The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Assessment of this unit should include demonstrated competence on actual plant and equipment in a work environment. The unit will be assessed in as holistic a manner as is practical and may be integrated with the assessment of other relevant units of competency.

Assessment will typically be by a mass balance project(s).

This unit of competency requires a significant body of knowledge which will be assessed through questioning and the use of what-if scenarios both on the plant and off the plant.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Competence must be demonstrated in the ability to complete a mass balance in a structured way, taking real data from an operating plant.

Consistent performance should be demonstrated. In particular look to see that:

realistic boundaries are drawn for the mass balance which align with practical sources of data from the plant

data is collected from the plant with minimum disruption to production

theoretical and practical requirements for the mass balance are consistent

the mass balance data is used to identify and contribute to solutions for plant problems.

This will typically be assessed by one or more mass balance projects on an operating plant. One complex mass balance, or a number of simple mass balances, are required to demonstrate competence.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment will require access to an operating plant over an extended period of time, or a suitable method of gathering evidence of operating ability over a range of situations. A bank of scenarios/case studies/what-ifs will be required as will a bank of questions which will be used to probe the reasoning behind the observable actions.

Method of assessment

In all plants it may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with relevant teamwork and communication units.

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and appropriate to the oracy, language and literacy capacity of the assessee and the work being performed.

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit.

Required skills

Competence includes the ability to:

determine the boundaries of the system to be studied

collect the required plant data from measurements, readings or calculated quantities

calculate the mass transfer loads

report the results.

Competence also includes the ability, for the practical completion of the job, to apply and/or explain:

changes in density with temperature (and pressure where appropriate)

stoichiometry of chemical reactions

mass balances.

Required knowledge

Knowledge and understanding of mass transfer principles and calculations sufficient to determine the mass transfer loads of an existing or a new process.

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the Performance Criteria, is detailed below. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Codes of practice/ standards

Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, the latest version must be used.

Context

This competency unit includes the mass transfer into and out of all processing equipment and requires the quantitative determination of mass transfer loads. This competency applies to all sectors within the chemical, hydrocarbons and oil refining industry.

Mass transfer modes include:

simple (physical) mixing

simple (physical) separation

changes in component mass flow rates due to chemical reaction (including mixing and separation using chemical reaction).

Health, safety and environment (HSE)

All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environment requirements, which may be imposed through State or Federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between Performance Criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.