XWT-33305 Chemical Reactor Design

Course

Credits 5.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

Knowledge from the courses: XWT-23805 Transport Phenomena in Water Technology; and XWT-24305 Physical Chemistry in Water Technology.

Contents:

The course teaches you how to set up mass and energy balances for reactors applied in water technology, taking into account simultaneous conversion and transport processes. Also consideration of reactor design based on mass transport and reaction of ions and other charged molecules in aqueous systems for water treatment and desalination will get attention e.g. ion electromigration, dependence of ion transport on electrical fields, charge neutrality, ion transport combined with acid/base reactions.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge about the most important chemical reactor characteristics, such as flow behaviour, mixing, transport characteristics, and the influence of reaction mechanisms on reactor performance;
- set up and solve theoretical models to describe the operation of processes and equipment in water technology (multiphase reactors and contactors, steady-state, dynamic, batch-wise). The models are applicable to, but not limited to, to water treatment facilities, and are also of importance in a much more general context such as chemical facilities in general, and to describe elements within the natural environment, such as lakes and rivers;
- set up mathematical reactor models that you can subsequently apply for practical aims such as process and equipment (re-)design, process operation and control, and for cost engineering/energy saving (optimization) studies. These more practical applications are not as such part of the course. Instead the course focuses on the underlying mathematical framework and descriptions for the physical and chemical phenomena;
- solve systems described by a set of ordinary differential equations for analysis;
- analyze the stationary conditions of systems described by a set of partial differential equations;
- critically check existing chemical reactor and transport models in water technology, assess the validity of the mathematical approaches, and find possible errors;
- recognize and understand the role of different reactor operational modes (single phase vs. multiphase; steady-state vs. dynamic; etc.) for conversion, selectivity, and removal efficiency, and thus the importance of these choices for an optimal reactor design with the most optimum recovery of valuable compounds, least energy consumption, etc.;
- quantitative understanding of mass transport and reaction of ionic species (metal ions, protein) in water processes.

Activities:

- lectures and frequent opportunities for help with;
- students are required to invest significantly in self-study to make exercises and prepare for these lectures/tutorials.

Examination:

The final exam of the course consists of a written exam.

Literature:

A digital syllabus which is based on lecture slides and handouts with approximately 50 test questions and answers.