A Chemist’s Guide to Chemical Engineering

Course Objectives

In order for chemists and engineers to interact and collaborate they need to understand and appreciate the point of view of the other discipline. This course sets out to give chemists an introduction to the main topics in chemical engineering and help them realise the importance of the subject. The course will not be attempting to convert chemists into design engineers but it is hoped that it will help chemists understand what chemical engineering is and how chemists can improve their own job function and career prospects. The course will attempt to introduce and describe the principles of chemical engineering without resorting to the excessive use of mathematics. It will attempt to assist chemists to appreciate the type of data needed by engineers and why it is needed. In so doing it will allow chemists to realise how a better understanding of chemical engineering will improve their own work in process research and development. It is hoped that attendees on the course will better appreciate the vital interaction between chemistry and engineering.

Outline

Section 1 - Introduction
What is Chemical Engineering?
Dimensionless Numbers, what are they and
what do they mean?
Mass Balances
Energy Balances
Process Flow Diagrams

Section 2 - Fluids and Fluid Flow
Introduction to Fluid Flow
Reynolds Number
Bernoulli's Equation
Friction in Pipes
Pumping Fluids
Types of Pumps

Section 3 - Heat Transfer
Introduction to Heat Transfer
Heat Exchangers
Introduction to Drying
Analysing Drier Performance
Psychrometric Charts

Section 4 - Column Separation Methods
Introduction to Mass Transfer
Introduction to Separation Processes
Introduction to Column Separations
Distillation and Gas Absorption Techniques
Vapour Pressure and VLE Data
Distillation Terms and Techniques
Information Required for Column Design

Section 5 - Solid/Liquid Separations
Introduction to Solid Liquid Separation
Selecting SLS Equipment
Centrifugation and Centrifuges
Evaluating Centrifuge Performance
Crystallisation and Crystallisers

Section 6 - Extraction Processes
Introduction to Extraction Processes
Mass Balance in Extraction
Using and Understanding Phase Diagrams

Section 7 - Reactors
Types of Reactors
Reactor Design
Scale up of Reactors
Batch Reactor Performance and Modelling

Section 8 - Mixing
The Importance of Mixing
Mixing and Blending
Methods of Mixing
Types of Mixers and Agitators
Effect of Mixing on Reactions and Products