Chemical Engineering

Introduces the discipline of Chemical Engineering and develops fundamental skills of unit conversion and material balancing. Systems of units for parameters such as concentration, flow, pressure and temperature are explained. Skills for solving steady-state material balance problems on reactive and non-reactive systems. An understanding of the chemical engineering discipline is gained through examples of major industries such as petroleum, pulp and paper, mining, power production, etc.

Fundamentals such as vapor-liquid equilibrium, partial saturation and real gas relationships are introduced and integrated into material balance problems. The concepts of enthalpy and energy balances on open systems. Unsteady-state and simultaneous mass and energy balance systems are modeled and solved using computer packages.

The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics and their application to practical problems; properties of liquid and vapours; ideal gas relationships; steam and gas power cycles and their application to steam power plants, internal combustion engines and gas turbines; combustion characteristics; compressible flow; refrigeration and heat pumps. 

Foundational analogies between fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and mass transfer, and the applications of those analogies to practice; Navier-Stokes, Fourier’s Law, Fick's Law and Chilton-Colburn J-Factor. Turbulence: scaling, dispersion. Techniques for solving unsteady-state systems. Empirical correlations for estimating transport coefficients.

Covers bomb and flow calorimetry, material and energy balance study of the University heating plant, fluid mechanics experiments including flow meter calibrations and pressure drop measurements in pipes and fittings. Interpretation of experimental data, group dynamics, safety issues, report writing and oral presentations. Students work under close supervision.

Principles relating the properties and behaviour of engineering materials to their structure; atomic bonding forces and strength of interatomic and intermolecular bonding forces, atomic arrangements in solids, structural imperfections and atom movements in solids; principles of phase diagrams and their application to multiphase materials, with particular reference to the iron-carbon system; mechanical and electrical properties of engineering material; semiconductors, polymers and ceramics; and their relation to internal structure. 

Laboratory experiments are conducted to illustrate behaviour of materials and other concepts covered in CHE 2501.

Introduces principles of chemical process design strategy and decision making. Fundamental Chemical Engineering concepts such as material and energy balances, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and materials science are integrated into the design process. Flowsheet preparation, chemical process safety, loss prevention and project planning; codes and standards, responsible care and environmental stewardship. Engineering economics and profitability.

Introduction to practical fluid mechanics, including fluid properties, statics and kinematics, and fluid momentum and energy. Emphasis on internal flows: laminar/turbulent flows, friction factor, loss coefficients for fittings and valves, and pipe networks. Design of piping networks and pump selection using pump curves. Motion of particles in fluids. Theory and design of industrial equipment for clarification/sedimentation and cyclone separation.

Development of thermodynamic work functions and application to chemical and phase equilibria; chemical potential and other partial molar properties, First and Second Law applications in flow processes.

A comprehensive first course in heat transfer. Thermal conductivity and unsteady state conduction. Convection heat transfer coefficients: forced convection, free convection. Boiling, evaporation, and condensation. Heat exchanger design. Radiation heat transfer.

Analysis and design procedures for mass transfer operations based on equilibrium stage concept. Graphical procedures for simple systems. Numerical stagewise procedures. Distillation, gas absorption and liquid extraction. Flow through porous media and fluidization.

Fundamentals of the theory of mass transport; diffusion in gases, liquids, solids, and between phases. Effect of reactions on mass transfer. Mass transfer rates by convection and dispersion.

Numerical methods and their applications to chemical engineering. Root finding techniques, data interpretation, least-squares regression and numerical integration. Modeling of physical and chemical processes in the steady and unsteady states. Analytical and numerical solutions of model equations.

Experiments in heat transfer. Emphasis on interpretation of experimental data, group dynamics, experimental design, and report writing. Students will work under limited supervision.

Experiments in fluid-particle interactions. Emphasis on interpretation of experimental data, group dynamics, safety issues, and report writing. Students will work under minimal supervision. 

Preliminary sizing of equipment, optimization techniques, estimation of capital and operating costs, heat-exchanger networks, pressure vessels, and computer-based process design tools. Students work individually and in teams on process design projects that draw on knowledge gained in previous courses, concepts taught in class and information available in the literature.

