Chemical Process Principles

Chemical Process Principles is a foundational subject in chemical engineering that applies the fundamental laws of conservation of mass and energy to the analysis of industrial processes. Students learn to perform rigorous material and energy balance calculations on individual unit operations—such as reactors, separators, and heat exchangers—as well as on entire process flowsheets. This involves applying principles of stoichiometry, thermodynamics, and fluid properties to quantify process streams, determine raw material requirements, calculate product yields, and assess energy consumption, providing the essential quantitative toolkit for the design, evaluation, and optimization of chemical manufacturing systems.

1. Introduction to Chemical Engineering and Process Analysis
   1. Overview of Chemical Engineering
      1. Historical Development of Chemical Engineering
      2. Major Industries and Applications
         1. Petroleum and Petrochemicals
         2. Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
         3. Food and Consumer Products
         4. Materials and Polymers
         5. Environmental Engineering
      3. Interdisciplinary Nature of Chemical Engineering
         1. Chemistry Foundations
         2. Physics and Mathematics Applications
         3. Engineering Principles
         4. Biology and Life Sciences Integration
   2. The Role of a Chemical Engineer
      1. Process Design and Optimization
         1. Conceptual Design
         2. Detailed Engineering Design
         3. Process Optimization Techniques
      2. Safety and Environmental Considerations
         1. Process Safety Management
         2. Environmental Impact Assessment
         3. Sustainable Process Design
      3. Research and Development
         1. Laboratory Scale Development
         2. Pilot Plant Operations
         3. Scale-up Considerations
      4. Plant Operation and Troubleshooting
         1. Process Control and Monitoring
         2. Equipment Maintenance
         3. Problem Diagnosis and Resolution
   3. Chemical Processes and Unit Operations
      1. Definition of a Process
         1. Physical Processes
         2. Chemical Processes
         3. Batch Processes
         4. Continuous Processes
         5. Semi-batch Processes
      2. Process Flowsheets
         1. Block Flow Diagrams
            1. Symbols and Conventions
            2. Simplified Process Representation
            3. Information Content and Limitations
         2. Process Flow Diagrams
            1. Equipment Symbols and Standards
            2. Stream Labeling and Numbering
            3. Material Streams
            4. Energy Streams
            5. Control and Instrumentation Symbols
      3. Common Unit Operations
         1. Reactors
            1. Batch Reactors
            2. Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactors
            3. Plug Flow Reactors
            4. Packed Bed Reactors
         2. Separators
            1. Distillation Columns
            2. Absorption Towers
            3. Extraction Units
            4. Filtration Equipment
            5. Crystallizers
            6. Membrane Separators
         3. Heat Exchangers
            1. Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers
            2. Plate Heat Exchangers
            3. Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers
            4. Condensers and Reboilers
         4. Mixers and Splitters
            1. Static Mixers
            2. Agitated Tanks
            3. Flow Splitters
            4. Stream Combiners
         5. Pumps and Compressors
            1. Centrifugal Pumps
            2. Positive Displacement Pumps
            3. Centrifugal Compressors
            4. Reciprocating Compressors
   4. Fundamental Concepts and Dimensions
      1. Units and Dimensions
         1. SI System
            1. Base Units
            2. Derived Units
            3. Prefixes and Multiples
         2. American Engineering System
            1. Common Units
            2. Conversion Factors
      2. Unit Conversion and Dimensional Consistency
         1. Conversion Factor Method
         2. Dimensional Analysis
         3. Dimensional Homogeneity
         4. Checking Equations for Consistency
      3. Process Variables
         1. Mass and Volume
            1. Definitions and Relationships
            2. Density and Specific Volume
            3. Measurement Techniques
         2. Flow Rate
            1. Mass Flow Rate
            2. Volumetric Flow Rate
            3. Molar Flow Rate
            4. Flow Measurement Devices
         3. Chemical Composition
            1. Mass Fraction
            2. Mole Fraction
            3. Molarity
            4. Molality
            5. Parts per Million
         4. Pressure
            1. Absolute Pressure
            2. Gauge Pressure
            3. Vacuum Pressure
            4. Pressure Measurement Devices
         5. Temperature
            1. Temperature Scales
            2. Temperature Measurement Devices
            3. Temperature Conversion
      4. Basis of Calculation
         1. Choosing a Basis
         2. Scaling Calculations
         3. Consistency in Basis Selection
         4. Time-Based vs Mass-Based Calculations