Expanded Course Descriptions

Expanded Course Descriptions

Key CHE Course Information

Below are expanded descriptions of courses actively offered by the Chemical Engineering Department. A full listing of course descriptions may be found at catalog.ucdavis.edu. Please note: Course content may vary slightly depending on instructor.

Lower Division Courses

  • ECH 1: Design of Coffee – An Introduction to Chemical Engineering (3 Units)
  • Prerequisites: None. Intended for non-majors.
    Many people are aware that chemical engineering exists as a profession – but few people have a firm idea about what chemical engineers actually do on a daily basis. This class is intended to serve as a non-mathematical introduction to how chemical engineers think, as illustrated by elucidation of the process of roasting and brewing coffee. The instructors will provide qualitative overviews of the basic principles of engineering analysis and design, and then guide the students in corresponding laboratory experiments testing the effect of design choices on the sensory qualities of coffee. In this manner, students will learn that even a process with only two “chemicals” – coffee beans and water – requires careful consideration of key physical concepts that are actually ubiquitous in chemical engineering. Why coffee? As we will discuss in this class, making coffee is actually a quintessential operation in chemical engineering. A raw material – in this case green coffee beans – undergoes a variety of chemical reactions in a roaster. The roasted beans are then ground to a specific size to optimize the extraction or “mass transfer” of caffeine and flavor molecules into the liquid phase, and a filtration step provides the final separation to ultimately deliver the cup of coffee. This class will start students down the path of thinking about coffee – and other processes or products – the way a chemical engineer does. Toward that end, the class will be organized around weekly laboratory experiments that each focus on a core chemical engineering concept. In weeks 1 and 2, the students will partially disassemble a drip coffee maker, and learn how the coffee maker can be considered as a series of “unit operations” that each accomplish a specific goal. In weeks 3 and 4, the students will learn how to roast green coffee beans using kitchen-scale roasters. The students will learn about the core reaction engineering concepts of “conversion” and “selectivity”, and importantly they will be able to taste the consequences of various roast profiles. Weeks 5 through 8 will then feature experiments exploring various design choices regarding grind size, temperature, pressure, filtration, with corresponding discussion about the underlying principles of mass transfer, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and colloid science. Week 9 will introduce basic engineering economics, comparing “break-even” curves for roasting your own coffee versus buying daily coffees from Starbucks. Finally, the class will culminate in week 10 with a design competition featuring a blind taste test of the students’ custom roasted brews.
  • ECH 5: Introduction to Analysis and Design in Chemical Engineering (3 Units)
  • Prerequisites: None.
    I. Basic Concepts of Analysis
      A. The analysis process
      B. Estimating orders of magnitude
      C. Dimensional analysis
    II. Non-reacting liquid systems
      A. A simple mass balance
      B. Component mass balances
      C. Steady and unsteady behavior
    III. Thermodynamic equations of state
      A. Ideal gas and van der Waals equations
      B. Stability of two-phase systems at equilibrium
    IV. Optimization
      A. Cost-performance analysis
      B. One-parameter optimization problems
        1. Least-squares regression
