Digitisation in the Process Industries

Building on Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering (CHEN20012) and Material and Energy Balances (CHEN20010), this subject further explores chemical engineering processes and design, both on the large plant-wide scale and at the single unit operation scale with a quantitative approach to analysis and complexity commensurate with real world applications. A range of numerical methods are introduced in a problem-specific context, from CHEN20010 and CHEN20012. This subject will focus on applying numerical methods in chemical engineering processes at multiple levels, first on a fundamental molecular level, followed by the design of a particular product or unit operation all the way up to an overall engineering process on a plant-wide scale. Students are introduced to steady-state and unsteady-state process simulations using tools including simple spreadsheet packages, commercial-scale simulation packages widely used in the chemical process industry and basic programming. Being able to simulate material and energy balances on reactors and separation unit operations allows the students to optimally design processes to meet safety and sustainability requirements. The subject will include exercises in process optimisation and the solution of ill-defined process problems. Please view this video for further information: Digitisation in the Process Industries

• 1Formulate a chemical engineering problem as a mathematical model, and select an appropriate solution method
• 2Apply appropriate numerical models to solve chemical engineering problems in diffusion, chemical kinetics and heat transfer relevant to unit operations
• 3Model steady and unsteady material and energy flows around reacting chemical systems using commercially relevant chemical process simulator software packages
• 4Define and scope engineering problems and formulate suitable strategies including computational requirements of various solution options and use this understanding in the selection of the solution method
• 5Apply chemical engineering process simulation software to model thermodynamic properties, real gas behaviour using equations of state models and physical property estimation of pure components and mixtures
• 6Select the appropriate software package to perform the numerical solution to a chemical engineering problem
• 7Formulate and solve process design problems, based on economic analysis and using mathematical models of chemical processes.