Chemical and Thermal Processes

Introduction

Chemical and Thermal Processes (CTP) is a collection of videos, visuals, and reference pages covering the core principles used in chemical and thermal engineering. The material begins with the fundamentals commonly taught in Introduction to Chemical Engineering courses and progresses through topics typically encountered in Engineering Thermodynamics and Chemical Reactor Engineering.

The goal of this project is to provide a coherent set of explanations, examples, and calculations that show how these subjects connect to one another in real engineering practice.

The introductory video below provides an overview of the topics covered and how the material fits together.

---

Overview of Chemical and Thermal Processes

Chemical and Thermal Processes begins with the basic tools used by engineers to analyze data and describe systems. It then develops the balance equations used to analyze physical and chemical processes, and finally applies these ideas to thermodynamic cycles, reactors, and multiphase systems.

Engineering Principles Discussed

• Engineering Basics

  • Statistics and Measurements and Engineering Calculations
  • Process Data and Variables such as pressure, temperature, mass, and moles
  • Converting among systems of units
  • Dimensionless numbers

• System Definition

  • Open or closed systems
  • Transient or steady-state systems

• Material Balances

  • Mass balances
  • Mole balances
  • Chemical reactors
  • Equations of state and phase equilibria

• Energy Balances (First Law of Thermodynamics)

• Entropy Balances (Second Law of Thermodynamics)

• Thermodynamic Efficiency and the Combined First and Second Laws

Together, these topics form the analytical framework used to understand and design chemical and thermal processes.

---

Why Chemical and Thermal Processes?

The principles developed here are used across many branches of engineering and applied science, including

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

Although the examples in this project often come from chemical processing, the underlying methods apply broadly to any system involving flows, energy transfer, reactions, or phase changes.

---

Pathways Through the Videos

NoteHow to Read Video Descriptions and Links

• Video links go directly to the YouTube video.
• JTF (Just the Facts) videos are the streamlined versions: greenscreen LaTeX equations, clean graphics, minimal narrative. Think efficient and to the point. Each has a companion TFS video.
• TFS (The Full Story) videos include interviews, additional explanation, and equations written on whiteboards. Same math, more context, more personality. Each has a matching JTF version.
• Info Page links lead to definitions, expanded explanations, and related material—because sometimes you really do need to explain it.
• Visuals links contain the greenscreen or whiteboard materials used in the video, for those who like to see the scaffolding.
• Wondering about the titles? See Appendix B: If you have to explain it, it’s no longer funny.
• Videos marked This is NOT a DOFPro video were not produced by DOFPro but are included because they are relevant to the topic. They are shown in red so no one calls the academic integrity police.

As explained in the introductory video From Mole to Megawatt, several curated pathways through the videos have been created. These pathways organize the videos for different audiences and learning goals.

The current pathways are:

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

The Full Video Set

The Full Video Set contains the complete set of videos arranged in the order that seemed most logical for someone who wants to watch the entire series.

Intro to Chemical Engineering

Intro to Chemical Engineering follows a sequence similar to many introductory chemical engineering courses.

Mechanical Engineering Thermodynamics

Mechanical Engineering Thermodynamics focuses on thermodynamics topics commonly emphasized in mechanical engineering curricula.

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets collects 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

Chemical Reactor Engineering provides an introductory pathway focused on chemical reactors, including material balances, energy balances, and thermodynamics of reacting systems.

We hope to develop a more advanced reactor engineering series in the future. In the meantime, you can find related material at the course website for Engineering 133: Chemical Reaction Engineering (Fall 2023).

That material is based on a copyrighted textbook and has not yet been converted to open-source or Creative Commons format, but it may still be useful for additional background.