Design of key process engineering operations, and application of flowsheeting software to process plant design.

Chemical Reaction Engineering

• Advantages and industrial uses of different reactor operating modes: batch, semi-batch, continuous, semi-continuous.
• Quantitative description of Batch, PFR and CSTR as ideal reactors and associated mass and energy balances.
• Concepts of conversion, yield and selectivity.
• Concept of Residence Time Distribution (RTD); C(t), E(t), F(t) curves; and calculation of conversion from RTD.
• Real (non-ideal) reactors with industrial examples and calculation of reactor size based on reaction rate.
• Analysis and optimization of multiple reactor configurations: tanks in series, plug flow with recycle etc.
• Isothermal and adiabatic reactors.
• Dispersion model for non-Ideal flow in a tubular reactor. 

Catalysis

• General principles of catalysis in terms of reaction energetics.
• Organometallic chemistry and transition metal complexes for homogeneous catalysis exemplified by the Cativa process and Wilkinson’s catalyst.
• Enzyme catalysis mechanisms and examples.
• Derivation of Michaelis-Menten equation for enzyme kinetics.
• Adsorption: mathematical description of physisorption and chemisorption.
• Mechanisms for surface reactions in heterogeneous catalysis (e.g. Langmuir-Hinshelwood, Eley-Rideal). 

Solid-Fluid Diffusion and Reaction

• Concept of diffusion controlled reactions.
• Definition and use of effectiveness factor and Thiele modulus.
• Diffusion and reaction in flat slab and spherical pellet.
• Fluid particle reaction kinetics: progressive-conversion and shrinking particle models.

The module teaches two related topics, process safety and process control. 

Process Safety aims to prepare graduates for safe professional practice by emphasising the responsibilities of management for safety in scientific and engineering activities and how these can be met technically. Chemical and engineering principles from earlier levels of study are used to understand potential chemical and physical hazards. Finally, real examples of major incidents that have led to new regulation are studied.

Process control presents a brief introduction to control theory, then focuses on the specific application of
control in the process industries. The student will become familiar with the interpretation of P&I diagrams, the
common types of instrumentation, the use of valves, the main conventional control strategies and their
application to specific process plant items, and the operator features of DCS, SCADA and PLC systems.

This module aims to instil in students the regulatory requirements and technical considerations for designing, operating and decommissioning sustainable industrial chemical processes, and in particular sustainable energy generation systems. The benefits of embedding Sustainability in Process Design (to minimise the consumption of scarce material and energy resources) is illustrated through the consideration of specific industrial process examples.

Thermal conversion and microbial degradation processes to derive Energy from Biomass is also presented in this module. A detailed overview is given of the current and future technologies for deriving power, heat and transportation fuels from biological sources.

Other Renewables and Low Carbon Technologies aims to give an insight into the other main sustainable power technologies. The teaching will draw on physical and engineering principles learned earlier and will enable participants to critically assess the relative merits and applicability of these technologies.

Contents may include:

Sustainability in Process Design

• The concept of sustainability. Environmental, economic and social criteria. The life cycle approach.
• Process design for sustainability.
• Specific industrial process examples.

Energy from Biomass

• Biomass types and characteristics
• Direct use
  • Combustion based processes
  • Vegetable oils
• Thermal conversion
  • Gasification based processes
  • Pyrolysis based processes
• Biological conversion
  • Fermentation-based processes
  • Anaerobic digestion based processes
• Chemical conversion
  • Transesterification to biodiesel

Other Renewables and Associated Low Carbon Technologies

• Solar energy systems
  • Solar thermal
  • PV
• Wind energy systems
• Water energy systems
  • Hydroelectric
  • Wave
  • Tidal
• Geothermal power generation
• Electrochemical energy conversion and storage
  • Fuel Cells
  • Batteries
• Other energy storage options
• The Smart Grid

This module is a major exercise, partly group partly individual, in which a process plant is designed.  It forms the centrepiece of the third academic year.