052:041 preview: What is covered in this course ?

• Description of the "Process Calculations" course
• Detailed listing of topics, lessons, and concepts covered
• Sample course calendar

Description of the "Process Calculations" course

Instructor. The instructor for this course is Dr. Julie Jessop, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Iowa, who teaches the traditional lecture version of Process Calculations during the fall semester.  Her office is located in Room 4130 of the Seamans Cetners on the campus of the University of Iowa.  You can give her a call at (319) 335-0681.

Course Overview: Process Calculations is traditionally the first course in the Chemical Engineering curriculum, and is commonly taken by students in chemistry, environmental engineering, and biochemistry, as well as other disciplines. This course will introduce you to the fundamental principles of chemical process analysis. It will equip you with problem solving techniques and will give you experience in the application of these techniques to a wide variety of process-related problems. The course will begin to lay the foundation for the rest of the chemical engineering curriculum, and will provide a valuable process-related perspective for the non-chemical engineers in the course.

Textbook: The textbook for the course is Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, 3rd Edition, R.M. Felder and R.W. Rousseau, John Wiley and Sons, 2005.  You can purchase this book from on-line bookstores such as   varsitybooks.com , Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Buy.com, Borders.com,  Textbooks.com  

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Detailed listing of topics, lessons, and concepts covered

Topic 1 - Orientation

Lesson 1
- Explanation of the operation and interactive features of the course.
- Course objectives and grading policy.
- What is chemical engineering?

Topic 2 - Preliminary concepts

Lesson 2
- Units and dimensions, systems of units, dimensional homogeneity.

Lesson 3
- Scientific notation, significant figures, precision.
- Graphical data representation.

Topic 3 - Chemical engineering processes

Lesson 4
- Classifications of processes.
- Process variables.

Topic 4 - Material balances on non-reactive processes containing a single process unit

Lesson 5
- The conceptual balance equation.
- Differential balances.
- Integral balances.
- Choosing a basis and scaling.

Topic 5 - Material balances on processes containing multiple process units

Lesson 6
- Flowcharts for processes that contain multiple process units
- Strategies for material balances on processes containing multiple process units

Lesson 7
- Cooperative learning and team skills for engineers
- The people-balance group project

Topic 6 - Material balances on reactive processes

Lesson 8
- Basic definitions of terms describing chemical reactions.
- Reaction stoichiometry.

Lesson 9
- The atomic balance approach.
- The molecular balance approach.
- The extent of reaction approach

Lesson 10
- Competing reactions.
- Combustion reactions.

Topic 7 - Introduction to thermodynamics of single-phase systems

Lesson 11
- Property determination for solids and liquids.
- The Gibbs Phase Rule
- Ideal gases.

Lesson 12
- Real gas equations of state.
- Law of Corresponding States

Topic 8 - Introduction of thermodynamics of single-component, multi-phase systems

Lesson 13
- Phase diagrams for single component systems.
- The Antoine Equation.

Topic 9 - Introduction of thermodynamics of multi-component, multi-phase systems

Lesson 14
- Vapor-liquid Systems Containing One Condensable Component
- Multi-component Vapor-liquid phase equilibria.

Lesson 15
- Solid-liquid phase equilibria.
- Liquid-liquid phase equilibria.

Topic 10 - Engineering Ethics

Lesson 16
- Engineering Ethical Guidelines
- Ethics Case Studies

Topic 11 - Energy balances on closed systems

Lesson 17
- Forms of energy, heat, and work.
- Joule's experiment
- The first law of thermodynamics.

Topic 12 - Energy balances on open systems at steady state

Lesson 18
- Definitions of enthalpy, flow work, and shaft work.
- Derivation of the differential energy balance for continuous flow systems.

Lesson 19
- Tables of thermodynamic data.
- Example Energy Balance problems.

Topic 13 - Energy balances on non-reactive processes

Lesson 20
- State properties and hypothetical process paths.
- Sensible heat calculations (heat associated with a change in temperature).
- Latent heat calculations (heat associated with a change in phase).

Topic 14 - Energy balances on reactive processes

Lesson 21
- Heats of reaction.
- Hess's Law and heats of formation.
- Hess's Law and heats of combustion.
- Energy balance calculations for reactive processes.

Lesson 22
- Adiabatic reactions (processes with unknown outlet conditions).
- Adiabatic flame temperature for combustion reactions.

Lesson 23
- Simultaneous energy and material balances.

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Sample course calendar

Here is a sample course calendar which indicates the pace of this course. The course calendars for the spring 2011 and summer 2011 semesters are shown here. It should be noted that summer semesters are shorter and the same amount of material is covered in both semesters.

In the calendar page on the actual course site, students can click on the lesson numbers to go to any of the lessons, or on the lists of homework problems to see the correct solutions of homework problems after the assignments have been turned in.

Summer 2011

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