CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Lecture Set 1:

Chemical Engineering Fundamentals:

An Introduction

Professor Dr. Saibal Ganguly

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

May 2012

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Lecture Set 1: OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lecture, students should be able to:

Understand chemical engineering fundamentals

Understand chemical processes and variables

Understand basic definitions

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Industrial Chemical Plant

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Engineering: A journey from the basic

laboratory to the large scale industries

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Role of a Chemist

• Invention of New Chemical Processes

• Understand fundamental mechanisms

• Determine the suitable catalysts

• Determine suitable process conditions

[temperature, pressure, concentration, pH etc]

• Chemical Analysis [Product/Reactant etc]

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Role of Chemical Engineers in Industrial Process Design

Reactant Product

Sizing of Equipment

Costing of Equipment

Process Control of Reaction and Separation Process

Heat Integration (Reduce Operating Cost)

Overall Economy Analysis

Waste Treatment etc.

CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Important Chemical Industries

1. Petroleum and Refining

2. Natural gas and gas processing

3. Petrochemicals

4. Polymers

5. Coal and coal chemicals

6. Paper and pulp industries

7. Fertilizer and agricultural chemicals

8. Paints and dyes

9. Iron, Steel, Zinc, Copper & minerals

10. Pharmaceutical and drugs

11. Food and beverages

12. Solvents and refrigerants etc etc.

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Typical Questions to be answered

Raw materials used? Use of products?

Products and intermediates formed? Where to market?

Types of processes used? Hazard and safety issues?

Process alternatives and economics? Storage and transportation?

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

What is a chemical Process?

A process is any operation or series of operations

by which a particular objective is accomplished.

The operations cause physical or chemical

changes in a substance or mixture of substances.

The material that enters a process is referred as

the INPUT or FEED, and that which leaves is the

OUTPUT or PRODUCT.

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Industrial Chemical Process: Reactor

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Separation: The distillation process

In a distillation column, vapor and liquid flow in countercurrent directions to each

other. Liquid is vaporized at the bottom, and vapor is condensed from the top

product and withdrawn from the column. A number of trays are placed in the

column, or the column is packed with open material, so that the vapor phase

contacts the liquid phase, and components are transferred from one phase to the

other.

CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

One distillation tray in the column

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

As you proceed up the column the temperature decreases, and the net effect

is an increase in the more volatile component(s) in the vapor and a decrease in the

less volatile components in the liquid. Vapor is withdrawn from the top of the

column and liquid from the bottom. Feed to the column usually enters part way up

the column.

CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Chemical Process with Multiple steps

It is common for processes to consist of multiple

steps, each of which is carried out in a process

unit, and each process unit has associated with it

a set of INPUT and OUTPUT process streams.

What is Flowcharting or Flowsheeting?

Flowcharting is representation of an industrial

process or a plant consisting of a series of

processes by schematic block diagrams and a

systematic analysis of the process.

CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Common steps in chemical processes

Step 1: Raw Material Storage

Step 2: Raw material preprocessing

Step 3: Separation

Step 4: Reaction and conversion

Step 5: Separation and recycle

Step 6: Product storage

Step 7: Packaging

Step 8: Product Transportation

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Flowsheet of a single distillation process

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Draw schematic flowchart for multiple units

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Process and Operating Variables

Common process variables are:

1. Temperature

2. Pressure

3. Volume

4. Flowrate

5. Weight

6. Level

7. Composition

8. pH

9. quality factor or q (vapor or liquid in feed)

10. Humidity etc

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Class Practice:

Assume that you are a chemical engineer working in

a company. The owner wants to produce sulfuric acid

and start an industry.

Draw a very simple schematic process flowsheet as

an engineer.

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

Assignment 1

Select and Describe ONE chemical industry. What

are the raw materials and products? How can you

fit as a chemical engineer in this chemical

industry and what can be your role?

You can work in a group of two, and each group

should focus on different chemical products.

Assignment should not more than 5 pages.

Submit your assignment by 31st

May 2012.

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CCB 1064: Professor Saibal Ganguly

End of Lecture Set 1

THANK YOU

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