presentation made it easier for us to speak and helped us better convey information to the experts."- He explained.

According to Leonid Chupin, captain of the Neftekhimiki team (Irkutsk National Research Technical University), To reach the semifinals, the students first modeled the rectification processes in the Aspen Hysys program, and then decided to improve the "automation" by connecting to an existing neural network in production. Due to AI, it will be possible to predict the processes inside the column and ensure the autonomy of the system. All this will increase the rectification yield by 3-6%, provide more accurate regulation of steam consumption with savings on heating up to 10-35%, students from Irkutsk are confident.

The Mighty Bunch team (Perm National Research Polytechnic University) intends to surprise experts with their innovative ideas.

"During the week, we called each other every evening, discussed ideas and strategy for our solution, made a presentation and prepared for the defense. This year's case turned out to be much more difficult than the previous one, as we had to use software for calculations, which made our work much more difficult, but we managed. I liked that the competition was strong enough, and despite this, we won, which made the joy of success much stronger.", – She shared her emotions team member Sabrina Ismatova.

The final will be held at the end of May 2025 in Moscow. Students will present their final solutions to the industry community, exchange ideas with the best future and young engineers, and receive advice on finalizing their projects.

The champions and prize-winners of the Student League will receive preferential conditions for admission to master's and postgraduate studies at specialized universities, internships and internships in partner companies, as well as trips to industry youth educational forums. 

The International Engineering CASE-IN Championship is held with the support of the presidential platform "Russia – the land of Opportunities". The championship is supported by 170 major partners, from federal agencies, including the Ministry of Energy of Russia, the Ministry of Construction of Russia, the Ministry of Labor of Russia, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Ministry of Education of Russia, Rosmolodezh, to companies in the fuel and energy and mineral resource complexes, the oil and gas, petrochemical and nuclear industries, metallurgy, architectural and construction design and other industries.

The organizers of the CASE-IN championship are the Reliable Change Foundation, the presidential platform Russia — the Land of Opportunities, the Non-profit Partnership Youth Forum of Mining Leaders, and AstraLogica LLC.

The project is included in the "Science to Win" initiative of the plan for the Decade of Science and Technology in Russia.   The championship is held as part of the implementation of the federal project "Russia – the land of opportunities" of the national project "Youth and Children".