Chemical Engineering

CHE 1011. INTRODUCTION TO CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Cat. I.

This course provides an introduction to the broad and vital discipline of
chemical engineering including conventional and developing chemical
technologies. An introduction is provided to the first principles of chemical
engineering, as well as environmental, health, safety and ethical issues in
chemical engineering practice. An overview is provided of the chemical
engineering profession, career choices, the course of study, and a survey of the
chemical industry, e.g., polymer, pharmaceutical, food processing, microelectronic,
electrochemical, biotechnology, process control, energy, and petroleum
refining. Course activities include guest speakers and plant trips.

Recommended for first-year students with a basic knowledge of chemistry.

CHE 2011. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS

Cat. I
This first course in chemical engineering is designed to give students the ability
to use techniques and solve problems of interest to chemical engineers. Students
will learn fundamental material by completing analysis, design, and/or
laboratory projects. Topics covered include: material balances and stoichiometry,
pressure, volume, and temperature behavior of pure fluids, 1st law of thermodynamics,
vapor-liquid equilibria with ideal thermodynamics, and staged
separation processes.

Recommended background: Elementary college chemistry and calculus.

Students may not receive credit towards CHE distribution requirements for
both CHE 2011 and CM 2001.

CHE 2012. ELEMENTARY CHEMICAL PROCESSES

Cat. I

This course aims to build a strong foundation in analysis of chemical processes
via a project-based approach. Topics covered include analysis and design of
stagewise separation processes such as distillation, 1st and 2nd law (of thermodynamics)
analysis of power and refrigeration cycles, and application of material
and energy balances in industrial chemical processes, including those with
recycle and non-ideal systems.

Recommended background: Elementary college chemistry and calculus and
some familiarity with the topics listed in CHE 2011.

Students may not receive credit towards CHE distribution requirements for
both CHE 2012 and ES 3000.

CHE 2013. APPLIED CHEMICAL ENGINEERING THERMODYNAMICS

Cat. I

This course uses a project-based approach to build confidence and competence
in the use of chemical engineering thermodynamics for the analysis and design
of chemical processes. Topics covered include extractive separation systems,
solution thermodynamics and nonreacting multicomponent mixtures, phase
equilibria and property changes on mixing.

Recommended background: Elementary college chemistry and calculus and
some familiarity with the topics listed in CHE 2011 and CHE 2012.
Students may not receive credit towards CHE distribution requirements for
both CHE 2013 and CM 2102.

CHE 2014. ADVANCED CHEMICAL PROCESSES

Cat. I
This course builds on prior work in material and energy balances, chemical
engineering thermodynamics, and stagewise separation processes to facilitate
student mastery and design of more complex processes. Topics covered include
chemical reaction equilibria, material and energy balances for non-steady state
systems, combined material and energy balances, humidification, and batch
distillation.

Recommended background: Elementary college chemistry and calculus and
some familiarity with the topics listed in CHE 2011, CHE 2012, and CHE
2013.

Students may not receive credit towards CHE distribution requirements for
both CHE 2014 and CM 2002.

CHE 3201. KINETICS AND REACTOR DESIGN

Cat. I

Techniques for experimentally determining rate laws for simple and complex
chemical reactions, the mechanisms and theories of chemical reactions, the
function of catalysts, and the design of isothermal, adiabatic, batch and flow
reactors. The course is intended to provide chemists and chemical engineers with
the conceptual base needed to study reactions and perform in the design and
analysis of reactors.

Recommended background: differential equations, thermodynamics and some
organic chemistry.

CHE 3301. INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

Cat. II
This course is an introduction to the chemical engineering principles involved in
modern applications of biological engineering. Topics may include: an
introduction to biology, biochemistry, physiology, and genomics; biological
process engineering including fermentation, mammalian cell culture, biocatalysis,
and downstream bioseparations; drug discovery, development, and delivery;
environmental biotechnology; and chemical engineering aspects of biomedical
devices.

Recommended background: material and energy balances, thermodynamics,
organic chemistry, and differential equations.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.

CHE 3501. APPLIED MATHEMATICS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Cat. I

The consolidation of the methods of mathematics into a form that can be used for
setting up and solving chemical engineering problems. Mathematical formulation
of problems corresponding to specific physical situations such as momentum,
energy and mass transfer, and chemical reactions. Analytical and numerical
techniques for handling the resulting ordinary and partial differential equations
and finite difference equations.

Recommended background: ordinary differential equations, partial derivatives
and vectors, momentum heat and mass transfer.

CHE 3702. ENERGY CHALLENGES IN THE 21st CENTURY

Cat. II
The goal of this course is to prepare students for future work in energy-related fields by providing an overview of the challenges related to energy production. Students will study several major energy systems. The details of such energy systems will be examined using engineering principles, particularly focusing on relevant chemical processes. For example, the details and processes of a typical power plant or a refinery will be examined. Students will also become familiar with environmental and economic issues related to energy production. Topics to be covered may include: fossil fuels, the hydrogen economy, biofuels, nuclear energy, fuel cells, batteries, and the electricity grid.
Recommended background: knowledge of chemistry (CH 1010, 1020, 1030), differential and integral calculus, and chemical processes (CHE 2011).
Students may not receive credit for both CHE 3702 and CHE 320X.

