Heriot-Watt Brewing and Distilling course

[DocAnna]

This isn't a blog, podcast or youtube but seems the best category to put this in - well ok I guess it might count as a blog .I'm about to start an MSc in Brewing and Distilling with HW, which I'm taking over 4 years so this will be v slow, I'm not going to push to get this done quickly. I thought it might be worthwhile sharing details of what I'm covering and anything that might be useful sharing at a home brew level.

The first course I've signed up for in semester 1 is Introduction to Process Control https://www.hw.ac.uk/documents/pams/202122/B99TG_202122.pdf which I am embarrassingly excited about . The syllabus covers:

• Mass Balance – Single unit processes, multiple unit processes
• Fluid Mechanics – Fluid statics, fluid dynamics, pipe/duct flow, frictional pressure losses in pipe/duct flow, fitting pressure losses in pipe/duct flow.
• Heat Transfer – Conduction, convection, thermal resistance and heat flux, types of heat exchanger, sizing of heat exchangers.
• Psychrometry – Heating, cooling, humidification, dehumidification, drying of cereals and food as a psychrometric process.
• Particulate solids – handling of grains, design of bins and silos, emptying mechanisms of bins and silos.

I did a bit about fluid mechanics at school, and a bit of a project on air flow fluid dynamics, ok we are talking about more than three decades ago but still.. it feels a bit like recapturing some of my youth, and absolutely nothing to do with health care. I won't share course materials here as that wouldn't be fair on the course organisers but will be happy to answer questions as I go.

 

[Stu's Brews]

Best of luck with it - looks like it will be very detailed!

 

[chopps]

Wow, well done Anna signing up for that. Impressed!
You could always create a YouTube vlog about your learning and progress towards the MSc. I'd watch that for sure.

I went back to University (part time/distance) at 38 to study product design.
Didn't need it for my job or career development and didn't think I would ever apply what I learned in real life.
It was an itch I needed to scratch. And I was wrong, I use what I learned every day now.
I'm so glad I did it and would encourage anyone thinking about taking courses from HW, Open University and others to dive in.

 

[Sadfield]

That's brilliant. Good luck @DocAnna

@chopps I studied similar in Industrial Design in my youth. I feel it certainly gave me lifelong tools for problem solving.

 

[Baldbrewer]

This isn't a blog, podcast or youtube but seems the best category to put this in - well ok I guess it might count as a blog .I'm about to start an MSc in Brewing and Distilling with HW, which I'm taking over 4 years so this will be v slow, I'm not going to push to get this done quickly. I thought it might be worthwhile sharing details of what I'm covering and anything that might be useful sharing at a home brew level.

The first course I've signed up for in semester 1 is Introduction to Process Control https://www.hw.ac.uk/documents/pams/202122/B99TG_202122.pdf which I am embarrassingly excited about . The syllabus covers:

• Mass Balance – Single unit processes, multiple unit processes
• Fluid Mechanics – Fluid statics, fluid dynamics, pipe/duct flow, frictional pressure losses in pipe/duct flow, fitting pressure losses in pipe/duct flow.
• Heat Transfer – Conduction, convection, thermal resistance and heat flux, types of heat exchanger, sizing of heat exchangers.
• Psychrometry – Heating, cooling, humidification, dehumidification, drying of cereals and food as a psychrometric process.
• Particulate solids – handling of grains, design of bins and silos, emptying mechanisms of bins and silos.

I did a bit about fluid mechanics at school, and a bit of a project on air flow fluid dynamics, ok we are talking about more than three decades ago but still.. it feels a bit like recapturing some of my youth, and absolutely nothing to do with health care. I won't share course materials here as that wouldn't be fair on the course organisers but will be happy to answer questions as I go.

