MEng Chemical Engineering

The unit builds on knowledge & skills of core chemical engineering concepts (material & energy balances, chemical reaction engineering, chemical thermodynamics) & of chemical process design (process simulation, economic evaluation & inherently safer design).

The unit provides an overview of product & process design challenges and of approaches for process synthesis and optimisation. There is focus on reaction pathways, selecting reaction & separation technologies & on heat integration & application of the principles for inherently safer design for chemical process synthesis.

A group exercise provides a case study for initial appraisal of a design.

• Introduction to process synthesis
• Reaction process selection
• Separation process selection
• Heat integration and the utility system
• Development and evaluation of reaction–separation–recycle flowsheets
• Inherently safer design – application to process synthesis
• Process design optimisation

Students will be able to:

• Develop, simulate, evaluate, analyse and improve process flow sheets using appropriate methods and tools.
• Analyse important interactions and trade-offs in process synthesis and design
• Identify hazards and propose inherently safer design solutions
• Explain key decisions to be made during process synthesis, evaluation and optimisation
• Use a logical approach to select technologies, operating conditions and flowsheet configurations for continuous processes
• Apply heat integration techniques in process design
• Appraise process flowsheets, considering safety and relevant performance criteria
• Explain the role of optimisation in chemical process design and set up relevant problems

Marked test returned 2 weeks later

Project selection (start of Sem. 2)

Core Reading

Smith, R., Chemical Process Design and Integration, 2nd edition, 2016, Wiley, ISBN-13: 978- 1119990130 [Kortext]

Essential Reading

Towler, G.P. and Sinnott, R.K., Chemical Engineering Design: Principles, Practice and Economics of Plant and Process Design, 5th edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2012, ISBN-13: 978-0080966595 [Online via Elsevier Science Direct Books]

All reading lists now must be managed through the library tool at: https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/using-the-library/staff/reading-lists/