ChE 1012

Chemical Engineering Reactor Kinetics

 

?? Term ???? (??-?)

 

ChE 1012 - Chemical Engineering Reactor Kinetics

          An introductory course in the application of chemical reaction kinetics, heat and mass transfer, and conservation principles in chemical reactor design.  Interactive activities and computer workshops will be used in class to illustrate the various principles.  Weekly (individual) homework assignments are designed to hone familiarity with principles discussed in class.  Students will work in teams to perform and report upon a laboratory experiment that compares and constrasts performance of a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with a plug flow reactor (PFR), two ideal chemical reactors, for the same chemical reaction.  Again, working in teams, students will develop an appropriate reactor design that meets specified goals for a chemical process.  Students will be expected to become familiar with using Excel, MATLAB, and ASPEN for problem solutions.

 

Course Objectives:

·        To familiarize students with the terminology and concepts of chemical reaction engineering.

·        To introduce students to the use of chemical kinetics in chemical reactor design.

·        To develop and reinforce mathematical skills required for chemical reactor design.

·        To provide the student with problem solving methodology and skills for use in developing solutions to open-ended problems in chemical reactor design

 

Instructor:

          Dr John F Patzer II

          Departments of Surgery, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering

          B68D Benedum Hall

          Telephone:  412.624.9819

          E-mail:  patzer@pitt.edu

          Office Hours:  MW  11:00-12:50 and by appointment

 

Required Text:

Fogler HS: Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering, 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall PTR, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1999.

 

Reference Texts:

Levenspiel O: Chemical Reaction Engineering, 3rd Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1999.

Missen RW, Mims CA, Saville BA: Introduction to Chemical Reaction Engineering and Kinetics. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1999.

 

Interactive Activities and Practice Workshops:

          Interactive activities and practice workshops will be used to illustrate various aspects reaction kinetics and reactor design.  The activities can be paper and pencil, Excel-based, or MATLAB-based.  The activities will be introduced during class.  If not completed by the end of that class, the student is expected to finish the activity on his/her own outside of class and before the next class.  Students will be instructed what to turn in as evidence that the activity has been satisfactorily completed.

 

Homework:

          Homework will be assigned to illustrate and help reinforce the concepts covered in class.  Recognizing that some of the best learning experiences are those that come from group discussion and interaction, teams will be formed for cooperative learning.  Only one solution set from each team will be turned in for grading.  To facilitate the learing process, each individual student should be familiar with the problems and have developed a solution strategy prior to meeting with the team.  Regardless, each student is individually responsible for understanding all aspects of a homework assignment.

 

Rules and Standards for Homework:

·  All homework submissions must have the team number, team member names, course information, and assignment number on a cover page to the homework.

·  Any program listings or output must have the same information at the start of the listing or output.

·  All answers must be in SI units.

·  Be neat.

·  Staple all pages together (dog-eared pages will not be accepted).

 

Isothermal CSTR/PFR Experiment:

          Working in teams, students will conduct the Isothermal CSTR/PFR Experiment in the Chemical Engineering Laboratory.  A laboratory report that adheres to supplied report guidelines will document the laboratory experience.

 

Design Project:

          Working in teams, students will use ASPEN to economically optimize the design of a chemical reactor system (feed, conversion, separations) that achieves stated process specifications.  The design will be documented by both written and oral reports.

 

Quizzes and Exams:

          A weekly (unannounced) quiz will be based upon material covered in class and homework assignments submitted during the preceding week.  No make-up quizzes will be given.

          Two exams, one approximately half-way through the course, and one at the end of the course will be given.  The one at the end of the course will be cumulative.  No make-up exams will be given.

          Policy: Students are expected to be present for all quizzes and exams.  A missed quiz or exam will result in a grade of zero (0) for that quiz or exam.  The only exception is an emergency that prevents the student from being present.  In that case, the instructor must be notified in advance by phone or e-mail. 

 

Grades:

          Grades will be calculated as follows:

 

Class activities

10%

 

Weekly quizzes

15%

 

Homeworks

15%

 

Laboratory experiment

15%

 

Design project

15%

 

Exam I

15%

 

Exam II

15%

 

          No work will be dropped from the grade calculations.

 

          Grading scale:

 

Cumulative Points

Grade

 

  97-100

    A+

 

93-96

    A

 

90-92

    A-

 

87-89

    B+

 

83-86

    B

 

80-82

    B-

 

etc

 

 

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