Chemical Engineering
Ann Marie Flynn, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Chemical Engineering
Director, Graduate Program
Mission
The Chemical Engineering graduate degree program is designed to offer engineers and scientists the opportunity to acquire the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering with an emphasis on practice-oriented knowledge of analysis and design.
Objectives
The objectives of this program are to:
- Expand the students' understanding of the basic fundamentals and principles of chemical engineering;
- Expose students to contemporary advances in the areas of separations, alternative energy, water purification, green engineering, pollution prevention and process safety, engineering management, cosmetic engineering and advanced computer skills.
- Provide opportunities for students to conduct fundamental or applied research, and to improve their oral and written communication skills.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must possess
- a baccalaureate degree in a chemical engineering program accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc., or from a recognized foreign institution; or
- a baccalaureate degree in another area of engineering, chemistry, or biology.
Applicants who have a baccalaureate degree in biology, chemistry, or another engineering program will be considered for admission if they present satisfactory grades in calculus I, II and III, differential equations, chemistry I and II, physics I and II, organic chemistry I and II, and physical chemistry I and II. These students can expect to be admitted and matriculate when they have completed the following bridge courses with a minimum grade point average of 3.00 with no grade lower than C:
| CHML 207 | Process Calculations | 3 |
| CHML 208 | Chemical Engineering Principles I | 3 |
| CHML 305 | Chemical Engineering Principles II | 3 |
| CHML 209 | Chemical Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHML 306 | Separation Process Design I | 3 |
| CHML 321 | Chemical Reaction Engineering | 3 |
| CHEM 319 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 323 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| MATH 286 | Differential Equations | 3 |
The order in which these courses are taken will be determined by the graduate director on a case by case basis. These courses will not satisfy any requirements for the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering degree. Generally, students must complete prerequisite courses before they are permitted to register for graduate courses. Exceptions require the recommendation of the Chair and the approval of the Dean of Engineering.
Degree Requirements
All students must complete a minimum of thirty credit hours of graduate course work including:
| CHMG 707 | Process Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHMG 710 | Advanced Transport Phenomena | 3 |
| CHMG 713 | Chemical Reactor Design | 3 |
| CHMG 714 | Modern Separation Processes | 3 |
| CHMG 739 | Introduction to Design Project | 3 |
| CHMG 740 | Design Project | 3 |
| Four elective courses chosen from CHMG or ENGG * | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
| * | Or other approved graduate courses offered by the Engineering School. |
All courses are to be approved by the Graduate Program Director.
Cosmetic Engineering
The Chemical Engineering department also offers a concentration in Cosmetic Engineering at the graduate level. The program covers topics of significant interest to engineers in the food, pharmaceutical, advanced coatings industries, and most leading industries that engage in regulated manufacturing which uses new technologies above and beyond basic chemical engineering training. In addition to the six required Chemical Engineering core courses, students are required to complete the following set of Cosmetic Engineering electives:
| CHMG 750 | Emulsion Technology | 3 |
| CHMG 751 | Industrial Regulations and Quality | 3 |
| CHMG 752 | Advanced Processing Theory | 3 |
| CHMG 753 | Advanced Processing Techniques | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Courses
CHMG 529. Fuel Cell Systems and Technology. 3 Credits.
This course will review the technical and design aspects associated with various stationary and transportation fuel cell applications. Course material will focus on electrochemical kinetics, electrode catalysis, system thermodynamics, fuel processing, and H2 storage. Topics to be covered will include basic electronchemical principles of a unitized electrode assembly the combination of multiple unitized assemblies into a cell stack assembly, the design of fuel and oxidizer supply systems, and safety issues related to the design and operation of fuel cell power plants. Prerequisite: Mass and energy balances, general electrochemistry and basic transport phenomena (momentum, heat and mass transfer). Three credits.
CHMG 539. Industrial Catalysis. 3 Credits.
