Elements and Performance Criteria

Context
Separation equipment covered by this competency includes all types of chemical separation equipment for gaseous, liquid and solids separation duties, where the feed is essentially in a single phase and the separation relies on a change of the material or a chemical process to enact the separation, such as:
crystallisers
ion-exchange filters/columns
precipitators
absorbers/adsorbers.

Typical problems include:
seal/gasket leaks
pressure loss/low flow
cartridge/filter change
reagent/medium activity
blockages/build-up
contaminants.

All operations are performed in accordance with procedures.

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.

Assessment context and methods
Assessment for this unit of competency will be on an operating plant. 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 occur over a range of situations which will include disruptions to normal, smooth operation.

Simulation may be required to allow for timely assessment of parts of this unit of competency (e.g. parts of elements 2 and 3). Simulation should be based on the actual plant and will include walk throughs of the relevant competency components. Simulations may also include the use of case studies/scenarios and role plays.

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 (during demonstration of normal operations and walk throughs of abnormal operations) and off the plant.

Critical aspects
Competence must be demonstrated in the ability to recognise and analyse potential situations requiring action and then in implementing appropriate corrective action. The emphasis should be on the ability to stay out of trouble rather than on recovery from a disaster.

Consistent performance should be demonstrated. In particular look to see that:
early warning signs of equipment/processes needing attention or with potential problems are recognised
the range of possible causes can be identified and analysed and the most likely cause determined
appropriate action is taken to ensure a timely return to full performance
obvious problems in related plant areas are recognised and an appropriate contribution made to their solution.

These aspects may be best assessed using a range of scenarios/case studies/what ifs as the stimulus with a walk through forming part of the response. These assessment activities should include a range of problems, including new, unusual and improbable situations which may have been generated from the past incident history of the plant, incidents on similar plants around the world, hazard analysis activities and similar sources.

Resource implications
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.

Other assessment advice
In all plants it may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with relevant teamwork and communication units. For many plants, it might be appropriate for this unit to be assessed with:
PMAOPS201A - Operate fluid flow equipment
PMACOM200A - Process and record information.

In a major hazard facility, it may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with:
PMAOHS200 - Participate in workplace safety procedures.

Essential knowledge
Competence includes a comprehensive understanding of separation equipment principles and typical problems to a level needed to control the operation, and recognise and resolve operational problems. In particular it includes a knowledge of:
all items on a schematic of the separator system and describe the function of each
principles of operation of separation equipment
physics of operation (including behaviour of solids, liquids and gases, effects of phase changes, effects of temperature and pressure)
chemistry of operation (including simple chemical reactions, elements, compounds and mixtures)
function and troubleshooting of major internal components and their problems (such as reagents, contaminants, supports, nozzles, grids, etc.)
typical problems with separation equipment and their remedy.

Competence also includes the ability to distinguish between types and causes of separation problems as relevant to the practical operation of equipment at the job level.