41382 Unit Operations
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Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 41117 Introduction to Chemical Process Engineering AND 41380 Heat and Mass Transfer AND 91161 Cell Biology and Genetics
Description
In this Developing subject, students will exercise their knowledge and skills to design and operate unit operations and equipment for chemical process engineering applications safely and economically, e.g., oil & gas refining, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, and water purification. Students will learn the principles of membrane separation, distillation, liquid-liquid extraction, ion exchange, absorption, adsorption, and drying in industrial processes, as well as learning to incorporate economics, safety, and environmental sustainability in all stages of the design.
By the end of this subject, students will be able to analyse the transport phenomena of the fluids as well as various separation processes. Furthermore, students will develop skills to design and formulate the piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) of an integrated system of multiple unit operations and provide justification/assessment of the P&ID based on hazard and operability study, safety life cycle and techno-economic analysis. Students will also gain the ability to critically evaluate process designs using hazard identification techniques, assess operability for safe and efficient operation, and perform techno-economic analyses to ensure project feasibility, equipping them to make informed decisions about the process design lifecycle, safety, operability, and economic viability.
Learning is delivered in a flipped mode where students will be required to interact with a range of learning materials before class. During class students can ask questions and engage in active learning activities to consolidate and review the learning material with the guidance of staff.
This will include individual analysis, problem-solving and quantitative reasoning, and peer collaboration and discussion. Laboratory practicals will also provide students with hands-on experience and the opportunity to work on different scenarios which will connect the principles to real-life applications.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Evaluate design configurations for hazard identification, safety and economic viability. (B.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Design piping and instrumentation diagrams to meet the needs of an integrated system of multiple unit operations for the construction of a chemical engineering process. (C.1) |
| 3. | Analyse transport phenomena of fluids as well as various separation processes. (D.1) |
| 4. | Communicate design decisions and rationale to a range of audiences. (E.1) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Socially Responsible: FEIT graduates identify, engage, interpret and analyse stakeholder needs and cultural perspectives, establish priorities and goals, and identify constraints, uncertainties and risks (social, ethical, cultural, legislative, environmental, economics etc.) to define the system requirements. (B.1)
- Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design and decision-making methodologies to develop components, systems and processes to meet specified requirements. (C.1)
- Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply abstraction, mathematics and discipline fundamentals, software, tools and techniques to evaluate, implement and operate systems. (D.1)
- Collaborative and Communicative: FEIT graduates work as an effective member or leader of diverse teams, communicating effectively and operating within cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural contexts in the workplace. (E.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
This subject contributes to the development of the following Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies:
- 1.3. In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline.
- 1.5. Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline.
- 2.1. Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving.
- 3.2. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.
- 3.6. Effective team membership and team leadership.
Teaching and learning strategies
Unit operations is delivered in flipped learning mode where students will be required to interact with learning materials (e.g. video clips, open syllabus, courseware and sets of questions) before the face-to-face class. During class, students can ask questions and engage in active learning tasks to consolidate and review the learning material.
Students learn to connect the unit operations principles to real-life applications through individual analysis and peer collaborations and lecturer guidance. Samples of unit operations would be presented in classes to facilitate discussion.
Tutorials are designed for practicing problem solving and quantitative reasoning. These are skills-based tutorials where students will collaborate in teams to inform their group artefact and presentation.
Laboratory practicals are designed to provide students a hands-on experience working with a small unit operation. Students work in a team to learn about its design and operations and assess different scenarios to explore the relationship between design/operation and outcome of a unit operation. The laboratory class will be performed in the Superlab or fluid mechanics lab (Building 1, Level 2).
Laboratory demonstrations and reports provide opportunities to increase understanding and enhance knowledge in process design. This is central to the two-part assessment submission where students discuss how they used feedback and reflection to inform their progress.
Guest Lectures: when possible, guest lectures from industry will present their experience on the application of unit operations in their day-to-day work.
Content (topics)
Topics covered in this subject include:
- Introduction to Unit Operations
- Separation processes
- Distillation
- Absorption and adsorption
- Liquid-liquid extraction
- Leaching
- Hazard and Operability Study; Safety Life Cycle
- Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Case study analysis
| Intent: | To analyse chemical engineering problems that involve separation processes, such as distillation, filtration, drying, absorption and adsorption. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): D.1 |
| Type: | Case study |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | Maximum two page analysis report |
Assessment task 2: Laboratory Report
| Intent: | To validate and observe the application of unit operation knowledge in real chemical processes |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 2 and 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1 and D.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, group assessed |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | Maximum 5 pages, 1500 words |
Assessment task 3: Project Presentation
| Intent: | To communicate the design rational to a range of audiences and receive feedback |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): E.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 15% |
| Length: | 10 minute presentation + 5 minute Q&A |
Assessment task 4: Final Project Proposal
| Intent: | To improve the existing design by interpreting, analysing and applying feedback |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2, 3 and 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1, C.1, D.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Project |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 35% |
| Length: | Maximum 10 pages, 5000 words |
Minimum requirements
To pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.
Required texts
1. Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering (International ed) by Warren McCabe, Julian Smith, Peter Harriott, 7th edition, published 2005.
Recommended texts
2. Chemical Engineering Design and Analysis An Introduction, by T. Michael Duncan and Jeffrey A. Reimer, 2nd edition, published 2019
3. Unit Operations of Particulate Solids: Theory and Practice by Enrique Ortega-Rivas, 1st edition, published 2016.
4. Separation Process Principles with Applications Using Process Simulators, by J.D. Seader, Ernest J. Henley, D. Keith Roper, 4th edition, published 2019.