79591 - Fundamentals and Applications Of Process Engineering T

Learning outcomes

The knowledge of quantitative methods for the analysis of process and systems of the process industry, aimed in particular at energy resources management, the thermochemical conversion of fuels and emissions control.

Course contents

The course is taught in Italian

Module I

1. Schematic representation of process plants: flow diagrams and process diagrams and analysis as a black box system.

2. State of material and energetic currents: recalls on composition variables and flow variables, definitions, properties, relationships and units of measurement.

3. The integral balance equation of an extensive property:  accumulation, generative and flow terms.

4. Mass balances for single apparatuses, in the presence of chemical reactions. Limiting and excess reagent, conversion, selectivity and yield.

5. The integral energy balance equation and application to the solution of typical problems of process engineering.

6. Energy balances for single devices, in the presence and absence of chemical reactions. Recap on the calculation of enthalpy variations for pure substances: use of thermodynamic tables and diagrams, of molar heats of the ideal gas, of latent heats. Criteria for choosing the most appropriate reference state in relation to the availability of data. Discussion on thermochemistry: standard state, reaction enthalpy, standard reaction enthalpy, standard formation enthalpy, combustion enthalpy.

7. Applications of mass and energy balances to systems with combustion reactions: calculation of the composition of dry and wet fumes as the composition of the fuel and excess air vary. Lower and upper calorific value. Calculation of the theoretical flame temperature.

 

Module II

1. Introduction to industrial and chemical processes, bioproducts, bioseparations, unit operations, continuous and batch operations, process flowsheets, selection of the optimal sequence, review of variables and units of measurement, ideal gases.

2. Review of chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and vapor–liquid equilibrium for pure components and binary mixtures.

3. Fossil and renewable fuels (solid, liquid, and gaseous): definitions and properties.

Operations in industrial and process engineering:

4. Thermochemical conversion processes of fuels: combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis. Review of operating conditions and introduction to different technologies (premixed systems, diffusion systems, grate systems, turbulent systems, dispersed systems).

5. Continuous and batch chemical reactors: operating modes, performance analysis, types (mixed and tubular), and balance equations for ideal reactors (batch, CSTR, and PFR). Review of chemical equilibrium, kinetics, catalysis, and bioreactors.

6. Theoretical principles of heat transfer, with and without phase change, heat transmission, and balance equations. Description of the main types of heat exchangers, with particular emphasis on cooling towers and evaporation systems, and selection criteria.

Separation and product recovery operations:

7. Systems for liquid–liquid and solid–liquid processing: distillation, extraction, centrifugation, and sedimentation.

8. Absorption and adsorption systems for gas streams: equipment and design/verification criteria. Applications for purification of liquid and gaseous effluents.

9. Multiphase systems: fixed beds, fluidized beds, entrained beds, circulating fluidized beds. Applications for thermochemical processes, chemical reactions, drying, and convective transport.

10. Fundamentals of membrane technologies for the separation of liquid and gas mixtures using permeable and selective membranes. Overview of the main industrial and/or emerging processes for the process and food industries, aimed at product recovery, wastewater treatment, and valorization of renewable water and energy resources.

11. Principles of green chemistry, hydrogen production, and implications for process design strategies.

12. Pollutant emissions and anthropogenic CO₂ release into the atmosphere: greenhouse effect, industrial sources, impact mitigation techniques, and CO₂ reuse in industrial processes.

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes made available by the teachers on virtuale.unibo.it.

 

R. M. Felder, R. W.Rousseau, Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, J. Wiley & Sons, New York, 3rd ed., 2000.

F. P. Foraboschi, Chemical Engineering Principia, UTET, Torino

O.A. Hougen, K. M. Watson, R. A.Ragatz, Chemical Process Principles Part I. Second Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (1954).

- McCabe, Smith, Harriott, Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, McGraw-Hill Education, 20049, ISBN 978-0-07-284823-6

- Kunii, Levenspiel; Fluidization Engineering, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1991, ISBN 978-0-08-050664-7

Teaching methods

Direct teaching lectures for theoretical contents and excercises sessions.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of two distinct parts for the assessment of the skills acquired by the students:

a written test of a computational type in which the numerical solution of matter and energy balance problems is requested (module 1) and the resolution of a process case as a verification or dimensioning calculation together with an open theoretical question (module 2).

In accordance with the University Code of Ethics and Conduct, students are reminded to act with the utmost integrity. Any activity aimed at improperly influencing the outcome of examinations is prohibited (e.g., cheating, plagiarism, accessing online course materials, or using unauthorized AI tools). It is specifically noted that merely possessing unauthorized devices or materials during an exam will result in the immediate invalidation of the test and reporting to the relevant offices.Any behavior that violates this prohibition may lead to disciplinary proceedings or reports to the appropriate authorities, where criminally relevant; in the latter case, there is a risk that the students involved may face criminal prosecution.

Office hours

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