Chemical Engineering Plant Design

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

Fall 2009
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Phone:
E-mail:

John T. Baldwin
208 Jack E. Brown Bldg.
Monday, Wednesday 9-11 AM, or by appointment
845-9803
jt-baldwin@tamu.edu

Class Time:
Lab time:

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

501: Monday, Wednesday: 1:50 to 3:50 PM
502: Tuesday, Thursday; 2:40 to 4:40 PM
102 Jack E. Brown Bldg. for class;
112 Jack E. Brown Bldg. for lab

Classroom:

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 = 90100%, B = 8089%, C = 7079%, D = 6069%, 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
b. Design Data
c. Process creation
d. Synthesis of separation trains

1 hour
1 hour
1 hour
1 hour

Equipment Selection, Specification, and Design

a. Heat transfer equipment
b. Separation columns
c. Pumps, compressors and expanders
d. Material of construction
e. Vessels

2 hours
1 hour
1 hour
1 hour
1 hour

Plantwide Controllability
a. The interaction of process design and process control
b. Flowsheet controllability analysis

1 hour
1 hour

The Design Report

a. Process flow and control diagram
b. Fire and Explosion Index
c. Project Cost Estimation

1 hour
1 hour
1 hour

5.

Design Project 1 (with weekly meetings)

19 hours

6.

Design Project 2

8 hours

2.

3.

4.

Total 42 hours

Relationship of course outcomes to Program Outcomes:

Course Outcomes
Conceptually design equipment.
Synthesize and design chemical and biological processes.
Use design computational tools.
Evaluate the safety and environmental issues related to a design.
Produce a process design report.
Effectively perform in process design teams.

CHEN Program
Outcomes
3
1, 3, 5, 8, 9
11
6, 10
7
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/.