        2. Optimization of membrane separations
    V. Rates of chemical reactions
      A. First-order rate kinetics
      B. Second and higher order kinetics
      C. Linear vs. non-linear rate kinetics.
  • ECH 51: Material Balances (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: MAT 21B with a grade of C- or better
    I. Units
    II. Conservation of Mass for Single Component Systems
    III. Axioms for the Conservation of Mass of Multicomponent Reacting Systems
    IV. Measures of Concentration and Velocity
    V. Gas-Liquid Systems
    VI. Steady-State Systems Without Chemical Reaction
      A. Solution of sets of linear equations
      B. Solution of sets of nonlinear equations
    VII. Steady-State Systems With Chemical Reaction
      A. Atomic species balances
      B. Stoichiometry
    VIII. Recycle and By-Pass Streams
    IX. Transient Species Mass and Mole Balances
  • ECH 60: Chemical Engineering Problem Solving (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: MAT 21C
    (1) Overview of Python: Data types and operation, use-defined functions, conditions and loops, formatting and storing data. 
    (2) Plotting and Visualization: Basic plotting, subplots, scatter plots, multi-dimensional data, pseudocolors, contours, surfaces. 
    (3) Statistics and data analysis: measures of spears, distributions, histograms, Pandas and data frames. 
    (4) Solutions of Linear equations: Gauss elimination methods, inbuilt Python routines, applications in Materials Balances, stoichiometry. 
    (5) Fitting and interpolation: least-squares regression, Lagrange interpolation, splines, applications in biochemical engineering. 
    (6) Root finding: Newton’s method, higher-order methods, inbuilt Python routines, examples from thermodynamics equations of states. 
    (7) Image processing: convolutions, low-pass filters, blur and edge detection, examples drawn from chemical engineering laboratory applications and cell images. 
    (8) Numerical calculus: finite differences, higher order methods and end- corrections, quadrature, inbuilt Python routines, applications in transport phenomena. 
    (9) Numerical solutions to ordinary differential equations: Euler and higher order methods for initial value problems, introduction to boundary value problems. 
  • ECH 80: Chemical Engineering Profession (1 Unit)
  • Prerequisites: None.
    1.    Development of skills for lifelong learning (2 weeks)
      A.    Use of library and Internet resources
      B.    Opportunities for continuing education through employers, professional societies, certificate programs, and graduate programs
    2.    Career opportunities in chemical engineering (2 weeks)
      A.    Industrial, academic, and public service career opportunities for chemical and biochemical engineers
      B.    Chemical and biochemical engineering career opportunities as seen by the Internship and Career Center
      C.    Discussion of student papers on "Future Directions in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering"
      D.    How, when, and why chemical and biochemical engineers can become licensed professional engineers
    3.    Ethical responsibilities of chemical engineers (3 weeks)
      A.    Presentation of a case study involving professional ethics
      B.    Role playing exercise and class discussion of the case study
      C.    Presentations based on student papers on the case study
    4.    Contemporary social issues and the role of chemical engineers (3 weeks)
      A.    Presentation of a case study of a contemporary social issue in which chemical or biochemical engineers are involved in a professional capacity
      B.    Class discussion of case study
      C.    Presentations based on student papers on the case study.

