Every year the European Committee for the Use of Computers in Chemical Engineering Education (EURECHA) organizes the EURECHA Process Design Contest), a challenge for CAPE-students to suggest solutions to a broad chemical engineering problem.
The contest is open to Bachelor/Master/PhD students. Students can participate as a team or individually. The participants should submit their solutions to an open problem that involves Energy and Chemical Engineering, while using tools of Computer Aided Chemical Engineering. The contest occurs annually, with the project description given in August or September. Submission deadlines are usually in April. Check EURECHA website for details.
How You Can Participate
Students can register for the contest each year at the website linked above to be sure they receive information, and have access to optional workshops and help sessions. Because each student operates on different academic schedules, registration in advance is not required. Only the submission is required by the deadline.
Some universities offer students the opportunity to participate in the contest for course credit, either as a formal course or as a part of some other scheme. Check with your program’s administrators to see if this option is available to you.
The competition is suitable for bachelor’s students and graduate students, typically in separate categories.
Universities that Offer Course Credit for Participation
The following universities (at the time of writing) offer course credit for participation. Course credit is not necessary for participation. If your university does not offer it, sometimes you still may be able to arrange something special with your program’s administrators. For example, you might be able to choose the competition problem as your design problem for a design course, or get credit through an existing independent study or special topics course.
- The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Energy and Process Engineering Department. [Choose theme TEP 26 in your Master’s specialisation course]
- Université de Liège, Master’s in Chemical and Materials Science Engineering Programme. [CHIM0054]
Past Winners
2025 Winners: Jakob Hoch and Daniel Schicksnus from RWTH Aachen University. Submission Title: Simulation and Optimization of Variable Ethylene Production from Carbon Dioxide Utilizing Intermittent Electricity.
- Download report [LAPSE:2025.0587]
- Download Aspen Plus and Python files: [LAPSE:2025.0588]
2025 Runners-Up: Soh MinChul, Simandjoentak Lance, Ezra Woldeyes, Yun Junhyuk, and Qian Vanessa from Imperial College London. Submission Title: Innovative Strategies in Sustainable Formaldehyde Production in Belgium: Integrating Process Optimisation, Carbon Capture, and a comprehensive Environmental Assessment.
- Download report [LAPSE:2025.0589]
- Download Aspen Plus files: [LAPSE:2025.0590]
- Download GAMS files: [LAPSE:2025.0591]
- Download OpenLCA files: [LAPSE:2025.0592]
Winners from 2016-2024 can be found on the EURECHA website.
Find all reports from past EURECHA winners and runners-up in LAPSE with this link: [Find all EURECHA Reports in LAPSE]