Course Prefix, Number, Title, Credit Hours: CBE, 461L, Chemical EngineeringMass Transfer and Reaction Engineering Laboratory, 0-1

University Name:South DakotaSchool of Mines and Technology

Academic Term, Year: Fall, 2012

Course Meeting Time and Location: TBD, CBEC-225/131

Instructor’s Contact Information

Name: David Dixon

Office location: C-222.5

Office hours: I have an open door policy. Feel free to check the schedule posted outside my door for open times, as I may be available. For specific appointments please email me or contact me.

Phone numbers: 605-394-1235(o); 605-593-5570(m)

Email address:

Other Contacts

  • Mr. Ivan Filipov, CBEC 223/224, (394-)1280, Chemical Equipment and Instrumentation Specialist (laboratory process equipment)
  • Ms. Kelsey Feige, Graduate Teaching Assistant,
  • Ms. Margaret Smallbrock, C123, Chemical and Instrumentation Specialist, (for laboratory glassware and Chemistry equipment and instruments)
  • Mr. Trevor Schmelz, C101, Environmental Health and Safety Office (for chemicals)
  • Campus Safety, (394-)6100
  • Emergency, 911 (campus phone dial 9-911)

Course Description

Catalog description: Laboratory experiments on mass transfer.

Additional course description (optional):

Course Prerequisites

Previous courses/experience: Prerequisites: CBE 318, CBE 343 and CBE 417.

Technology skills: Students should have a working knowledge of the following processes/unit operations: molecular diffusion, interphase mass transfer in convective systems, multiple-effect evaporators, gas-liquid absorbers, and distillation. Students should have practical skills in experimental design, troubleshooting, data analysis, and data interpretation. Students should be proficient in preparing the proper oral and written reports. Additionally, they should be familiar with setting up and running basic AspenPlus blocks.

Description of Instructional Methods: The main type of instructional method utilized in this class is laboratory exercises. Communication technologies available in the classroom provided will be utilized for reporting and communication practice.

Course Requirements

Required textbook(s) and other materials:

  • Manual for Chemical Engineering Laboratories, 6th ed., (revised 2005), Bauer, L.G., et.al. Posted at: F:\Dept\cheme-bioe\2011_CBE_Laboratories

Supplementary materials:

  • Perry, R.H., and D. Green, Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, 6thed (or others as needed), McGraw-Hill, 1984.
  • Seader, J.D., and E.J. Henley, Separation Process Principles, 2nd ed., Wiley, 2005.
  • Geankoplis, C.J.,Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles, 4th ed., Prentice Hall, 2003.
  • Fogler, S., Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering, 3rd ed., Prentice Hall, 1999.
  • McCabe, W.L., J.C. Smith, and P. Harriott, Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, 7th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2004.

Class attendance policy

See current SDSMT catalog

Cheating and plagiarism policy

See current SDSMT catalog: Policy Governing Academic Integrity

Make-up policy

If a class meeting or deadline is missed due to pre-planned or unforeseen circumstances the instructor should be contacted as soon as possible to arrange for possible makeup work. Late work is not accepted for full credit, except under extenuating circumstances.

Course Goals

Include specific reference to System General Education Goals if applicable.

Students in this course should expect to:

  • Use the theories/models of mass transfer and equilibrium stages developed in CBE 318 and CBE 417 to predict and/or interpret the performance of real separation processes. Evaluate the basis and range of validity for predictive models.
  • Use the theories/models of kinetics and reactor design developed in CBE 343 to predict and/or interpret the performance of batch and unsteady-state CSTR reactors.
  • Develop skills in experimental design and troubleshooting.
  • Develop skills in data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
  • Develop/practice technical communication skills (written/oral).