Upper Division Courses

  • ECH 140: Mathematical Methods in Biochemical and Chemical Engineering (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: MAT 22B, ECH 60 or ENG 6 (or equivalents to these courses). Must achieve grades of D- or better in all prerequisite courses.
    I. Fourier Series
      A. Fourier sine and cosine series
      B. Orthogonality
      C. Gibbs phenomenon
    II. Separation of variables
      A. Superposition
      B. Eigenfunction expansions
      C. Sturm-Liouville theory
    III. Similarity transformation
      A. Time-dependent diffusion in semi-infinite domains
      B. Scaling analysis
      C. Transforming partial differential equations to ordinary differential equations
      D. The Error function
    IV. Tensor analysis
      A. Vector-tensor algebra with index notation
      B. Differential operations with vectors and tensors
      C. Rotation of reference frame and isotropic tensors
    V. Finite difference methods
      A. Difference approximations of derivatives
      B. Iterative methods for solving Laplace’s equation
      C. The Crank-Nicholson method for solving Poisson’s equation.
  • ECH 141: Fluid Mechanics for Biochemical and Chemical Engineers (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 140; ECH 51 (may be taken concurrently). Must achieve a grade of D- or better in prerequisite courses.
    I. Derivation of the Navier-Stokes equations
      A. The linear momentum principle
      B. The Reynolds transport theorem
      C. The relation between the stress vector and stress tensor
      D. Newton’s law of viscosity
      E. The Navier-Stokes equations
      F. Power-law fluids, shear-thinning and shear-thickening
    II. Hydrostatics
      A. Forces on submerged curved and planar surfaces
      B. Buoyancy
      C. Surface tension and boundary conditions for static surfaces. 
  • ECH 142: Heat Transfer for Biochemical and Chemical Engineers (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 51 with a grade of C- or better; ECH 141
    I. Fourier’s Law
      A. Thermal conductivity
      B. Conduction, convection and radiation
      C. Thermal energy equation
    II. 1-D Heat Conduction
      A. Analysis of conduction with and without sources
      B. Overall heat transfer coefficient
      C. Dimensional analysis
      D. Effect of radiation 
    III. Extended Heat Transfer Surfaces
      A. Thin fin approximation
      B. Fin efficiency, fin effectiveness
      C. Fins with variable cross sections
    IV. Heat Conduction in 2-D
      A. Steady 2-D heat transfer
      B. Separation of variables/finite difference method.
    V. Transient Heat Conduction
      A. Dimensional analysis
      B. Similarity solution versus separation of variables
      C. Integral methods and periodic solutions
    VI Convective Heat Transfer
      A. Balance of total energy (First law) versus thermal energy equation
      B. Dimensional Analysis
      C. Forced convection heat transfer, heat transfer coefficients
      D. External versus internal flows
      E. Laminar boundary layers, similarity methods, integral methods
    VII. Natural Convection
      A. Dimensional analysis
      B. Free convection over a vertical plate, similarity methods versus integral methods
      C. Estimation of heat transfer coefficients using scaling principles
    VIII. Macroscopic Balances
      A. Macroscopic thermal energy equation
      B. Heat exchangers, heat transfer coefficients.
  • ECH 143: Mass Transfer for Biochemical and Chemical Engineers (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 51 with a grade of C- or better; ECH 141
    I. Conservation of Mass
      A. Balance Laws, Axioms
      B. Species body, species velocity, species mass flux
      C. Fick’s law of diffusion for binary system
    II. Binary Diffusion without chemical reaction
      A. Calculating binary diffusion coefficients
      B. Measurement techniques
      C. Diffusion bulb experiment
      D. Dispersion
    III. Mass Transfer across gas/liquid interface
      A. Derivation of the jump condition
      B. Stefan diffusion tube
      C. Mass transfer in a falling liquid film
    IV. Multicomponent Mass transfer
      A. Stefan-Maxwell equations
      B. Analysis of limiting cases.
      C. Relation to Fick’s law
    V. Ternary systems
      A. Stefan diffusion Tube
      B. Diffusion bulb experiment
      C. Generalized Fick’s law
  • ECH 145A: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics Laboratory (3 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 152A; ECH 152B (may be taken concurrently)
    Weekly lab experiments elucidating key thermodynamic principles in chemical engineering 1. Simple calorimetry (& error analysis) 2. Specific heat of air (Clement & DeSormes experiment ) 3. Stirling engine kit build 4. Pump energy efficiency experiment 5. Air conditioner experiment 6. Iodine/ether chemical potential 7. Boiling pt evaluation/freezing pt dep 8. Batch distillation 9. Continuous distillation 10. Distillation simulations in Aspen.
  • ECH 145B: Chemical Engineering Transport Lab (3 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 141, ECH 145A
