Aims

the module provides an introduction to the properties of materials used in engineering including metals, and the services, techniques and regulatory provisions that are required in any process plants to enable the safe and efficientoperations of the processes. It also allows students to study important chemical engineering principles in the laboratory. The experiments demonstrate important concepts from the Fluids, Heat Transfer, Thermodynamics, Dynamics and Control and Mass Transfer modules.

To:
•       learn experimental technique, error analysis and to reinforce knowledge gained in lectures,
•       provide an introduction to the properties and science of materials used in engineering
including metals, plastics and polymers, how they behave under loads in practical situations,
•       understand the technology of, and acquire skills in, the minimisation of energy usage on
process plant.

Outline Of Syllabus

Engineering Practice

Laboratory Projects:
Students will complete and write reports on an experiment from each of the following areas: Transfer Processes, Reactor Engineering, Thermodynamics and Heat Exchangers.

Testing and properties of materials:
Strength of materials:- basic concepts, Poisson's ratio, theories of failure. Bending of beams, combined bending and shearing. Torsion in shafts. Design of vessels, particularly pressure vessels, and the necessary codes of practice. Design of cylindrical and spherical vessels.

Heat Integration, Heat Exchange Utilities
Basic concepts in heat integration
Basic concepts in cost and energy savings for process design
Graphical and numerical representations of a heat exchanger network.
Network synthesis based on 'pinch' design rules.
Flowsheet modelling and simulation.
Building physical property models and applying them in process simulation.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Engineering Practice:
A lab handbook is issued to each student. This contains an explanation of the concepts underlying each experiment and a description of how to perform the experiment.

Private study time is given for completing lab reports and for studying the handbook in preparation for the next experiment. The practical time allows the students the time to understand how to operate the experiments and measure good quality data. The concepts and theories underlying the experiments will be discussed with the students during the practicals.

Lectures convey the underlying scientific and technological principles of materials in process design and process services. Practicals support the lectures through illustration, demonstration and hands on experience, and enable assignment work to be planned and developed. Tutorials address the problem in understanding the taught material on individual or small group basis.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The lab work represents a significant part of the engineering practice topics. Assessment is used to measure the understanding and the acquired practical ability students gain in understanding and carrying out experiments. An assessment share of 50% is considered appropriate to the amount of work students will do for this part of the module.

The students' ability and comprehension of theoretical aspects will be assessed in a 1 hour written exam amounting to 25% of the total mark.