5 Rules of Process Engineering - Rule 2 - Get In Deep

Some of the things you work on will be relatively simple and will not trip you up. Others will be deceptively complex. My experience is that complex is more common than simple; perhaps that is a feature of my background with old plants, three-phase flow, complicated chemistry, slurries, and dealing with mineralogy. Anyone who deals with oil will understand that no matter how you generalize it, the extremely wide range of actual chemicals involved in this very diverse natural material will challenge true understanding, even if more empirical methods are available. Simpler process chemistry usually results from dealing with purer, more consistent materials. But even those process situations that seem to have simple chemistries and flow conditions can hide complexity in catalysis, non-linear behaviours, and other areas.

If you have an issue to deal with, resist the temptation to assume the simple answer – frankly, if it were simple, somebody else probably would have solved it by now. It is easy to trivialize and only look at the surface of a problem, but I encourage you to not fall for this. Your depth of understanding is critical to resolving tricky issues.

Since you cannot know a priori what will be tricky, be cautious about jumping to conclusions. We all tend to do it, but the temptation is worth resisting. That being said, time is important too. So it is really important to work at developing a feel for where the complexity lies early in your career. This is part of the art of engineering. One method to accomplish this is to pursue your analysis, list the sources of complexity and your feeling of the likelihood that they will be significant, and then talk to a more experienced engineer about your summary. They may be able to point out other areas of complexity, and know which of the ones you have identified are less important.

Sometimes the answer is simple, and we should never throw out a simple answer just because it is simple. But we need to remain vigilant for the complex situations.

I noted in the introduction to this series that I appreciate intelligent generalists. I also appreciate really good specialists who can understand a problem quickly, figure out an answer, and distil the answer down to a clear and concise explanation. Clarity is valuable and the ability to parse out the meaning from a difficult situation is rare; muddy thinking is dangerous. Being able to explain a complex situation in simple terms so that both the operator and CEO can understand it is a rare talent, and one that should be both cultivated and appreciated.

Next week – Rule 3: Be an Operator