    Weekly lab experiments elucidating key transport phenomena in chemical engineering. 1. Stokes drag (falling sphere) 2. Design and build a pumping system 3. Darcy's law flow 4.Transient heat penetration (boiling potatoes) 5. Heated rod experiment 6. Heat exchanger (flowrates) 7. Stefan diffusion 8. Oxygen in fermenter (kLa) 9. Unsteady mass transfer in a packed bed (experiment) 10. Unsteady mass transfer in a packed bed (numerical).
  • ECH 148A: Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Engineering (3 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 143, ECH 152B
    1. Introduction; mole balances; ideal reactors 2. Ideal reactors; conversion; reactor sizing 3. Rate laws and stoichiometry; rate determining steps 4. Isothermal reactor design 5. Isothermal reactor design; collection and analysis of rate data 6. Collection and analysis of rate data 7. Multiple reactions – overview, selectivity 8. Multiple reactions – numerical techniques 9. Reaction mechanisms & pathways; pseudo-steady state approx. 10. Enzymatic reactions & bioreactors; course overview.
  • ECH 148B: Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Engineering (4 Units)
  • Prerequisite: ECH 148A
    1. Introduction; packed bed reactors; pressure drop and conversion 2. Non-isothermal reactor design 3. Non-isothermal reactor design; unsteady-state reactor design 4. Unsteady-state reactor design 5. Introduction to catalysis by solids; adsorption on solids 6. Kinetics and mechanisms of surface catalyzed reactions 7. Effect of external mass transport on surface catalyzed reactions 8. Effect of intraparticle mass transport on surface catalyzed reactions 9. Distributions of residence times 10. Non-ideal reactors; course overview.
  • ECH 152A: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 60 or ENG 6 (or equivalents)
    I. Introduction
      A. The scope of thermodynamics
      B. Fundamental quantities
      C. Time
      D. Length
      E. Mass
      F. Force
      G. Temperature
      H. Secondary Quantities
      I. Volume
      J. Pressure
      K. Work
      L. Energy
      M. Heat
    II. The First Law and Other Basic Concepts
      A. Joule's experiments
      B. Internal energy
      C. Formulation of the first law of thermodynamics
      D. The thermodynamics state and state functions
      E. Enthalpy
      F. The steady-state flow process
      G. Equilibrium
      H. The phase rule
      I. The reversible process
      J. Heat capacity and specific heat
    III. Volumetric Properties of Pure Fluids
      A. The PVT behavior of pure substances
      B. The virial equation
      C. The ideal gas
      D. Applications of the virial equation
      E. Cubic equations of state
      F. Generalized correlations and the acentric factor
      G. The behavior of liquids
    IV. Heat Effects
      A. Heat capacities of gases as a function of temperature
      B. Heat capacities of solids and liquids
      C. Heat effects accompanying phase changes of pure substances
      D. The standard heat of reaction
      E. The standard heat of formation
      F. The standard heat of combustion
      G. Effect of temperature on the standard heat of reaction
      H. Heat effects of industrial reactions
    V. The Second Law of Thermodynamics
      A. Statements of the second law
      B. The heat engine
      C. The thermodynamics temperature scale
      D. The ideal-gas temperature scale
      E. The concept of entropy
      F. Second-law limitations and real processes
      G. Entropy changes and irreversibility
      H. Entropy from the microscopic viewpoint (statistical thermodynamics)
      I. The third law of thermodynamics
    VI. Thermodynamics Properties of Fluids
      A. Relationships among the thermodynamics properties
      B. Thermodynamics properties of a single-phase system
      C. Two-phase systems
      D. Types of thermodynamics diagrams
      E. Tables of thermodynamics properties
      F. Generalized correlations of thermodynamics properties for gases.
  • ECH 152B: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 152A
    I. Ideal Solution Behavior
      A. Criterion for chemical equilibrium
      B. Raoult's Lae
      C. Vapor-liquid equilibrium for ideal solutions
    II. Nonideal Solution Behavior
      A. Fugacity and partial molar properties
      B. Internal energy (1) Generalized correlations (2) From P-V-T DATA
      C. Activity coefficients (1) From data (2) Correlations for activity coefficients
    III. Phase Equilibria
      A. The phase rule
      B. Phase diagrams
      C. Dew-point, bubble-point, and flash calculations
    IV. Solution Thermodynamics
      A. Change of properties on mixing
      B. Partially miscible systems
    V. Chemical Equilibrium
      A. Application of equilibrium
      B. Reaction coordinates
      C. Equilibrium constants from change in standard Gibbs energy
      D. Effect of temperature and pressure on equilibrium constants
      E. Relations between composition and equilibrium constants
    F. Multireaction equilibria.
  • ECH 155: Chemical Kinetics and Reactor Design Laboratory (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 145B, ECH 148A, ECH 148B (can be concurrent), ECH 157 (can be concurrent); upper-division English composition requirement (may be taken concurrently).