Application of principles of chemical kinetics to the design of chemical reactors. Simple idealized isothermal reactors (batch, plug flow, continuous stirred tank reactor) for single and multiple reactions. Catalysis, Adiabatic and non-isothermal reactors. Optimal choice of temperature. Residence time distribution and non-ideal flow systems.

Full-year capstone course in chemical process design. Under academic and industrial supervision, students complete conceptual design of large chemical plant in simulated engineering consulting environment. Working individually and as part of a team, students must demonstrate ability to integrate fundamental, advanced and researched chemical engineering principles into innovative and practical design that produces sellable commodity. Design strategy and scheduling are stressed alongside client satisfaction. Students complete a comprehensive report that includes design specifications on equipment, engineering drawings, and economic analysis of the concept. Formal presentations of design work are required.

Theory and design of industrial equipment for drying, humidification, absorption and stripping. Adsorption, ion exchange and membranes, are covered in detail.

Experiments to characterize feedback control systems, gas absorption columns, chemical reactors, distillation columns and other unit operations, which underlie the practice of chemical engineering, will be conducted. Students will apply their knowledge of interpretation of experimental data, group dynamics, laboratory safety and report writing throughout this course. Experiments will be conducted independently.

Basic techniques for the dynamic analysis of elementary processes; the characteristics of controllers, control valves, measurement devices and transmitters; feedback control loops; stability of loop from the viewpoint of the roots of the characteristic equation and root locus techniques.

Surface forces, physical adsorption and chemisorption, thermodynamics of adsorption and derivation of simple model isotherms (Langmuir, Volmer, B.E.T., virial, B.L.R., Freundlich, etc.), adsorption of mixtures. Characterization of adsorbents and catalysts. Adsorption kinetics, intracrystalline diffusion in zeolites, dynamics of adsorption columns and adsorption processes.

An introduction to the physical, chemical, and engineering principles used in the processing of natural gas, petroleum, and bitumen. The nomenclature, common processes, basic designs, and relevant regulations will be covered.

Overview of the secondary and tertiary enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes commonly applied in Canada and worldwide. The fundamental EOR principles are described and examples in Canadian fields are analyzed. Some of the subjects presented include waterflooding, gas flooding, miscible flooding, chemical treatments, mobility control applications, steam injection, microbial and mining operations such as oil sands production.

Basic polymer concepts. Polymer structural characteristics and properties. Mechanisms, kinetics and reactors for polymerization. Polymer rheology and transport processes. Processing applications and the effects of processing on polymer properties.

Fundamental principles of oil sands technology: bitumen and rock properties, origins of oil sands, types of oil sand accumulations, volumetric estimates and recoverable reserves, oil sand mining, bitumen separation and processing for production of synthetic oil, production of in-situ oil sands, description of the different processes for in-situ oil sands production currently applied or under evaluation, current research and process development, and a review of the environmental challenges of oil sands production. This course is intended for senior level students and graduate students.

Explores generation and use of energy; extraction of raw materials through product production. Includes: survey of known energy reserves, emerging technologies, discusses the thermodynamic and regulatory constraints to energy conversion. Fossil fuels, nuclear power and renewable energy sources are described.

A technical overview of selected chemical industries with consideration of their impact on the environment. Emphasis is on current process technology and pollution control methods. Environmental guidelines and regulations are also presented. Five modules, each covering a specific chemical industry, taught by Chemical Engineering faculty.

Sources of air pollution; modeling atmospheric dispersions; pollution control in combustion; particulate control methods; control of gaseous emissions; industrial odour control; indoor/in-plant air quality. 

The first part of the course will provide basic information on biochemistry (small biomolecules and macromolecules) and engineering analysis, such as analysis of biological activity and purity. The second part will cover a number of separation techniques, such as extraction, crystallization and drying in a more general way. This emphasis in this part of the course will be on liquid chromatography and absorption.