Look forward to your updates Anna, I used to work in fruit juice and soft drinks industries years ago and have always enjoyed the process control side of engineering which is probably why I enjoyed building a 3 vessel system and the controls before I was seduced by the shiny Speidel side lol.
best of luck

 

[The Baron]

You'll breeze it Anna so I will not say good luck as it will not be needed but look forward your additional knowledge coming into use in the forum

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

It looks like a lot of fun but will also be a lot of work. My advice would be to focus your efforts on the stuff you enjoy and will use rather than the bits you need to score points on to achieve a distinction - and good luck with that!

 

[Rodcx500z]

Good luck but i think you will cope and enjoy

 

[RichardM]

Good luck with this @DocAnna and do keep us updated on your progress.
I studied some fluid dynamics for my mechanical engineering degree many years ago...it was one of the hardest parts, I much preferred thermodynamics.

 

[Dutto]

No.1 son graduated with his BSc from Heriot Watt, back in 2006!

As a “Mature Student” (just plain lazy when he was younger) he had a blast, so my only advice is “Enjoy the experience!”

 

[Brewnaldo]

Best of luck on the journey Anna. 4 years is a long time for me to wait to come and work for you as distillery/brewery dogsbody, but i'll manage where I am until then.....

 

[Peter Morley]

Agreed, best of luck Anna. Makes my "Certificate in Brewing" from the IBD seem somewhat inferior.....and I found that time consuming enough!

 

[DocAnna]

Agreed, best of luck Anna. Makes my "Certificate in Brewing" from the IBD seem somewhat inferior.....and I found that time consuming enough!

Thanks, and yes I am a wee bit worried about the time consuming bit. That’s one of the reasons I’m going to take it slow. As for your certificate - hey you’ve already passed - I haven’t even started yet!

 

[Deadhead]

Very cool!!! Fluid dynamics and heat transfer were courses I did very well at in my engineering degree, but my brain would need the cobwebs seriously hoovered out to do it again!
New career for you in the future? Or just all in the love of being geeky?!?!

 

[Jim Brewster]

I did an Mechanical Engineering degree, but the thing I used most on a daily basis is trig from year 9 maths

 

[Sadfield]

GCSE Information Technology on one of these isn't helping solve why my laptop and PC with printer attached, can no longer see each other, but both can see every phone, tv, firestick in a 100 mile radius.

 

[RichardM]

GCSE Information Technology on one of these isn't helping solve why my laptop and PC with printer attached, can no longer see each other, but both can see every phone, tv, firestick in a 100 mile radius.

View attachment 73698

I used one of those as the basis for automating a test booth for central heating radiators for the final year project of my degree.

 

[DocAnna]

That's the end of the first week of the module I'm doing on the course B99TG Introduction to Process Technology. It's a fairly easy start with a week explaining mass balance for a single process, calculating mass or molar flow rates using solving simultaneous equations. It's not particularly complicated with using algebra and doesn't involve particularly complicated equations, but it's more a case of showing my working and not overcomplicating things.

One of the areas I'm a bit upset about is it feels a bit lonely , Herriot Watt seem to have moved over from Vision to Canvas as their virtual learning environment, and I can't find any discussion boards, or forum type spaces to meet other students. There's a distinct feeling of having been left out of something. I was missed out of the module for the first induction week session, which I'd set time aside for. There's a google group that hasn't been posted in since 2021, and the discussion group in the module is empty. It feels like there's a party somewhere I've not been invited to! I've contacted the tutor and course organisers but it feels a bit naff that I'm having to chase this sort of thing up.

 

[DocAnna]

As a second part to today's update, I've also joined the institute of Brewing and Distilling as a student member - which was also a bit of a faff, as despite me emailing them from my student email address, they needed either a copy of my student card - which I'm not automatically sent as a distance student, or a letter on headed paper from a tutor - which they did then accept by email. I'm really hoping this is just teething problems in the first proper week.

 

[jof]

I suspect things have not returned to normal for MSc & PhD yet & all the return to normalness has been concentrated on undergrads.
Also it probably varies hugely between institutions.