CHEMMAT 201 : Process Engineering 1: Introduction

Engineering

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Materials and energy balances with and without chemical reaction, materials and energy balances in multiphase systems such as crystallisation, evaporation, drying, humidification, dehumidification, absorption, distillation, extraction and filtration. An introduction to the most important unit operations in the chemical industry, design concept and safety as applied to processing.

Course Overview

Fundamentals of Material Balances:
Overall material balances, material balances with multiple-unit processes, recycle and bypass, material balances for systems with chemical and combustion reactions.

Material Balances with Multi-Phase Systems:
Phase equilibrium, material balances for systems with phase change such as: evaporation, condensation, drying, absorption, distillation, extraction, crystallisation, and filtration

Energy and Mass Balances on Humidification/Dehumidification:
Introducing the air-water vapour system in humidification, dehumidification, drying, sensible heat, enthalpy, latent heat and steam table.

Energy Balances in Non-reactive Processes:
Energy balance concept based on the first law of thermodynamics in both closed and open systems. Energy balances in mechanical systems, enthalpy, heat capacity, latent heat of vaporisation, heat of mixing and solution, the enthalpy-concentration diagram.

Energy Balances with Chemical Reactions:
Heat of reaction, Hess’s law, heat of formation, heat of combustion and energy balances on systems with all the different types of heat of reactions. Case studies on simultaneous heat and mass balances.  

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: CHEM 110 or 120 or ENGGEN 140 Restriction: CHEMMAT 211

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understand and explain the following concepts: process classification, transient and steady-state processes, degrees of freedom, fractional conversion, limiting reactant, yield and selectivity, theoretical air and percent excess air, ideal gas and non-ideal gas, phase equilibrium. (Capability 4.1)
  2. Construct a process description (draw and fully label a flowchart for single and multiple unit processes) and solve corresponding mass and energy balances. (Capability 3.1 and 4.1)
  3. Solve mass balance problems in complex systems with various configurations (recycle, purge, bypass streams, single phase/multi-phase system). (Capability 3.1 and 4.1)
  4. Read and use psychrometric charts to solve mass and energy balances problems. (Capability 3.1 and 4.1)
  5. Demonstrate good ability to solve mass and energy balances in non-reactive and reactive systems. (Capability 3.1, 4.1 and 5.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 15% Individual Coursework
Tests 15% Individual Test
Laboratories 15% Individual Coursework
Tutorial participation 5% Individual Examination
Final Exam 50% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5
Assignments
Tests
Laboratories
Tutorial participation
Final Exam
All coursework requirements must be satisfactorily completed. 
Attendance for laboratory is compulsory; students cannot pass the course without completing the laboratories. 
Tutorial participation assessment involves active participation in problem solving and discussion.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 36 hours of lectures, 10 hours of laboratory-related activities (calculation/preparation, experiment and lab report writing), and 104 hours of reading and thinking about the content, work on tutorials, assignments, test and exam preparation (150 hours in total).

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled lectures. Laboratory attendance is compulsory to complete/receive credit for components of the course.

Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including labs and tutorials will not be available as recordings.

The course may include live online events such as group discussions/ad hoc clinics.

Attendance on campus is required for the tests.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Textbook:
Felder, R M and Rousseau, R W “Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes”.

Other references:
Himmelblau, D M “Basic Principles and Calculations in Chemical Engineering”.
Robert H. Perry; Don W. Green; James O. Maloney, "Perry's chemical engineers' handbook".

Health & Safety

Students are expected to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Health and Safety section of the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.
Lab users must wear appropriate personal protective equipment/PPE (lab coat, safety goggles and covered shoes).
Students are expected to adhere to health and safety requirements when using the MDLS facilities.
This department takes safety seriously. Deliberate unsafe acts will lead to disciplinary action being taken. 

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

We will evaluate the possibility of streamlining our course materials.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.