    The course is structured to provide students with a realistic experience in scaling up a chemical reaction from batch to continuous, subject to energy minimization constraints. The four main phases of experimentation are as follows: Week 1-3: Semi-batch catalytic reaction of tert-butyal alcohol (TBA) to isobutylene (IB). Week 4-5: Scale-up of pure TBA to IB reaction to a continuously stirred tank reactor and exploration of process control issues. Week 6-7: Distillation of TBA/Water & energy efficiency tests. Week 8-10: Design trials and final design contest.
  • ECH 157: Process Dynamics and Control (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 140
    I. Introduction
      Historical Background
      Role of Control in Process Industries
      Objectives of Process Control
      Hardware and Software for Industrial Control (sensors and control valves)
    II. Definitions and Terminology
      The Feedback Control Design Problem
    III. Basic Concepts in Modeling
      Classification of Models
      State-Space Models
      Input-Output Models
    IV. Models from Fundamental Laws
      Principles of Modeling
      Simulation in Process Control
    V. Input-Output Models: The Transfer Function
      The Concept of Transfer Function
      Transfer Functions of SISO Processes
      Asymptotic Theorems
      Properties of Transfer Functions
      Irrational Transfer Functions
    VII. Models from Process Data
      Development of Empirical Models
      Process Reaction Curve
      Linear Regression in Modeling
    VIII. Stability Analysis
      Stability of Linear Systems
      Input-Output Stability
      Routh’s Criterion
      Root Locus Method
    IX. Dynamic Behavior of Processes
      First Order Processes
      Second Order Processes
      Multi-Capacity Processes
      Effect of Zeros and Time Delays
    X. Frequency Response Analysis
      Construction and Evaluation of the Frequency Response
      Bode and Nyquist Diagrams
    XI. Fundamentals of Feedback Control
      Structure of Feedback Control
      Types of Feedback Controllers
      Block-Diagram and the Closed Loop Response
      Effect of Different Controllers
      Closed-Loop Stability Analysis
    XII. Design of Feedback Control Systems
      Design Objectives
      Controller Tuning Method
      Practical Issues in PID Design
    XIII. Multivariable Systems
      Multivariable Control Strategies
      Cascade Control
      Ratio Control
    XIV. Model-Based Control
      Concept of Model-Based Control
      Delay Compensation and Feed-forward Control
      IMC Structure
      Basic IMC Design procedure
      IMC tuning Procedure for PID.
  • ECH 158AN: Separations and Unit Operations (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 143; ECH 152B
    1. Heuristics for Process Design and Synthesis.
      Raw Materials and Chemical Reactions.
      Distribution of Chemicals.
      Separation.
      Heat Exchangers and Furnaces.
      Pumping, Compression, Pressure Reduction, Vacuum, and Conveying of Solids.
    2. Reactor Design and Reactor Network Synthesis.
      Reactor Models.
      Reactor Design for Complex Configurations.
      Reactor Network Design Using the Attainable Region.
    3. Synthesis of Separation Trains.
      Criteria for Selection of Separation Methods.
      Selection of Equipment.
      Separation Systems for Gas Mixtures.
      Separation Sequencing for Solid-Fluid Systems.
    4. Heat and Power Integration.
      Minimum Utility Targets.
      Networks for Maximum Energy Recovery.
      Minimum Number of Heat Exchangers.
      Heat-integrated Distillation Trains.
      Heat Engines and Heat Pumps.
    5. Optimal Design and Scheduling of Batch Processes.
      Design of Batch Process Units.
      Design of Reactor-separator Processes.
      Design of Single Product Processing Sequences.
      Design of Multi-Product Processing Sequencing.
    6. Heat Exchanger Design.
      Equipment for Heat Exchange.
      Heat Transfer Coefficients and Pressure Drop.
      Design of Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers.
    7. Multisage and Packed Tower Design.
      Operating Conditions.
      Fenske-Underwood-Gilliland (FUG) Shortcut Method for Ordinary Distillation.
      Kremer Shortcut Method for Absorption and Stripping.
      Rigorous Multicomponent, Multi-Equilibrium-Stage Methods with a Simulator.
      Plate Efficiency and HETP.
      Tower Diameter.
      Pressure Drop and Weeping.
    8. Pumps, Compressors, and Expanders.
      Pumps.
      Compressors and Expanders.
    9. The Interaction of Process Design and Process Control.
      Control System Configuration.
      Qualitative Plantwide Control System Synthesis.
      Quantitative Measures for Controllability and Resiliency.
      Toward Automated Flowsheet C&R Diagnosis.
    10. Written Reports and Oral Presentations.
      Contents of Written Reports.
      Oral Design Presentation.
  • ECH 158BN: Process Economics and Green Design (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 158AN or ECH 161AN
    I. The Design Process
      A. Process Creation
      B. Types of Process Design
