Interview Experience Overview

Duration: Approximately 30 minutes
Mode: Marker board-based technical interview
Panel: Initially 6 male panelists and 1 female panelist. During the interview, one more male and one more female panelist joined.


Interview Questions and Discussion:

  1. Introduction & Background:
    • “Good morning, Kunal. Which year did you graduate?”
    • Follow-up on work experience: “So you’ve worked as a Field Engineer at Nirma Limited?”
  2. Plant Experience:
    • “Which specific plant did you work in?”
    • Asked to list all products and raw materials handled at the plant.
  3. Handling & Storage:
    • Detailed discussion on handling and storage techniques.
    • Questions on the material of construction (MOC) used for different products.
  4. Sulfuric Acid Handling:
    • “What is the use of sulfuric acid in your plant?”
    • Asked to draw a P&ID diagram of a sulfuric acid storage tank, explain all instruments involved, and the purpose of the venting system.
  5. Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium (VLE):
    • Application of VLE in real life.
    • Significance, mathematical derivation, and how VLE is practically implemented.
  6. Pumps and Their Characteristics:
    • Discussion on types of pumps, with a focus on centrifugal pumps.
    • Asked to draw the characteristics curve, and explain:
      • How pumps generate head
      • Factors affecting efficiency
      • Pump performance in series vs. parallel
      • Effect of impeller changes and cavitation on performance
  7. Cooling Towers:
    • Asked by the panelist to list types of cooling towers.
    • Drew and explained natural draft cooling tower, describing all components.
    • Definitions and significance of:
      • Range
      • Approach
      • Efficiency
    • Question: “What is the lowest temperature a cooling tower can achieve?”
    • Impact of this on packing material, followed by discussion on different types of packing.
  8. Heterogeneous Catalysis:
    • Asked to draw and explain resistance mechanisms in solid-catalyzed reactions for both porous and non-porous catalysts.
  9. Reactors in Catalysis:
    • Types and applications of reactors:
      • Bubble column reactor
      • Fluidized bed reactor
      • Packed bed reactor
  10. Thermodynamics and Solution Behavior:
    • Application of partial molar properties in real-life scenarios.
    • Differences between ideal and real solutions.

My Performance:

  • I was confident and accurate while explaining topics related to:
    • Pumps and characteristic curves
    • Cooling towers
    • Plant technology and operational details
  • I could handle plant-based and practical technical questions well.
  • However, I felt my responses were only moderate in topics related to:
    • Thermodynamics (VLE, partial molar properties)
    • Heterogeneous reactions and catalyst resistance modeling

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