I have completed my graduation in 2008 from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (India) with a CGPA of 8.69/10. My GRE score is 790 Quant and 510 Verbal. My Toefl score is 104. I have a working experience of over 2 years in Reliance Industries Ltd as a Process Engineer. Currently I am applying for a PhD position in Chemical Engineering from a reputed US University in the coming fall. This is my sincere request to please review my SOP.
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Life has taught me that the ultimate happiness is obtained not only by hard work and
intelligence, but also by unlimited bravery in pursuing one's own dreams. It is my overwhelming
desire for learning, invention, and teaching that lead me to continue my education towards
a PhD. My long term goal is to do cutting edge research in the field of Chemical Reaction
Engineering and Process Modeling.
My penchant for Mathematics accompanied with a dogged attitude to solve complex problems
helped me earn admission at IIT Roorkee, one of the most coveted institutes in the country.
Over my undergraduate years at IIT, I always cherished courses where mathematics played all-
important role. I scored 'A+' in Chemical Reaction Engineering, Transport Phenomena, Process
Modeling and Simulation, and Mass Transfer Courses. I scored 'A' grade in Numerical Methods
and Advanced Numerical Methods. My overall CGPA is 8.69 on scale of 10.
In my master's thesis I worked on 'Mathematical Simulation of Fluidized Bed Reactor for
Dimethyl ether Synthesis from Syngas' under the guidance of Dr. Basheshwar Prasad.
Dimethyl ether (DME) has received growing attention as a potential substitute for diesel
due to its high cetane number and soot-free combustion. In this work, the kinetics of DME
synthesis from syngas over CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 (methanol synthesis component) and -alumina
(methanol dehydration component) coupled with the two-phase theory of fluidization has
been applied. The concentration gradient developed between the two phases helps to break
the equilibrium limitations induced by the reversibility of the reactions. Simulation performed
shows considerable improvement in the conversion and yield when compared to fixed-bed and
slurry reactor technologies for same operating conditions due to high heat and mass transfer
efficiencies. The influence of various operating parameters such as pressure, feed composition,
space velocity and temperature were also analyzed.
As a summer intern at Reliance (Hazira) in 2006, I investigated the cause of popcorn polymer
formation in Butadiene plant which caused frequent plant shutdowns. The polymerization
resulted in bending of several tubes of internal reboiler. Butadiene and Oxygen are known
to react vigorously forming unstable peroxides. Interestingly, operations did not report any
explosion. My study showed that in the presence of rust polymerization proceeds at a slower
rate. Moreover, Tertiary Butyl Catechol (TBC), injected to scavenge oxygen and free radicals,
could also react with iron rust leading to deactivation of TBC. Inspection of internal reboiler
revealed presence of rust in shell side. The findings were later confirmed by Japanese experts.
To fulfill my interest in the application of computers in chemical engineering, I chose to do
my summer internship in 2007 with Dr. Rajdip Bandyopadhyaya at IIT Bombay on 'Monte
Carlo simulation of nanoparticle formation in water-in-oil microemulsions'. The two-fold
objectives were - (i) Simulation of CdS, Silver halides and CaCO3 nanoparticle formation in
water-in-oil micro-emulsions using previous models, and (ii) to add a new mechanism of micelle
cluster formation to the existing scheme. The previous scheme utilizing kinetic phenomena
like Brownian motion, coalescence-exchange, reaction, nucleation and coagulation of two
nucleated drops, could explain many systems such as CdS, CaCO3 etc. where the particle size
is restricted by the drop size but failed to explain cases like metal nanoparticles where drop
size is not a constraint. In the new scheme, it was assumed that some micelles form cluster
or aggregate which eventually forms a single bigger drop. This helps to remove the geometric
constraint and gives a better fit even for metal nanoparticles also.
Since my graduation in 2008, I have gained professional experience by working for Reliance
Industries Limited (Jamnagar) as a Process Engineer. During this period I worked mostly
on modeling and simulation of several reactors such as Delayed Coker, Alkylation, and
Hydrotreaters. Other project included modeling of Parex Adsorbent chamber using OCFE
technique for solution of large set of Differential-Algebraic equations (DAEs). As a part of Coker
Helpdesk, I worked on root-cause analysis of premature coking in Heater tubes. My study
identified windows for critical parameters like Crude Sat/Aro ratios, Colloidal Instability Index
(CII) and firing rate to prevent the recurrence of the problem. As a part of Refinery Flare Audit,
I developed the Fault Tree Analysis based Safety Integrity Level (SIL) module for reliability
study of Safety Instrumented Systems (also called ESDs) which set the pace for further work in
Process safety across all sites at Reliance.
Having real work experience, now I have a balanced view of my interests, potential
contributions and priorities, which enables me to make a decision between pursuing a
career in the industry or one in academia. I find the academic environment more appealing
because of the high level of intellectual challenge and creativity associated with it as well
as the opportunity it provides to follow my research interests. This constitutes the very
motivation behind my present application for a PhD program from the Department of Chemical
Engineering at Texas A&M University. The unparalleled work on Kinetic modeling of Refinery
processes under Prof. Gilbert Froment group is one of the strongest research orientations,
which perfectly matches my past academic and professional experience. I have full confidence
that my diligence, sound academic foundation, and genuine interest in learning coupled with
the exceptional guidance I can receive at your University will make me very successful in your
program.
This is my sincere request that you please review my SOP.
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It is my overwhelming desire for learning, invention, and teaching that leads me to continue my education towards a PhD.
... investigated the cause of popcorn polymer formation(s)? in a Butadiene plant which caused frequent plant shutdowns.
Having real work experience, I now have a balanced view of my interests, potential contributions and ...
... find the academic environment more appealing because of the high level of intellectual challenge and creativity associated with it as well...This is great writing!
Your essay is thorough and interesting, and it shows what a serious and dedicated person/student you are. Good luck in school and have fun!
:)
