Del Mar College president Dr. Mark Escamilla with students Chantz Mickens and family. Chantz will use new pilot plant as a DMC student. Courtesy photo
A pilot plant designed to teach students the skills necessary to work for major local industries officially opened its gates March 10 during a ceremony on the West Campus at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. Located behind the Flato Technology Building at Boaz Blvd., the DMC Process Technology and Instrumentation Pilot Plant drew dozens of dignitaries and students to the site for a first-hand look. Students in hard hats were on hand to explain how the plant operates.
They pointed out state-of-the art equipment that will be used to teach instrumentation, industrial automation, process control and safety. The $2.2 million pilot plant includes skid, hot and distillation units. Students trained at the plant will be ready for jobs in the refining, petrochemical and oil and gas industries.
Features focus on common tasks and formal procedures and include calibration of equipment, operation on pumps, control valves, wireless controllers and manual and digital control systems.
“Our program needed this equipment to give students real-world experiences of start-ups, routine inspections and maintenance while the plant runs,” said Denise Rector, associate professor of process technology at Del Mar. “We’ll also put them through shut down procedures. Since the pilot plant is our ‘process unit,’ safety procedures, including wearing personal protective equipment, will be strictly enforced.”
“Remember, safety is no accident,” rang out a male voice as the crowd made its way through the gates, which were festooned with a giant blue bow.
Funding came from project partners including the the Corpus Christi city council and the Type A Board, which provided nearly $1.4 million. Another $450,000 came from funding partners in the refining, petrochemical and oil and gas industries, including Cheniere Energy, Flint Hills Resources,, LyondellBasell and Valero. Other sponsors who helped fund the plant include Chemours, Citgo, OxyChem, and the school districts of Corpus Christi, Gregory-Portland, Ingleside, Sinton, and Tuloso-Midway.
Del Mar committed $350,000 toward a skid unit, which uses heated water to simulate refinery processes and expands training that directly meets industrial skills and knowledge requirements. The plant integrates multiple career tracks and crossover skills so students can transition into a variety of areas in the industry.
Del Mar foresees increasing awards by 900 percent, or 600 students annually, within the next year after implementing pilot plant training. This increase includes diverse learning awards from high schools, college credit programs and corporate training and continuing education certificates.
“The pilot plant will offer students a hands-on experience available nowhere other than at industry plants themselves,” said Steve Moore, DMC instructor of process technology. “This first-hand experience will provide local employers with a more polished employee.”
