In the spirit of providing immersive hands-on experience to Chemical Engineering students, the Chemical & Process Engineering Club (CPEC) UWA, the Chemical Engineering Department and the University Safety team partnered with Rio Tinto and Chevron Australia to host 45 UWA's top Chemical Engineering students at their mine site and gas-processing facility.
With both site visits occurring during the University’s winter break, students were flown to the site and stayed in FIFO-style accommodation.
Chevron hosted 22 students, who toured the Wheatstone site over three days, 12km west of Onslow in WA's Pilbara region, where they learned about the various career paths available at Chevron and taught firsthand the complex processes and knowledge involved in liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. The feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive, with many citing the technical presentations and the opportunity to interact with experienced Chevron staff as the most valuable aspects of the tour.
Image: Left to Right - Lai Wei BSc'21, Cindy Moh BSc'21, Truc Nguyen BSc'18, Ayrton Albuquerque, Emma Bond, William Hynes BSc'21, Alex Hoffman BSc'22 at the Chevron Wheatstone LNG site.
Image: Students touring the maintenance workshop at Chevron Wheatstone LNG site.
Cindy Moh BSc'21 said that the Chevron site visit "highlighted the necessity for a balanced strategy to fulfil present demands while proactively exploring greener options". Moh, who has a background in renewable energy, said that the tour gave her valuable insights into the oil and gas industry and its continued relevance. She was also impressed by Chevron's commitment to exploring renewable energy options.
"I now understand that conventional and renewable sources may coexist during this transition period," Moh said.
Rio Tinto opened its doors to 23 eager students for a two-day site visit to the Yandicoogina iron ore mine site. The students learned about the intricate processes and knowledge required for iron ore mining partnered with an exploration of the wet iron ore processing facility, crushers and tailing pits.
Students gained valuable insights into life on-site and other areas of mining outside of chemical engineering through technical presentations and interactions with experienced Rio Tinto staff, the students found these to be important aspects of the tour.
Image: Left to Right - Peter Whittaker PhD'15, Molly Huang, Isaac Phan, Raymond Lee Gileno, Matthew Lim BSc'21, Vignesh Alegesan, Clair Davis, Aneena Sebastian, Faye Hadi, Rachel Tausem, Khadija Bathool Naseer Ahmed, William Hynes BSc'21, Saurav Chandrashekaraiah, Janani Udayasankar, Yunku Kang, Panashe Mtabeni, Marco Sham BSc'22, Yi Lin Low, Dean Winarto, Corey Proudfoot, Akbar Kapasi, Eric Spicer BSc'21 at the Rio Tinto Yandicoogina mine site.
Yi Lin Low said that Rio Tinto demonstrated " unwavering commitment to safety, even if it means losing millions in revenue".
Low discovered Rio's strong commitment to safety firsthand within its complex mining operations which pose potential hazards, yet safety is priority. During the visit, she observed their ability to stop operations when they encountered unsafe conditions.
Overall, both site visits exposed students to their future employers whilst also providing valuable experience which complements their university learnings. Students also had the opportunity to experience the FIFO lifestyle and the importance of safety within the workplace.