    II. Capital Investment Estimation
      A. Estimation Methods
      B. Cost Indexes
      C. Equipment Scaling
      D. Cost Correlations
    III. Total Product Cost Estimation
      A. Direct Cost vs. Indirect Cost
      B. Input Utilization and Cost Estimates
    IV. Green Design
      A. Health Risk Assessment
      B. Toxic Release Inventory
      C. Green Chemistry
      D. Life Cycle Assessment
    V. Evaluating Alternatives
      A. Depreciation and Interest
      B. Time Value of Money
      C. Profitability Measures
      D. Environmental Accounting
    VI. Presentation of Team Projects
  • ECH 158C: Plant Design Project (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: (ECH 158AN or ECH 161C); ECH 158BN
    Groups of students will be given a design project in the beginning of the quarter, and the groups will report their progress through three memoranda about 1-2 weeks apart. These memoranda will demonstrate that students are starting from an ill-defined project and arriving at a well-formulated problem that can be solved. A project report summarizing the findings and the recommendations will be submitted around the seventh week. The reports will be critiqued and will be returned to the groups with recommendations and additional tasks. A final report is submitted during the last week of the quarter. Each group also makes an oral presentation to the class during the last week of classes.
  • ECH 161AN: Bioseparations (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 143; ECH 152B
    I. Introduction
    II. Cell Disruption
      A. Mechanical techniques
      B. Nonmechanical techniques
      C. Large-scale disruption methods
    III. Solids/Liquid Separation
      A. Centrifugation
      B. Filtration
      C. Membrane filtration processes
    IV. Purification Techniques
      A. Liquid-liquid extraction
      B. Ion exchange chromatography
      C. Affinity chromatography
      D. Gel permeation chromatography
      E. Hydrophobic chromatography
      F. Distillation
    V. Finished Methods
      A. Crystallization
      B. Drying
      C. Product Formulation
  • ECH 161BN: Biochemical Engineering Fundamentals (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 148A
    I. Introduction
      A. Overview of applications of biochemical engineering
      B. Review of important concepts in microbiology and biochemistry
    II. Enzyme Systems
      A. Enzyme structure, function and kinetics
      B. Environmental influences on activity
      C. Immobilized-enzyme systems
      D. Enzyme bioreactors
    III. Industrial microorganisms
      A. Overview of cell metabolism
      B. Overview of genetic control systems and genetic alteration
      C. Microbial growth kinetics
      D. Product formation kinetics
    IV. Bioreactor Strategy and Operation
      A. Idealized bioreactor configuration: batch, continuous, fed-batch, multistage, recycle systems
      B. Immobilized cell systems
      C. Sterility and media formulations
      D. Instrumentation and control
      E. Scale-up of bioreactors
    V. Nonconventional bioprocesses
      A. Mixed cultures
      B. Plant cell/tissue cultures
      C. Animal cell cultures
      D. Insect cell cultures
  • ECH 161C: Biotechnology Facility Design and Regulatory Compliance (4 Units)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 158BN (can be concurrent), ECH 161AN; ECH 161BN (can be concurrent) or DEB 263 (can be concurrent).
    This course will cover material necessary in the design and operation of a facility producing biological products such as proteins and antibiotics. It will introduce the student to concepts such as aseptic processing and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as well as details in the design of all types of equipment for these facilities. After introducing general design and regulatory issues, each area of a biotech facility will be discussed. Design of equipment for media and inoculum preparation, fermentation and recovery, buffer preparation, purification, and utilities will be discussed. In this discussion, general equipment design issues will be included such as piping and pump sizing and pressure vessel design. Integral parts of the facility such as purified water and water-for-injection systems, clean steam generation, clean-in-place systems, biowaste treatment, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) will be discussed in detail and sizing concerns addressed. Industry standards for process control, automation, and data acquisition will also be covered. The second focus of the course will be compliance with current GMP, the laws governing production of human and veterinary drugs, as enforced by the Food and Drug Administration. Concepts such as validation master planning, validation protocols, protocol execution, and change control will be discussed as applied to both equipment and process qualification. Standard operating procedures and batch records will also be discussed for new and established operations. Ideas for successful project management and facility startup will be introduced throughout the course material.
  • ECH 161L: Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory (4 Units)