Fundamentals and application of catalysts used in the chemical, petroleum and environmental industries. Students will learn: the application of chemistry, materials, surface science, kinetics, reactor design and general engineering as applied to making everyday products; how catalysts allow the effective production of transportation fuels, modern catalytic converters for automobiles, bulk chemicals, polymers, foods, fertilizers, etc. Industrially-oriented course for engineers and chemists. Prerequisite: Physical Chemistry. Three credits.
CHMG 549. Advanced Combustion and Fuel Process Technology. 3 Credits.
This course will review the technical and design aspects associated with various stationary and transportation fuel cell applications. Course material will focus on electrochemical kinetics, electrode catalysis, system thermodynamics, fuel processing, and H2 storage. Topics to be covered will include basic electrochemical principles of a unitized electrode assembly, the combination of multiple unitized assemblies into cell stack assembly, the design of fuel and oxidizer supply systems, and safety issues related to the design and operation of fuel cell power plants. Prerequisite: Mass and Energy Balance, general electrode chemistry and basic transport phenomena (momentum, heat and mass transfer). Three credits.
CHMG 575. Contemporary Food Engineering. 3 Credits.
This course examines the application of chemical engineering unit operations to food manufacturing. Topics include heating, cooling and freezing of foods; mass transfer in foods; reaction kinetics; chemical, microbiological and biochemical aspects of food engineering; dehydration, thermal and non-thermal processing; food handling, public health and sanitation; green and sustainable technologies in food processing; food packaging, transport, storage and shelf-life. Prerequisites: CHML 208, CHML 305, CHML 306, CHML 321.
CHMG 707. Process Thermodynamics. 3 Credits.
Emphasis on the application of thermodynamics to process design; development and use of thermodynamic principles in single-phase and multi-phase processes; applications in reactor design. Prerequisite: Undergraduate thermodynamics course.
CHMG 708. Advanced Heat Transfer Applications. 3 Credits.
This course will cover will cover heat transfer mechanisms and modes for unsteady state and transient conduction, convection, and radiation in engineering systems. Applications include novel thermal and fluidic components and heat-exchange systems in the areas of alternative energy, green materials, food technology and bo-processing. Prerequisite: Undergraduate heat transfer course. Three credits.
CHMG 710. Advanced Transport Phenomena. 3 Credits.
Topics include continuum and molecular theories of matter; non-dimensionalization; velocity, temperature and concentration distributions in flow; boundary layer analysis; simultaneous momentum, energy and mass transport; mathematical analogies; simultaneous diffusion and chemical reaction. Prerequisite: undergraduate transport phenomena.
CHMG 713. Chemical Reactor Design. 3 Credits.
Application of engineering analysis, computer design and optimization of chemical reactor systems. Prerequisite: Undergraduate reaction engineering course.".
CHMG 714. Modern Separation Processes. 3 Credits.
Mass transfer principles and design techniques applied to absorption and adsorption systems; gas-liquid, gas-solid and liquid-solid separation processes; mass transfer with chemical reaction; thermal effects; multi-component transfer. Prerequisite: Undergraduate mass transfer course.".
CHMG 717. Process Simulation and Design. 3 Credits.
Applications of contemporary computer software to increase speed, improve comprehension, and enhance presentation; of results when analyzing, modeling and solving a wide variety of process design problems. Topics include design of fired heaters, bubble column reactors, generalized shell-and-tube exchangers, and multi-component condensers; FUG calculations for sloppy splits; and plate-to-plate calculations.
CHMG 726. Separation and Recovery Processes. 3 Credits.
Emphasis on non-thermal separation and recovery processes used primarily for solid-liquid separations. Topics include crystallization, precipitation, sedimentation, centrifugation, particle filtration, and microfiltration. Applications in chemical processing, industrial wastewater treatment and biological processing. Prerequisite: Undergraduate mass transfer course.".
CHMG 727. Air Pollution Control Design. 3 Credits.
Emphasis on particulate control. Industrial sources and regulatory codes for particulate emissions; review of fine particle technology; development of performance equations and design procedures for gravity settlers, cyclone-electrostatic precipitators, baghouse and venturi scrubbers; atmosphere dispersion adn stack design; overview of gaseous control equipment.
