27729 - Selected Unit Operations in the Chemical Industry L

Learning outcomes

The course deals with the study of the behaviour of selected operations and equipment in the chemical industry.

The purpose is to study their main features and to understand the performance of equipment and plants in the chemical and process industry. This is the second part of the integrated course 27727 ‘Introduction to Unit Operations in the Chemical Industry L' (that includes also the course ‘Physical Principles of Chemical Processes L'). A single, overall examination is usually taken for both courses.

The goal is to provide the students with basic tools for the study of selected apparatus and operations and for making quantitative previsions about the performance of separation processes and chemical reactors; an additional goal is to discuss the main features of typical equipment of the chemical industry.

Course contents

Heat transfer: conduction, convection, overall transfer coefficients, mean logarithmic temperature difference, heat exchangers.

Chemical reactors: main types; isothermal ideal reactors (batch, CSTR, PFR) and performance comparison; design criteria and rating problems; yield and selectivity problems.

Separation Processes: principles, working characteristics, design elements and rating problems relative to the following unit operations: absorption and stripping (in staged and packed columns); flashdistillation; evaporation; adsorption; others (humidification operations; drying).

Main features of selected equipment: plate columns; packed towers; gas-solids mechanical separations (gravity settlers, impingement separators, cyclone separators, cloth collectors, scrubbers).

Readings/Bibliography

·         W.L. McCabe, J.C. Smith, P. Harriott, Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, 5^ ed., McGraw-Hill, 1993.

·         V. Petrone, E. Fioco, L'Impianto Chimico, Ed. Scient. Siderea, Roma, 2000.

[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 a detailed way].

Teaching methods

The lessons on the above-mentioned topics and solution of exercises in class in the standard format, according to the official timetable. In addition to this, the possibility is offered to the students to do their own exercises in class either individually or in small groups under the supervision of the instructor (not compulsory activity). This is meant as a means to help the students to gradually acquire the skills to solve simple calculations as well as to improve their knowledge of the matter also in view of the final examination.

Assessment methods

The final examination is written and oral (relative weight on the score: about 1/3 e 2/3, respectively).

Teaching tools

Syllabus, drawings, plots, tables and text of exercises: distributed in class during the course.

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Paglianti