Ian Campbell

Ian Campbell
JOB Senior process engineer
EMPLOYER Davy Process Technology
DEGREE MEng chemical engineering with European studies (1998)
UNIVERSITY University of Aston

I supervise systems engineering work on a project to design a large methanol-production plant. This currently involves calculating the various ways the plant can be over pressurised and specifying devices to relieve the pressure. Ultimately we are working to finalise the piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) that the client will receive. I oversee the work of graduate process engineers, check their calculations and advise them on necessary changes.

Previous roles

I started work as a graduate process engineer with my current employer doing a range of activities: equipment design for oxo alcohol and butanediol plants, simulating new process flowsheets and operating test rigs at the company’s technology centre. I progressed from doing highly supervised tasks to working autonomously to produce specifications for estimating the cost of potential new projects. I gradually took on more responsibility and moved up to my current position.

Most exciting project

Working on a plant in Alaska to reassemble it after a reactor had been removed for refurbishment. I was the only senior engineer on site and we had just six weeks to get it up and running again. I had a lot of responsibility and felt it was a big achievement when we had successfully completed the turnaround.

The highs

It’s great to see the diagrams and drawings you worked on at design stage, built and running successfully in another part of the world.

The lows

The rigorous checking of calculations requires attention to detail and is not that exciting, but it is an essential part of the job.