  • Prerequisites: ECH 145B, ECH 161AN, ECH 161BN; or VEN 186; or BIS 103, MCB 120L
    Discussion/Tutorial (1 hr/wk)
    Topics:
    I. Course Overview
    II. Overview of Experiments
    III. Computer Tools for Data and Error Analysis
    IV. Tips and Computer Tools for Report Writing
    V. Tips and Computer Tools for Oral Presentations
    VI. Group Oral Presentations

    Laboratory (9 hrs/wk)
    Students will select experiments from the following:
    I. Aerobic, Batch Yeast Growth Kinetics in a Bioreactor
    II. Determination of Oxygen Mass Transfer Coefficients in Stirred, Sparged Bioreactors
    III. Insect Cell Culture
    IV. Ion Exchange Chromatography
    V. Protein Precipitation

    Estimated Category Content:
    Engineering Science: 1 unit
    Engineering Design: 3 units

    Design Statement: Given a general objective of the experiment, students will design experimental setups (e.g., determine how equipment components will be interconnected, determine where sensors should be located), protocols (e.g., how samples will be taken and analyzed) and procedures (e.g., what chemical compounds and/or experimental variables to investigate) to meet the objectives of the laboratory experiments.

  • ECH 166: Catalysis (3 Units)
  • Prerequisite(s): ECH 148A
    I. Introduction - Kinetics Review 
    II. Solution Catalysis 
    A. Acid-Base Catalysis 
    B. Hydrocarbon Conversion 
    C. Organometallic Catalysis 
    D. Redox Catalysis and Oxidation 
    E. Macromolecular Catalysis 
    F. Micellar Catalysis 
    G. Phase Transfer Catalysis 
    H. Effects of Diffusion 
    III. Enzyme Catalysis 
    A. Enzyme Structure and Chemistry 
    B. Acid-Base Catalysis 
    C. Organometallic Catalysis 
    IV. Catalysis by Solid Polymers 
    A. Adsorption and Kinetics 
    B. Multifunctional Catalysis and Catalyst Design 
    C. Porosity and Intraparticle Transport Effects 
    D. Extraparticle Transport
    E. Reactor and Process Design 
    V. Catalysis in Cages 
    A. Zeolites: Synthesis, Structure, and Characterization 
    B. Catalysis by Zeolites 
    C. Shape-Selective Catalysis 
    VI. Surface Catalysis 
    A. Surface Structures and Adsorption 
    B. Catalysis on Functionalized Surfaces, Olefin Polymerization 
    C. Catalysis on Metal Surfaces 
    D. Catalysis on Metal Oxide Surfaces 
    E. Catalysis by Supported Metals 
    F. Catalysis by Metal Oxides, Oxidation 
    G. Catalysis by Metal Sulfides
  • ECH 168: Chemical & Engineering Principles in Whisky & Fuel Alcohol Production (3 units)
  • Prerequisite(s): CHE 128A; CHE 128B (can be concurrent); or consent of instructor.
    Course Description: Chemical & engineering principles underlying the manufacture of whisky & fuel alcohol. Biochemistry of malting. Assessment of grain modification & diastatic power, and of the phenol content of peated malt. Lautering as a problem of fluidized bed compaction. Fermentation and its assessment. Fractional distillation and the Rayleigh equation. The fate of congeners in pot and column distillation. Chemical reactions affecting flavor from kilning to maturation.
  • ECH 169: The Design of Cocktails - Applied Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena in Mixed Drinks (1 Unit)
  • Prerequisites: ECH 145B, ECH 152B, and consent of instructor.
    Engineering principles can be used to understand diverse phenomena. In this class we will show how core chemical engineering principles apply to cocktails. The students will be challenged to apply quantitatively their understanding of heat transport, mass transport, thermodynamics, and phase stability to the preparation of and sensory properties of mixed drinks. Hands-on quantitative experiments (e.g. of ice-water-ethanol phase diagram) will be combined with qualitative sensory analysis, culminating in the end of the quarter with a design contest.
  • ECH 171: Chemical Engineering Principles in Food Processing

  • Prerequisites: ECH 142.
    A degree in chemical engineering offers a variety of career paths, including petrochemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, and food industries. In North America, food scientists are not exposed to core engineering disciplines and chemical engineers are one of the professions hired to fill the food process engineer position. However, chemical engineering students are rarely exposed to the application of chemical engineering principles to food processes. By providing the opportunity for students to acquire a deeper knowledge and the skill sets on the food industry, they would possibly be more comfortable in choosing the food and beverage sector as a career. Therefore, the objective of this course is to provide an introduction to food industry and use real word problems for students to learn the theory learned in core chemical engineering courses to food industrial processes. We will explore different concepts relevant to food industry in the laboratory. Fundamental skills that students will employ are organic chemistry, basic fluid mechanics and rheology, ultra violet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, thermodynamics, measurement of emulsion stability with a rheometer, refractometer, heat and mass transfer such as unsteady-state conductive heat transfer and Fick’s law. Lectures will supply introduction of new concepts significant to food processing and relevant background to put the laboratories into context. Assessments will be based on analysis of quantitative results, briefly weekly reports, and one project design.

