https://courses.vccs.edu/colleges/gcc/courses/EGR231-MassandEnergyBalances

Effective: 2024-05-01

Course Description

Introduces the field of chemical engineering and how material and energy balances are applied to chemical processes, and physical and thermodynamic properties of multi-component systems.
Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.
3 credits

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

This course instructs future chemical engineers in integrating knowledge of chemistry, math, and physics to address real-world problems, tackling complex issues by understanding the physical context and formulating the necessary equations.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: MTH 264, EGR 121, CHM 112 (grade of C or higher in these courses)

Course Objectives

  • Civic Engagement
    • Relate chemical engineering concepts to the development and manufacturing of products highly valued by society
  • Critical Thinking
    • Break complex processes into component parts
    • Establish relationships between known and unknown variables
  • Professional Readiness
    • Integrate knowledge of chemistry, math, and physics to address real-world chemical engineering problems
  • Quantitative Literacy
    • Analyze material and energy balances in chemical processes
    • Gather essential chemical process data and solve balances using computational methods

Major Topics to be Included

  • Introduction to Chemical Engineering
    • Discuss and appreciate the variety and complexity of problems that chemical, biochemical, and process engineers are asked to solve
  • Introduction to Chemical Engineering Calculations
    • Perform basic engineering calculations including converting quantities from one set of units to another
  • Processes and Process Variables
    • Define, calculate and estimate properties of process materials including fluid density, flow rate, chemical composition (mass and mole fractions, concentrations), fluid pressure, and temperature
  • Fundamentals of Material Balances
    • Perform material balance calculations by drawing and labeling process flowcharts from verbal process descriptions and completing degree-of-freedom analyses
    • Write and solve material and energy balance equations for single-unit and multiple-unit processes, processes with recycle and bypass, and reactive processes
  • Single-Phase Systems
    • Apply the principles of physical chemistry and thermodynamics to perform pressure-volume-temperature calculations for ideal and non-ideal gasses
  • Multi-phase Systems
    • Perform vapor-liquid equilibrium calculations for systems containing one condensable component and for ideal multi-component solutions
  • Energy and Energy Balances
    • Use physical properties of chemical compounds e.g., melting temperature, vapor pressure, heat capacity together with materials and energy balances to solve chemical process problems
  • Balances on Non-reactive Systems
    • Write and solve material and energy balance equations for non-reactive processes
  • Balances on Reactive Systems
    • Write and solve material and energy balance equations for reactive processes