Student Learning Outcomes:

After completion of this course the average student is expected to be able to:

  1. formulate a plan of investigation for studying/troubleshooting a piece of process equipment/unit operation.
  2. collect quality raw data from an operation/process and interpret the data using statistics combined with an understanding of the engineering principles.
  3. manipulate experimental data in a manner that optimizes interpretation and analysis using chemical engineering principles. As a result of this analysis, students should be able to compare observed with predicted performance, and recommend improvements to the system based on sound chemical engineering judgment.
  4. communicate the results of their analysis effectively in written and oral reports, with proper use of tables, graphs, and other visual aids.
  5. function effectively in a lab team, both as a team member and as a team leader.

Evaluation Procedures

Assessments

Tests, projects, assignments, etc.

The course consists of five laboratory experiments, with a report required from each group for each experiment. Two of the reports are oral and three will be written memo reports. Each group will prepare a Prelab document before coming to the class for the particular experiment for that period. A group lab book is required to be maintained and will be graded as well. See the lab manual, App. A for report formats. 1000 total points are available for the top grade and they are distributed as follows:

Report type / Prelab / Notebook / Report / Total
Oral Report 1 / 10 / 100 / 110
Oral Report 2 / 10 / 100 / 110
Memo Report 1 / 10 / 100 / 110
Memo Report 2 / 10 / 100 / 110
Total Points / 40 / 400 / 440

Performance standards/grading policy

Final grading will be by letter grades according to the following percentages (at a maximum, but the instructor could adjust the ranges lower):

90-100 =>A; 80-89 => B; 70-79 => C; 60-69 => D; <60 => F.

Teams and individual efforts. Typically labs are assigned to a group (team) of 3-5 members. It is important for each member of the team to participate actively and to contribute meaningfully to the team’s laboratory work. This means all team members should be present when the lab is done and when the team is working on the prelab/ reports. Full credit is given to those members who do so.

ADA Statement

Students with special needs or requiring special accommodations should contact the instructor, (David Dixon, at 605-394-1235) and/or the campus ADA coordinator, Jolie McCoy, at 394-1924 at the earliest opportunity.

Freedom in Learning Statement

Freedom in learning.Under Board of Regents and University policy student academic performance may be evaluated solely on an academic basis, not on opinions or conduct in matters unrelated to academic standards. Students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment about matters of opinion, but they are responsible for learning the content of any course of study for which they are enrolled. Students who believe that an academic evaluation reflects prejudiced or capricious consideration of student opinions or conduct unrelated to academic standards should contact the dean of the college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.

Electronic Devices Policy

Professional decorum.

Tentative Course Outline/Schedule

The tentative list of experiments is (where the numbers refer to the lab manual folders on the F: drive) shown below with the designated report type:

  • 461L_1 Multistage Distillation
  • 461L_2 Triple Effect Evaporator
  • 461L_3 MAPS Gas Absorber
  • 461L_4 Diffusion
  • 461L_5 Reactor

The teams will all do the distillation experiment. Each team should choose three experiments from the remaining four. The distillation experiment will be an oral.

Timing of the experimental work and reporting should be timely, but it is up to the team to schedule and inform the course instructor, TA and Equipment Specialist. Oral reports should be scheduled at a convenient time between the team, the GTA, and the instructor, and should be scheduled for approximately an hour in a CBEC conference room.

Additional Course Information

Relation of Course Outcomes to Program Outcomes (2010-):

The following table indicates the relative strengths of each course outcomes in addressing the program outcomes (on a scale of 1 to 4 where 4 indicates a strong emphasis).

CBE 461 / ChE Program Outcomes*
Program Outcomes / Objective 1 / Objective 2 / Objective 3 / Objective 4 / Objective 5 / Objective 6
a / b / a / b / a / b / a / b / a / b / a / b
Course Outcomes / (1) / 4
(2) / 4 / 3 / 4
(3) / 4 / 3
(4) / 4 / 4 / 3 / 3
(5) / 4 / 4

* For a list of Program Objectives and Program Outcomes, please go to:

Revised Aug 2007 from BOR June 2004

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