A two-week industrial practice school in selected industrial process plants scheduled after spring examinations. Groups of students, with Faculty supervisors, are assigned to engineering projects to be carried out on industrial process units. Students are required to present an oral report to plant operating and technical personnel at the end of the practice session. A written report is also required. As there will be practical limitations to the number of students in any one practice school, application for positions in this course will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis. This course is strongly recommended as a technical elective for students not planning to complete either the co-op or professional experience programs. 

Foundational analogies between fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and mass transfer, and the applications of those analogies to practice. Derivation of differential and partial differential transport equations. Turbulence: boundary layers, scaling, dispersion. Core and optional models also cover key aspects of related topics such as dimensional analysis, mixing in pipe flows, reverse osmosis, ion transport, polymer rheology, and evaporation/condensation processes. 

This course covers the basic principles and practical aspects of several advanced surface analysis techniques which include (i) X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA), (ii) secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), (iii) confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), (iv) atomic force microscopy (AFM), and (v) scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Demonstrations will be given on most of these facilities. Students will propose a research method for tackling their interested problems by using one or two surface analysis techniques they have learned from this course.

Studies the science of Nanotechnology and surveys current and emerging applications of nanomaterials and nanodevices in many engineering disciplines. The unique physical properties of materials at the nano-meter scale are discussed and explained. Fabrication methods and advanced instrumentation for the construction, manipulation and viewing of nanometer-sized materials are presented.

Electrochemical flux equations. Reversible cells. Energy producing cells. Energy consuming cells. Corrosion. Applications to include discussion of primary and secondary batteries, electrolytic processes, corrosion suppression.

The major requirement of this course is a report on a subject approved by the Department. Suitable topics include experimental studies, design projects, literature surveys, feasibility studies and computation projects. Oral presentations of the work will be required.

The thesis is a research project done under the supervision of a faculty member. Progress depends largely on the initiative and diligence of the individual. A detailed report is submitted on completion of the project to gain credit for the course. An oral presentation is also required.

Introduction: corrosion and its costs, corrosion measurement, general materials and environment affects. Types of corrosion: uniform, galvanic, crevice, pitting, intergranular, selective leaching, erosion-corrosion, stress-corrosion, hydrogen effects. Corrosion testing: materials selection. Electrochemical principles: thermodynamics, electrode kinetics, mixed potentials, practical applications. High temperature corrosion. Nuclear plant corrosion, fossil plant corrosion, other industrial environments.

Radio-active decay, fission energy, nuclear interactions, neutron scattering and absorption. Neutron diffusion elementary reactor theory, four and six factor formulae, neutron flux variation. Reactor kinetics, source multiplication, decay heat, reactor start-up and shut down. Fuel burnup, fission product poisoning, refuelling. Temperature and void effects on reactivity, reactor control. Fuel handling and waste disposal. This course is intended for senior level students.

The philosophy of safety design and operation of nuclear power reactors, responsibilities for safe operation. The role and place of regulatory agencies. The concept of risk, quantitative risk assessment. Methods for calculation of frequency and consequences of reactor accidents and evaluation of the safety level of a nuclear station. Case studies of past reactor accidents, lessons learned, and effect on future operation.

Wood and chip requirements; overview of pulping processes; mechanism and variables in mechanical and chemimechanical pulping, general principles of chemical pulping, kraft cooking, sulphite cooking, extended and oxygen delignification, pulp washing, pulp bleaching, recovery of pulping chemicals.

Overview of pulping and papermaking processes; pulp and paper properties; requirements for different grades of paper and board; stock preparation; applications of fluid mechanics; wet-end chemistry; dry-end operations.

This course discusses various bio-refining processes, placing emphasis on fundamental process chemistry and biology in the conversion of biomass to engineered products. Pathways for the use of wood resources are described in detail; exemplary processes, such as gasification, pyrolysis, pre-extraction and bio-diesel production are discussed. Industrial fermentation, including sugar fermentation to produce ethanol, will be explored. The modeling concept for integrated pulp manufacturing and bio-refining will also be discussed.