CHE 372X. BIOENERGY

The primary goal of this course is to provide students the necessary understanding and tools to evaluate biochemical and thermochemical biofuel production technologies. The secondary goals include developing understanding of 1) fuel properties, 2) biomass resources, 3) basic enzyme kinetics, 4) biochemical reactor design, 5) the corn ethanol process, 6) challenges to cellulosic ethanol, 7) biomass gasification reactions and thermochemistry, 8) gasification reactor design, and 9) techno economic concepts of biofuel processes.
Recommended background: Knowledge of chemistry (CH 1010, 1020, and 1030 or equivalent), differential and integral calculus and differential equations (MA 1021-1024 and 2051 or equivalent), and chemical processing (CHE 2011 or equivalent).

CHE 4063. TRANSPORT & TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Cat. II
In this course, students will learn to make quantitative relationships between
human activities and the effects on water, soil, and air in the environment.
Students will learn the scientific and engineering principles that are needed to
understand how contaminants enter and move in the environment, how
compounds react in the environment, how to predict their concentrations in the
environment, and how to develop solutions to environmental problems.
Topics to be covered may include water quality engineering (including
microbial interactions), air quality engineering, and hazardous waste
management.

Recommended Background: familiarity with transport phenomena, such as in
ES 3004 (Fluid Mechanics) and ES 3002 (Mass Transfer), and familiarity with
reaction kinetics and reactor design, such as through CHE 3201 (Kinetics and
Reactor Design). Background such as CE 3059 (Environmental Engineering),
CE 3060 (Water Treatment), or CE 3061 (Wastewater Treatment) is suggested.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.

CHE 4401. UNIT OPERATIONS OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING I

Cat. I
Laboratory-application of fundamental theories to practical chemical engineering
operations. Emphasis is on building the student’s understanding and ability
to approach the problems of design and operations of large scale chemical
processing equipment.
The course is a combination of lectures and laboratory projects in the area of
unit operations. Laboratory projects include experiments in fluid-flow
phenomena through various media such as: friction in conduits, filtration,
pressure drop in packed towers, fluidization of solids, and spray drying.

Students are expected to carry out the planning and execution of experimental
work as well as the analysis and reporting of experimental results in both written
and oral format.
Recommended background: knowledge of chemistry, mathematics and
engineering principles.

CHE 4402. UNIT OPERATIONS OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING II

Cat. I

Overall format and procedure are essentially the same as in Unit Operations of
Chemical Engineering I.

Laboratory projects include experiments in heat and mass transfer such as:
heat transfer in two heaters and a cooler, climbing film evaporation, multiple
effect evaporation, absorption, extraction, distillation and rotary drying of solids.
Recommended backgound: familiarity with techniques and procedures
emphasized in CHE 4401.

CHE 4403. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN

Cat. I
Design of equipment, systems and plants; discussion of factors important in
chemical plant design such as: economics, cost estimation, profitability, process
selection, materials of construction, process control, plant location and safety.
Introduction to optimization and computer-aided design. Principles are
illustrated with short industrial-type problems.

Recommended background: thermodynamics; heat, mass and momentum
transfer; inorganic and organic chemistry; chemical kinetics and reactor design.

CHE 4404. CHEMICAL PLANT DESIGN PROJECT

Cat. I

Application of Chemical Engineering design principles to the design of a major
chemical plant. Students work in groups to produce a preliminary practical
process flowsheet, equipment and plant design, and economic analysis.

Recommended background: familiarity with techniques and procedures
emphasized in CHE 4403.

CHE 4405. CHEMICAL PROCESS DYNAMICS AND CONTROL LABORATORY

Cat. I

This course is intended to provide laboratory application of fundamental principles
of chemical process dynamics and feedback control. This includes open-loop
dynamics of typical chemical engineering processes such as distillation, fluid flow,
chemical reactors and heated stirred tanks. Closed-loop experiments will involve
control loop design, controller tuning, multivariable, and computer control.

Students will be required to design and execute their own experiments based
on supplied objectives. Analysis and presentation of the results will be done
through oral and written reports.

Recommended background: knowledge of fluid flow and heat transfer,
mathematics and chemical engineering principles.

CHE 4410. CHEMICAL PROCESS SAFETY DESIGN

Application of chemical engineering design principles to the design of the process safety and environmental controls of a major chemical plant. Students work in groups to produce a preliminary practical flowsheet, equipment design and controls, and economic analysis, all associated with chemical process safety components within a plant. The course will also include an introduction to modeling of off-site impacts.
Recommended background: familiarity with techniques and procedures of chemical engineering design (CHE 4403), working knowledge of thermodynamics, heat, mass and momentum transfer, inorganic and organic chemistry, chemical kinetics and reactor design.
This course meets the requirements for a core course and a Capstone Design course in chemical engineering. Students may not receive core credit for both CHE 4404 and CHE 4410.