Course Title: Process Engineering Thermodynamics

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Process Engineering Thermodynamics

Credit Points: 12.00


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

PROC2068

City Campus

Undergraduate

120H Civil, Environmental & Chemical Engineering

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006

Course Coordinator: Dr John Harris

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2087

Course Coordinator Email: john.harris@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Room 7:02:08


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Pre-requisite course:  PROC 2046 Process Engineering 2 was specified for energy balances involving the properties of steam.

It is also assumed that students would have completed chemistry courses that introduced the thermodynamic concepts of enthalpy, entropy, phase equilibrium and chemical reaction equilibrium.


Course Description

This course uses the fundamental thermodynamic concepts of enthalpy, entropy, fugacity and free energy to understand, analyse, model and evaluate the operation of engineering systems, phase equilibrium systems and chemical reaction equilibrium encountered in the process industries.

Engineering Thermodynamics:  illustrates and evaluates the assembly of component processes to form thermodynamic engineering systems such as vapour power cycles, refrigeration and liquefaction.

Chemical Thermodynamics:  examines and simulates chemical thermodynamic systems involving phase equilibrium, in particular vapour - liquid equilibrium, and chemical reaction equilibrium.

Computer Modelling:  use of a computer package to simulate the operation of a selected process.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course in Process Engineering Thermodynamics develops your capabilities to select and apply appropriate thermodynamic techniques for the understanding, simulation and critical analysis of thermodynamic systems such as engineering systems, ideal and non-ideal chemical solutions and chemically reactive systems. The limitation of manual calculations is discussed, and the extension of the computational domain offered by the computer package HYSYS of process simulation is highlighted.


More specifically, this course in Process Engineering Thermodynamics develops your ability to:

  • develop, siulate and evaluate the performance of engineering thermodynamic systems
  • simulate the behaviour of both ideal and non-ideal chemical solutions
  • determine the maximum extent of a chemical reaction
  • use the computer package HYSYS for process simulation.


Overview of Learning Activities

The leaning opportunities in this course include:

  • Lecture/tutorials on engineering thermodynamics and chemical thermodynamics.
  • Practical sessions involving computer simulation.
  • Assignments, test and examination to test your understanding of the thermodynamic principles in process application.
  • Suggested practice problems.


Overview of Learning Resources

Learning resources include prescribed textbook, lectures/tutorials on core topics in the  prescribed textbook, learning package with pointers to the prescribed text, suggested learning activities and sample solutions, and access to the computer simulation package HYSYS.


Overview of Assessment

There are 3 components to the assessment in this course:

  • Mid-semester test on Engineering Thermodynamics
  • Assignments and process plant simulation
  • Final examination on Chemical Thermodynamics.