Chemical Engineering Plant Design

CHEN 426-501 and 502 Credit 3 (1-6)

Fall 2009

Instructor: John T. Baldwin

Office: 208 Jack E. Brown Bldg.

Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday 9-11 AM, or by appointment

Phone: 845-9803

E-mail: jt-baldwin@tamu.edu

Class Time: Tuesday, Thursday: 8:00 to 9:15 AM

Lab time: 501: Monday, Wednesday: 1:50 to 3:50 PM

502: Tuesday, Thursday; 2:40 to 4:40 PM Classroom: 102 Jack E. Brown Bldg. for class;

112 Jack E. Brown Bldg. for lab

Course Description

This course incorporates the integration of material from other chemical engineering courses

with applications to the design of plants and processes representative of the chemical, biological,

and related industries.

Course Prerequisites

CHEN 424 and CHEN 425 (and their associated prerequisites).

Skill Prerequisites

Knowledge of transport phenomena fundamentals (CHEN 304).

Students are expected to be able to formulate conservation principles for fluid mechanics in

macroscopic and continuum systems including mass, linear momentum, angular momentum, and

energy. Students are also expected to be able to apply conservation of mass and linear

momentum to Newtonian fluid mechanics problems, and understand how to use these results in

combination with empirical correlations to estimate friction losses in pipes.

Knowledge of heat transfer fundamentals (CHEN 323)

Students are expected to be able to formulate and solve the equations describing conduction,

convection and radiation heat transfer with emphasis on the relationships found in a heat

exchanger.

Knowledge of mass transfer fundamentals (CHEN 424)

Students are expected to be able to formulate the system of equations describing each stage of a

distillation column including the selection of an appropriate method to estimate the equilibrium

relationships. Also, students are expected to be able to determine the number of stages or

transfer units in a column.

Knowledge of process economics (CHEN 425)

Students are expected to be able to determine the payout period and profitability of an

investment.

Knowledge of simulation methods (CHEN 425)

Students are expected to be able to use a process simulator to determine the material and energy

flows within a process.

Textbook

Gavin Towler and Ray Sinnott, Chemical Engineering Design: Principles, Practice and

Economics of Plant and Process Design, Elsevier, Amsterdam (2008),

ISBN 13: 978-0-7506-8423-1.

Course learning outcomes:

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

1. Conceptually design equipment. Determine the sizes of pipes, pumps, compressors,

heat exchangers, flash tank, and distillation columns.

2. Synthesize and design chemical and biological processes. Create networks of

piping, pumping, compressing equipment, heat exchangers, flash tanks, distillation

columns, and reactors. Also assess the usefulness of previous designs and judge the

best design for a problem at hand.

3. Use design computational tools. Employ process simulation program (ASPEN Plus,

ProMax, Hysys, PRO II, etc.). Also use project planning and cost estimating tools

(ICARUS) and graphical programs (VISIO).

4. Evaluate the safety and environmental issues related to a design. Recognize the

safety and environmental consequences and ethics of process decisions. Use

computational tools for safety and environmental issues and compare the results of

various design strategies.

5. Produce a process design report. Document the major equipment specifications,

the process economics, the process flow sheet, and the stream flow compositions and

attributes. Demonstrate professional oral and written communication skills.

6. Effectively perform in process design teams. Organize a team. Plan and modify a

design process as needed. Work effectively in problem-solving teams and participate

in regular project status meetings.

Grading Policy

Course grades will be assigned as follows.

Homework 10%

Exam 35%

Project 1 30%

Project 2 25%

Final grades are expected to be distributed according to the following percentage scale, and may

be scaled (curved) to match class performance:

A = 90–100%, B = 80–89%, C = 70–79%, D = 60–69%, F < 59%.

Homework

Homework is assigned according to the course schedule below and will be presented during the

lab period. The selection of who will present each problem will be given at the start of each lab

period. Each presentation will be graded according to correctness, presentation clarity, and

answers to questions posed during or immediately after the presentation. Any person not

prepared to present a problem will be given a grade of zero.

Projects

Two projects will be assigned during the semester:

1) A full process design project with a report, and

2) A verbal proposal for the upgrade of the original design.

The first project will be executed in groups of 3 or 4 people and will be done without the use of a

process simulation computer program such as ASPEN PLUS although the physical properties

package of the simulator (e.g., PROPERTIES PLUS) will be permitted. This project will be due

at or before 4:00 PM on November 17. For the second project all computing tools that are

available to chemical engineering students at Texas A&M are permitted and no written report

will be required. The presentations will take place on December 10.

Midterm Exam

A single midterm exam is scheduled during class time on October 20. A makeup exam will only

be given in extenuating circumstances if arranged in advance.

Course Outline (subject to change as necessary)

1. Design Analysis

a. The design process 1 hour

b. Design Data 1 hour

c. Process creation 1 hour

d. Synthesis of separation trains 1 hour

2. Equipment Selection, Specification, and Design

a. Heat transfer equipment 2 hours

b. Separation columns 1 hour

c. Pumps, compressors and expanders 1 hour

d.

e.

Material of construction

Vessels

1 hour

1 hour

3. Plantwide Controllability

a. The interaction of process design and process control 1 hour

b. Flowsheet controllability analysis 1 hour

4. The Design Report

a. Process flow and control diagram 1 hour

b.

c.

Fire and Explosion Index

Project Cost Estimation

1 hour

1 hour

5. Design Project 1 (with weekly meetings) 19 hours

6. Design Project 2 8 hours

Total 42 hours

Relationship of course outcomes to Program Outcomes:

Course Outcomes

CHEN Program

Outcomes

Conceptually design equipment. 3

Synthesize and design chemical and biological processes. 1, 3, 5, 8, 9

Use design computational tools. 11

Evaluate the safety and environmental issues related to a design. 6, 10

Produce a process design report. 7

Effectively perform in process design teams. 4

Email

Late breaking news and information regarding class meetings, homework, and exams will be

transmitted via email. You are responsible for checking your Neo email account on a regular

basis.

VNET

The lecture notes will be available 3-4 days before the class in which they are discussed on

VNET, reachable at http://vnet.tamu.edu/. It is the students’ responsibility to print each set of

notes before the class when they are to be discussed. VNET will be a primary facility for

providing information during the course including but not necessarily limited to lecture notes,

exam review material, homework assignments, and grades issued to date. You will be able to

use your Neo account ID and password to gain access to the system.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy Statement

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides

comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this

legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that

provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability

requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, in Cain Hall, Room B118, or

call 845-1637. For additional information please visit http://disability.tamu.edu.

Academic Integrity Statement

Aggie Honor Code: “An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do.”

Upon accepting admission to Texas A&M University, a student immediately assumes a

commitment to uphold the Honor Code, to accept responsibility for learning and to follow the

philosophy and rules of the Honor System. Students will be required to state their commitment

on examinations, research papers, and other academic work. Ignorance of the rules does not

exclude any member of the Texas A&M University community from the requirements or the

processes of the Honor System. For additional information please visit the website:

www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/.