Chemical Engineering Fundamentals

Definition and Scope

• Chemical engineering is a discipline that combines principles from chemistry, physics, and mathematics to design, operate, and optimize systems for the production of chemicals, fuels, and pharmaceuticals.
• It involves the development of processes and equipment for large-scale chemical manufacturing.

Key Concepts

Unit Operations

• Physical separations (filtration, sedimentation, crystallization)
• Chemical reactions (combustion, catalysis, biochemical reactions)
• Mass transport (diffusion, convection, absorption)
• Energy transport (heat transfer, momentum transfer)

Process Systems

• Batch processing: discrete batches of material are processed in a sequence of operations
• Continuous processing: materials are continuously fed and processed
• Hybrid processing: combination of batch and continuous processing

Plant Design and Operation

• Process flow diagrams (PFDs): graphical representations of process systems
• Piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs): detailed diagrams of process equipment and piping
• Process optimization: analysis and improvement of process performance

Core Principles

Conservation of Mass and Energy

• Mass balances: accounting for the input and output of materials in a process
• Energy balances: accounting for the input and output of energy in a process

Thermodynamics

• Laws of thermodynamics (Zeroth, First, Second, Third)
• Equations of state (ideal gas, real gas, van der Waals)
• Phase equilibria (vapor-liquid, liquid-liquid)

Transport Phenomena

• Momentum transport (fluid flow, turbulence)
• Heat transport (conduction, convection, radiation)
• Mass transport (diffusion, convection)

Applications

Petroleum Refining

• Crude oil processing
• Fuel production (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel)
• Petrochemical production (plastics, fibers, adhesives)

Chemical Manufacturing

• Production of bulk chemicals (acids, bases, salts)
• Production of specialty chemicals (dyes, pigments, pharmaceuticals)

Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals

• Fermentation and cell culture
• Downstream processing (separation, purification)
• Bioproduct development (vaccines, enzymes, antibodies)

Chemical Engineering

• Combines principles from chemistry, physics, and mathematics to design, operate, and optimize systems for the production of chemicals, fuels, and pharmaceuticals.

Key Concepts

Unit Operations

• Physical separations: filtration, sedimentation, crystallization
• Chemical reactions: combustion, catalysis, biochemical reactions
• Mass transport: diffusion, convection, absorption
• Energy transport: heat transfer, momentum transfer

Process Systems

• Batch processing: discrete batches of material are processed in a sequence of operations
• Continuous processing: materials are continuously fed and processed
• Hybrid processing: combination of batch and continuous processing

Plant Design and Operation

• Process flow diagrams (PFDs): graphical representations of process systems
• Piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs): detailed diagrams of process equipment and piping
• Process optimization: analysis and improvement of process performance

Core Principles

Conservation of Mass and Energy

• Mass balances: accounting for the input and output of materials in a process
• Energy balances: accounting for the input and output of energy in a process

Thermodynamics

• Laws of thermodynamics: Zeroth, First, Second, Third
• Equations of state: ideal gas, real gas, van der Waals
• Phase equilibria: vapor-liquid, liquid-liquid

Transport Phenomena

• Momentum transport: fluid flow, turbulence
• Heat transport: conduction, convection, radiation
• Mass transport: diffusion, convection

Applications

Petroleum Refining

• Crude oil processing: separation of crude oil into various fractions
• Fuel production: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel
• Petrochemical production: plastics, fibers, adhesives

Chemical Manufacturing

• Production of bulk chemicals: acids, bases, salts
• Production of specialty chemicals: dyes, pigments, pharmaceuticals

Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals

• Fermentation and cell culture: microorganism growth and manipulation
• Downstream processing: separation, purification, and recovery of bioproducts
• Bioproduct development: vaccines, enzymes, antibodies

Test your knowledge of chemical engineering principles and practices, including unit operations and chemical reactions.