Chemical and Thermal Processes

Introduction

Overview of Chemical and Thermal Processes

Chemical and Thermal Processes starts with the basics of stoichiometry and thermodynamics as covered in many Introduction to Chemical Engineering courses. It continues with topics typically covered in an advanced Engineering Thermodynamics course and in a Chemical Reactor Engineering course. The material is labeled as to whether it is introductory (Sophomore level), intermediate (Junior level) or advanced (Senior level).

Engineering Principles Discussed

• Engineering Basics
  • Statistics, Measurements, and Calculations
  • Process Data and Variables, such as Pressure, Temperature, Mass, Moles, etc.
  • Converting among systems of units
  • Dimensionless numbers
• System Definition
  • Open or Closed
  • Transient or Steady State
• Material Balances
  • Mass Balances
  • Mole Balances
  • Equations of State and Phase Equilibria
• Energy Balances or the 1st Law of Thermodynamics
• Entropy Balances or the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
• Thermodynamic Efficiency and the Combined 1st and 2nd Laws

Why Chemical and Thermal Processes?

The principles in Chemical and Thermal Processes are applicable in

• Chemical Engineering
• Petroleum Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Materials Engineering
• Bioengineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Energy Engineering
• Sustainability
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Marine and Aerospace Engineering

Pathways Through the Videos

As explained in the introductory video From Mole to Megawatt, we have arranged several different pathways through the videos. The current pathways are:

• The Full Video Set
• Intro to Chemical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering Thermodynamics
• Spreadsheets
• Chemical Reactor Engineering

The Full Video Set has the full set of videos arranged in the order that seemed most logical for someone wanting to watch all the videos.

Intro to Chemical Engineering is a pathway through the videos for someone taking a typical Introduction to Chemical Engineering course.

Mechanical Engineering Thermodynamics is a pathway through the videos for someone taking a typical Mechanical Engineering Thermodynamics course.

Spreadsheets is a pathway through the videos that focus on using spreadsheets for engineering calculations, along with an introduction to DWSIM, a free and open source process simulator.

Chemical Reactor Engineering is a introductory pathway through the videos that focus on chemical reactors, including material balances, energy balances, and thermodynamics of chemical reactions. We hope to have a more advanced set of videos in time, but for now follow this link to the course website for Engineering 133, Chemical Reaction Engineering, from Fall 2023. The material is based on a copyrighted textbook, and no effort has been made to convert things to Creative Commons or Open Source, but we hope you find the material useful in the meantime.