Advance chemical-engineering problem-solving skills through the use of computational tools (primarily developed in Excel or Python). Examples are drawn from thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and chemical kinetics. The course is project based, emphasizing data analysis and report writing. Unstructured collaboration with peers is highly encouraged. Requisite numerical methods and Chemical Engineering concepts introduced.
Emphasizes active, experiment-based resolution of open-ended problems involving use, design, and optimization of equipment, products, or materials. Under faculty guidance students formulate, carry out, validate, and refine experimental procedures, and present results in oral and written form. Develops analytical, communications, and cooperative problem-solving skills in the context of problems that span from traditional, large scale separations and processing operations to molecular level design of materials or products. Sample projects include: scale up of apparatus, process control, chemical separations, microfluidics, surface engineering, molecular sensing, and alternative energy sources. Safety awareness is integrated.
Research training course. Recommended in preparation for laboratory related research.
Candidates for the B.S. degree may conduct an investigation of some problem in chemical engineering or applied chemistry or carry out a special project under the supervision of the staff. Credit for the course is contingent upon the submission of an acceptable thesis or final report. No more than 6 points in this course may be counted toward the satisfaction of the B.S. degree requirements.
Provides work experience on chemical engineering in relevant intern or fieldwork experience as part of their program of study as determined by the instructor. Written application must be made prior to registration outlining proposed internship/study program. A written report describing the experience and how it relates to the chemical engineering core curriculum is required. Employer feedback on student performance and the quality of the report are the basis of the grade. This course may not be taken for pass/fail or audited. May not be used as a technical or nontechnical elective. May be repeated for credit, but no more than 3 points total of CHEN E3999 may be used for degree credit.
Mathematical description of chemical engineering problems and the application of selected methods for their solution. General modeling principles, including model hierarchies. Linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equations and their systems, including those with variable coefficients. Partial differential equations in Cartesian and curvilinear coordinates for the solution of chemical engineering problems.
Develops and applies non-equilibrium thermodynamics for modeling of transport phenomena in fluids and their mixtures. Continuum balances of mass, energy and momentum for pure fluids; non-equilibrium thermodynamic development of Newtons law of viscosity and Fouriers law; applications (conduction dominated energy transport, forced and free convection energy transport in fluids); balance laws for fluid mixtures; non-equilibrium thermodynamic development of Ficks law; applications (diffusion-reaction problems, analogy between energy and mass transport processes, transport in electrolyte solutions, sedimentation).
Boltzmann’s entropy hypothesis and its restatement to calculate the Helmholtz and Gibbs free energies and the grand potential. Applications to interfaces, liquid crystal displays, polymeric materials, crystalline solids, heat capacity and electrical conductivity of crystalline materials, fuel cell solid electrolytes, rubbers, surfactants, molecular self assembly, ferroelectricity. Computational methods for molecular systems. Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods. MC method applied to liquid-gas and ferromagnetic phase transitions. Deterministic MD simulations of isolated gases and liquids. Stochastic MD simulation methods.
The course provides a rigorous and advanced foundation in chemical engineering thermodynamics suitable for chemical engineering PhD students expected to undertake diverse research projects. Topics include Intermolecular interactions, non-ideal systems, mixtures, phase equilibria and phase transitions and interfacial thermodynamics.
Design and analysis of unit operations employed in chemical engineering separations. Fundamental aspects of single and multistaged operations using both equilibrium and rate-based methods. Examples include distillation, absorption and stripping, extraction, membranes, crystallization, bioseparations, and environmental applications.
Reaction kinetics, applications to the design of batch and continuous reactors. Multiple reactions, non-isothermal reactors. Analysis and modeling of reactor behavior.
Complex reactive systems. Catalysis. Heterogeneous systems, with an emphasis on coupled chemical kinetics and transport phenomena. Reactions at interfaces (surfaces, aerosols, bubbles). Reactions in solution.
Scientific and economic analysis of real-world technologies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Partner with students from the business school to assess and assigned technology based on technical viability, commercial opportunity, and impact on mitigating or adapting to climate change. Assigned technologies provided by the investment community to teams of four, with expectations for independent research on the technologies, with deliverables of written and oral presentations.
Aimed at seniors and graduate students. Provides classroom experience on chemical engineering process safety as well as Safety in Chemical Engineering certification. Process safety and process control emphasized. Application of basic chemical engineering concepts to chemical reactivity hazards, industrial hygiene, risk assessment, inherently safer design, hazard operability analysis, and engineering ethics. Application of safety to full spectrum of chemical engineering operations.
Students carry out a semesterlong process or product design course. The project culminates with a formal written design report and a public presentation. Recitation section required.
Aerosol impacts on indoor and outdoor air quality, health, and climate. Major topics include aerosol sources, physics, and chemistry; field and laboratory techniques for aerosol characterization; aerosol direct and indirect effects on climate; aerosols in biogeochemical cycles and climate engineering; health impacts including exposure to ambient aerosols and transmission of respiratory disease.
Self-contained treatments of selected topics in soft materials (e.g. polymers, colloids, amphiphiles, liquid crystals, glasses, powders). Topics and instructor may change from year to year. Intended for junior/senior level undergraduates and graduate students in engineering and the physical sciences.
Senior undergraduate/first-year graduate course on the physics of polymer systems. Topics include scaling behavior of chains under different conditions, mixing thermodynamics, networks and geation, polymer dynamics, including retation and entanglements. Special topics: nanocomposites.
Engineering of biochemical and microbiological reaction systems. Kinetics, reactor analysis, and design of batch and continuous fermentation and enzyme processes. Recovery and separations in biochemical engineering systems.
The goal of synthetic organogenesis is to use stem cells to reconstitute aspects of embryo development and organ formation in vitro. Examines the molecular basis of human embryogenesis. Introduces synthetic organogenesis as an interdisciplinary field. Students learn to recognize generic molecular mechanisms behind signaling and cell lineage specification. Covers recent advances in applying engineering and contemporary biology to creating organoids and organs on chips using human stem cells.
Many materials properties and chemical processes are governed by atomic-scale phenomena such as phase transformations, atomic/ionic transport, and chemical reactions. Thanks to progress in computer technology and methodological development, now there exist atomistic simulation approaches for the realistic modeling and quantitative prediction of such properties. Atomistic simulations are therefore becoming increasingly important as a complement for experimental characterization, to provide parameters for meso- and macroscale models, and for the in-silico discovery of entirely new materials. This course aims at providing a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge atomistic modeling techniques that are frequently used both in academic and industrial research and engineering. Participants will develop the ability to interpret results from atomistic simulations and to judge whether a problem can be reliably addressed with simulations. The students will also obtain basic working knowledge in standard simulation software.
Research training course. Recommended in preparation for laboratory related research.
All graduate students are required to attend the department colloquium as long as they are in residence. No degree credit is granted.
Prescribed for M.S. and Ch.E. candidates; elective for others with the approval of the Department. Degree candidates are required to conduct an investigation of some problem in chemical engineering or applied chemistry and to submit a thesis describing the results of their work. No more than 6 points in this course may be counted for graduate credit, and this credit is contingent upon the submission of an acceptable thesis. The concentration in pharmaceutical engineering requires a 2-point thesis internship.