73500 - Design of Process Equipment M

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to the basic design of equipment in the process industries. Knowledge will be provided on the definition of the basis of design, of fluidodynamic constraints and on approaches for the design of heat exchangers, reboilers, vaporizers and columns, A general introduction to basic design activities will also be provided.

Course contents

1) Introduction to basic design. Conceptual and basic design. Plant sections: storages, process sections, utilities. Design documentation. Approach to basic design of process equipment.

2) Design constraints. Process variables and use of degrees of freedom in process and equipment design. External and internal constraints.

3) Heat exchangers. Main categories of heat transfer equipment. Design standards. Basic design of liquid/liquid and gas/gas heat exchangers: shell and tube exchangers and plate exchangers.

4) Condensers, reboilers, vaporizers and evaporators. Main categories of equipment for vapor condensation and vapor generation in process plants. Basic design of condensers of pure vapors, of vapor mixtures and of vapor mixtures in the presence of uncondensables. Condensers-undercoolers. Basic design of evaporators, vaporizers, reboilers.

5) Gas/liquid mass transfer equipment. Main categories of equipment for gas/liquid mass transfer. Plate columns: design details, fluidodynamics, plate efficiency. Packed columns: type of packing and packing characteristics, fluidodynamic regimes, pressure drops. Comparison of plate and packed columns performance.

6) Equipment for absorption and stripping. Main categories of equipment and selection criteria. Design of plate columns for absorption or stripping. Design of packed columns for absorption and stripping.

7) Equipment for distillation. Flash. Differential distillation. Continuos distillation. Design of binary distillation columns.

Readings/Bibliography

D. Kern: "Process heat transfer", Mc Graw - Hill

R.E. Treybal: "Mass transfer operations", Mc Graw - Hill

J.M. Coulson, J.F. Richardson: "Chemical Engineering", Pergamon Press (vol. 1, 2 e 6)

J.D. Seader, E.J. Henley: "Separation process principles", J.Wiley

Further documentation will be provided during the lessons.

Assessment methods

Written test and oral discussion.

Office hours

See the website of Valerio Cozzani

See the website of Alessandro Tugnoli