29153 - Industrial Chemistry (Graduate Course)

Learning outcomes

The purpose of this course is to provide the students with information about processes of the  petrochemical industry. Special attention is paid to the methodological aspects. The flow sheet is examined from different points of view (thermo, kinetics, equipment selection for both reactors and separation processes, economic issues).

Course contents

Structure of the petrochemical industry: raw materials and production lines; base chemicals, intermediates, final products.

Thermodynamics (refresher). Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and catalysts; main catalysts characteristics (chemical and physical structure); kinetics vs. mass transport in heterogeneous catalysts; pressure drops in porous media. Main reactor types; micromixing; multifunctional reactors. More on separation processes: azeotropic and extractive distillation, ‘trains' of distillation columns for the separation of multicomponent mixtures, reactive distillation, liquid-liquid extraction.

Syngas production: steam reforming and partial oxidation of hydrocarbons (refresher), partial oxidation of coal and biomass. Methanol synthesis (classic processes and recent developments); formaldehyde, MTBE, short discussion on MTG, MOGD, MTO; Fischer-Tropsch process.

Steam cracking (thermal cracking): production of alkenes and co-products, product separation. Some uses of products from steam cracking: ethylene oxide, maleic anidride, Wacker process, acrylonitrile, terephtalic acid and dimethylterephtalate, ethylbenzene and styrene.

Polymerisation processes: structure and properties of polymers (refresher), main mechanisms and processes, polymerisation reactors. Synthesis of polyethylene (LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE). Nylon 6 and 66.

 

Readings/Bibliography

• J.A. Moulijn, M. Makkie, A. van Diepen, ‘Chemical Process Technology', Wiley, 2001.
• K. Weissermel, H.J. Arpe, ‘Industrial Organic Chemistry', 4^ ed., Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 2003.
• I. Pasquon, G.F. Pregaglia, ‘Principi della Chimica Industriale. Vol. 5: Prodotti e Processi dell'Industria Chimica'. Città Studi, 1994.

[Though warmly recommended to the students for widening their knowledge of the various topics, these books are not formally adopted as textbooks nor followed in any detailed way].

Teaching methods

Standard lessons on the above-mentioned topics plus exercises on various related topics.

Assessment methods

Oral examination.

Teaching tools

Syllabus, data, plots  and flow sheets distributed in class.

Office hours

See the website of Franco Magelli