Introduction to the field of chemical engineering and solution of problems involving units and dimensions, mass balances, energy balances, flow sheets, and gas relationships.
Introduction to the fundamental principles of heat transmission by conduction, convection, and radiation. Applications of these principles to the solution of industrial heat transfer problems and to the design calculations of heat exchange situations.
Review of principles underlying rates of transformation of matter and energy; effect of temperature and catalysis on chemical reactions. Introduction to the basic ideas underlying chemical reaction engineering.
Introduction to the fundamental and advanced concepts of thermodynamics for chemical engineering applications. Key topics include fundamental thermodynamics laws and principles, expressions of thermodynamic properties, phase equilibria, chemical reaction equilibria, and statistical thermodynamics.
An overview of the principles of sustainable or green chemistry and engineering. The first half of the course reviews the fundamental chemical engineering principles (including chemical reactions, kinetics, catalysis, thermodynamics, separations, and equilibrium) that can be used to advance the field of green chemistry and engineering. The second half of the course introduces several emerging green engineering topics, including waste treatment, alternative energy, and renewable materials and chemicals.
Introduction of kinetic theories (e.g., collision theory, the transition state theory), rate laws, and reactor design principles with an emphasis on heterogeneous and catalytic reaction systems involving non-isothermal and mass transfer effects.
Reaction kinetics of plastics pyrolysis: Students are asked to work in a lab environment and perform chemical pyrolysis reactions on various types of plastics to better understand reaction order, rate parameters, and factors that influence chemical kinetics.