Shen Huan is an A-Levels student at Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar and will be graduating in 2024. This personal statement was part of his successful application to Imperial College London, University of Manchester, University of Bath and University of Edinburgh for Chemical Engineering.
As a keen viewer of Seismic Seconds, I began to reflect on the critical importance of process engineering. This inevitably led me to the Bhopal tragedy. Eckerman’s The Bhopal Saga revealed the negligence at the UCIL carbaryl factory that led to the vaporisation of lethal methyl-isocyanate (MIC), killing thousands. The importance of chemical process safety inspires me to study chemical engineering to fuse my skills in chemistry, math, and physics to prevent disasters like Bhopal and save lives through process engineering.
Keen to understand more, I completed an EPQ on how chemical engineering could have prevented the Bhopal Disaster. To produce carbaryl, UCIL chose highly reactive MIC as the intermediate reactant, ignoring its incredibly toxic chemical properties and violent thermal runaway reaction with water. I learnt about inherently safer design to minimise hazards during chemical process development by considering alternative reactions using safer reagents. Using this principle led me to the safer reaction of naphthyl chloroformate with methylamine to produce carbaryl without using MIC. Researching why UCIL did not use this process, I found most sources speculating that it was due to the higher manufacturing cost. I concluded that chemical engineers optimise processes with a variety of solutions, but may be limited by economic viability. However, there needs to be a limit to cost restraints so that safety regulations are not compromised. Learning to establish a balance between process efficiency, safety, and cost motivates me for further study of chemical engineering to prevent future Bhopals.
I enjoy problem solving through research, so I wrote ‘Blood In The Water’ for the STEM Bulletin about how chemical engineering could have prevented the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. Through the US Chemical Safety Board’s videos, I learnt how engineers countered blowouts using a constant flow of drilling mud in the riser to maintain enough hydrostatic pressure in the pipe to offset the formation pressure. I then connected this with the fundamentals of forces and pressure taught in A Level Physics and used the hydrostatic pressure equation learnt in class to understand how engineers calculated the density of mud needed to generate enough pressure.
The multidisciplinary nature of chemical engineering using physics and math to solve real world problems is an interesting prospect. Job shadowing at EG Chemicals, I learned how to use AutoCAD and designed a replica reverse osmosis (RO) process schematic that was later used to locate components during maintenance checks. Working alongside a multicultural team of engineers developed my Malay and Chinese language communication skills. I was also taught valve function by a mechanical engineer, water pretreatment by a chemical engineer and site infrastructure by a civil engineer- highlighting how process development is such a collaborative effort. After learning of the RO process’ high energy cost and waste water byproducts, I wrote an article describing how further development of advanced membrane technology could increase permeability rates- simultaneously lowering the energy requirement and reducing environmental impact. My work experience has deepened my resolve to become a chemical engineer and design energy efficient processes- addressing the global energy crisis.
As a national youth ice hockey player, I founded MyHockey Initiative to design and manufacture eco-friendly shin guards to donate to resource strapped local clubs. Applying the concept of shear stress to make high-quality guards again reiterated to me the practical uses of A Level Physics theory. As KTJ’s STEM Club Director, I shared my articles with peers to open debates on chemical process safety, developing critical thinking skills. As a chemistry tutor and UK Chemistry Olympiad bronze winner, I continuously enhance my knowledge of advanced chemistry in preparation for the study of Chemical Engineering at university.
DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.