CHMG 729. Hazardous Waste Incineration. 3 Credits.
Stoichiometric and thermochemical calculations; legislation, permitting adn siting; other options; incineration of solid waste, sludge, liquid waste, and gases; land-based and ship-borne incineration; design of incinerators, quenchers, waste heat boilers, fans and gaseous control equipment; design project application.
CHMG 735. Independent Project Or Thesis. 3-6 Credit.
Chemical engineering project or thesis on selected topics, involving experimental research, process design, computer simulation, and/or authoring technical papers. Written report or publication, and oral presentation are required. Topic to be selected by the student with approval of a faculty advisor and the Chair.
CHMG 736. Independent Project or Thesis. 3-6 Credit.
Chemical engineering project or thesis on selected topics, involving experimental research, process design, computer simulation, and/or authoring technical papers. Written report or publication, and oral presentation are required. Topic to be selected by the student with approval of a faculty advisor and the Chair.
CHMG 739. Introduction to Design Project. 3 Credits.
Reaction path screening; exploratory technical and economic process evaluations; process synthesis; preliminary process flow diagram; material and energy balances; quick sizing design techniques and factored cost estimate; material selection. Written report or publication and oral presentation are required.
CHMG 740. Design Project. 3 Credits.
Preliminary equipment design techniques; computer-aided process optimization studies; hazards and safety evaluation; site location and layout studies; detailed economic evaluation. Written report or publication and oral presentation are required. Prerequisite: CHMG 739. Three credits.
CHMG 741. Special Topics. 3 Credits.
Special topics of current interest to graduate students; subject matter will be announced in advance of semester offering. Written report or publication and oral presentation are required.
CHMG 742. Seminar in Selected Chemical Engineering Topics. 3 Credits.
Seminar course in specialized and contemporary topics not covered in regular chemical engineering classes with an emphasis on written and oral communication skills. Topic examples are nanotechnology, genetic engineering, carbon trading, climate change, water and disease, financial engineering.
CHMG 743. Advanced Fluid Mechanics. 3 Credits.
A course focused on differential equations of motion for incompressible fluids. Major topics include tensor notation and vector calculus, linear and angular momentum conservation, scaling, Stokes flow, inviscid flow, boundary layer, vorticity, potential flow and lubrication. Prerequisites: MATH 286, CHML 208.
CHMG 750. Emulsion Technology. 3 Credits.
Investigation of the following topics as applied in an engineering context: suspensions, emulsions and dispersion; stability, surfactants, and micelles; characterization; thickening and formulation. Applications include cosmetics, personal care products, adhesives, food technology, pharmaceutical and advanced coating formulations. Prerequisites: CHEM 310,CHEM 320; CHML 308. Three credits.
CHMG 751. Industrial Regulations and Quality. 3 Credits.
Discussion of a variety of aspects of regulated and quality-driven industries:Regulations - CFR, regulating authorities, regulatory inventories, applications, compliance, and recalls; Quality Systems - Six Sigma®, GXP and TQM, documentation, measurement, safety, training, and cleanliness; Quality Control Techniques - Validation, ASTM testing, run rules, control charts. Prerequisites: senior status.
CHMG 752. Advanced Processing Theory. 3 Credits.
The theory of multiphase and reactive flow processes, including: non-newtonian and time-dependant flow, heat transfer at boundaries, powder and solids processing, surface forces, phase transitions, ripening and sintering, flow with chemical transformations. Applications include cosmetics, personal care products, adhesives, food technology, pharmaceutical and advanced coating formulations. Prerequisite: CHML 411 or CHMG 511.
CHMG 753. Advanced Processing Techniques. 3 Credits.
Applications of advanced processing techniques for multiphase processes, including: multiphase flow, pumping, mixing, homogenization, atomization, drying. Applications include cosmetics, personal care products, adhesives, food technology, pharmaceutical and advanced coating formulations. Prerequisite: CHML 403.