Reactor Engineering

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Basic concepts, ideal reactors, interpreting batch reactor data - no volume change, batch reactor data - complex reactions, batch reactor data - variable volume and differential method. Ideal reactor performance - batch reactor, ideal reactor performance - mixed flow reactor, ideal reactor - plug flow reactor, ideal reactor - performance comparison. Multiple reactors - mexed and plug flow reactors of identical size, multiple reactors - reactors of varying sizes, recycle plug flow reactor. Temperature effects - non-adiabatic operation, temperature effects - adiabatic operation, temperature instability. Non-ideal flow in reactors: residence time distributions, tracer tests, conversion in non-ideal reactors. Segregation and tank-in-series models for non-ideal reactors.

On completion of this subject students should be able to:

• Interpret data from both ideal and non-ideal batch, plug flow and mixed flow reactors
• Model more complex flowing reactor systems using combinations of idealized plug flow and continuously stirred tank ranks
• Design simple reactor systems
• Predict simple temperature profiles in reacting systems

One written 3-hour end-of-semester examination (70%); a written 2-hour mid-semester test and a reactor design assignment (30%). An overall mark of 50% and a mark of 40% or more in the end of semester examination are needed to pass the subject.

O. Levenspiel, Chemical Reaction Engineering, 3rd Ed, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York,1999

– R. W. Missen, C. A. Mims and B. A. Saville, Introduction to Chemical reaction engineering and kinetics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New York,1999

– H.S.Fogler, Elements of chemical reaction engineering, 3rd Ed., Prentice Hall PTR, New Jersey, 1999

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• The ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution
• The capacity for independent thought
• The ability and self confidence to comprehend complex concepts, to express them lucidly and to confront unfamiliar problems.