    Week 1: Introduction to food components.

    Week 2: Manipulating phase transition. Construct a phase diagram for ricotta cheese.

    Week 3: Food texture. Rheology analysis and pasting curves of different starch solutions. Pump design.

    Week 4: Emulsions and foams. Measurement of emulsion stability with a rheometer.

    Week 5: Browning reactions. UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis.

    Week 6: Food preservation. Raoult’s law application.

    Week 7: Food processes: Ficks’ law application. Numerical analysis with Python.

    Week 8: Food processes: unsteady-state heat transfer application.

    Week 9: Work on project design.

    Week 10: Project presentation.

  • ECH 172(V): Chemical Process Safety Fundamentals

  • Prerequisites: ECH 141, ECH 152B (can be concurrent), or consent of instructor.
    This is a practical course that seeks to give students interested in a career in chemical process engineering a solid foundation in chemical process safety concepts. This course includes concepts not covered elsewhere in the chemical engineering curriculum (or only briefly) including industrial health & hygiene, chemical compatibility, and risk analysis. This course also demonstrates the practical application of skills learned in chemical core courses in process safety – for example the application of transport to the development of toxic hazard source and dispersion models, and the application of thermodynamics to identifying potential flammable mixtures. This course uses past chemical plant disasters as teaching tools. Students completing this course are expected to be equipped to use risk and safety considerations as a part of their professional decision-making process.

    Lecture Content:
    Module 1: Introduction to Process Safety
    Part 1: Introduction

    Part 2: Risk

    Part 3: Managing Risk

    Part 4: Inherently Safer Design 

    Part 5: Wrap Up and Case Studies
    Module 2: Industrial Health & Hygiene
    Part 1: Introduction

    Part 2: Globally Harmonized System

    Part 3: Toxic Hazards

    Part 4: Dose vs. Response Curves

    Part 5: Control Techniques

    Part 6: Wrap Up and Case Studies
    Module 3: Reactive Chemical Hazards and Pressure Relief
    Part 1: Introduction

    Part 2: Runaway Reaction at T2 Laboratories

    Part 3: Chemical Compatibility

    Part 4: Calorimetry Studies?

    Part 5: Pressure Relief Concepts

    Part 6: Relief System Design

    Part 7: Wrap Up and Case Studies
     Module 4: Source Models
    Part 1: Introduction

    Part 2: Mechanical Energy Balance

    Part 3: Volatile Liquid Evaporation from a Pool

    Part 4: Liquid Leak Through a Hole

    Part 5: Liquid Leak Through a Pipe

    Part 6: Gas Leak Through a Hole

    Part 7: Gas Leak Through a Pipe

    Part 8: Flashing Liquids

    Part 9: Wrap Up and Case Studies
     Module 5: Dispersion Models
    Part 1: Introduction

    Part 2: Neutrally Buoyant Dispersion Models

    Part 3: Plume Models

    Part 4: Puff Models Part 1

    Part 5: Puff Models Part 2

    Part 6: Prevention and Mitigation of Toxic Material Exposure

    Part 7: Wrap Up and Case Studies
     Module 6: Fires and Explosions
    Part 1: Introduction

    Part 2: Characterization of Liquid and Vapor Flammability

    Part 3: Flammability Diagrams

    Part 4: Dusts, Sprays, and Mists

    Part 5: Explosions

    Part 6: Inerting

    Part 7: Static Discharges

    Part 8: Control Measures

    Part 9: Wrap Up and Case Studies
    Module 7: Hazard Identification, Evaluation, and Analysis
    Part 1: Introduction

    Part 2: Non-Scenario Based Tools

    Part 3: HAZOP

    Part 4: Probability Theory

    Part 5: Event Trees

    Part 6: Fault Trees and Bowtie Diagrams

    Part 7: Layer of Protection Analysis

    Part 8: Wrap Up and Case Studies
     

 

For questions or assistance regarding courses, prerequisites, academic planning and more, contact our undergraduate advisors.