Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

None

Aims

To provide an understanding of the specification of performance and the design of a reactor unit as a key to the overall design of the process.

To provide knowledge and skills to apply the basic principles of reactor engineering to the design of reactors involving multiple reactions, catalysis, thermal effects and mass transfer processes.

To provide skills to apply chemical engineering principles to bioreactor design.

To provide fundamentals of bioprocess operation and design and brief information on different types of bioprocesses.

To provide chemical engineers with a basic understanding of the fundamental process engineering problems specific to biochemical processes.

To provide an insight into the creativity required in bioreactor design.

Outline Of Syllabus

Review of reaction kinetics. Ideal flow reactor design. Energy balances in reactors. Catalytic reactions. Heterogeneous catalytic reactors.

Types of bioreactors. Mass and heat transfer in bioreactors. Cell growth and models of growth kinetics. Bioreactor design and scale-up. Instrumentation and control of bioreactors.

Tutorials and examples will demonstrate how lectures can be tied in to solve problems. Students have self-study opportunity from textbooks, handouts, tutorial sheets and materials on Canvas.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of the module students should be able to:
Predict the performance of chemical systems when changing designs and operating conditions (C/M5, C/M7-9).
Critically analyse data and problems in reactor designs for specific applications (C/M1-4, C/M6)
Apply knowledge of catalysis to deduce and evaluate reaction mechanisms C/M1-4).
Apply knowledge and skills in mass and energy balances in designing and scaling-up chemical reactors for specific applications (C/M5-9; C/M15).
Apply their knowledge of population growth kinetics to the analysis and determination of model parameters (C/M1-5).
Discriminate between different types of bioreactors and understand their basic characteristics (C/M5-8).
Apply their knowledge of heat and mass transfer to bioreactor design and scale-up (C/M5-9;).
Understand the need for, and methods of, bioreactor instrumentation and control (C/M8, C/M14).

Intended Skill Outcomes

At the end of the module students should be able to:
Make an educated and economic selection between alternative types of bioreactors and chemical reactors (C/M11, C/M17).
Use design methods for chemical reactors and bioreactors (C/M5, C/M13).
Perform design calculations for required plant items (C/M6; C/M12).
Apply the basic principles of reaction engineering to the design of a homogeneous or heterogeneous reactor appropriate for process plant operation (C/M1-5).
Carry out a practical design of a reactor system for process plant design (C/M7-11; C/M13-16, C/M18).
Demonstrate team working, presentation and information gathering skills (C/M11; C/M16-18; C/M15.
Demonstrate modelling modelling/simulation skills (C/M14-18).

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures and tutorials will introduce basic concepts of chemical reactor and bioreactor design.
Tutorials and problem-solving exercises will provide experience and computing skills in the above areas.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Summative assessment will assess the attainment of the knowledge outcomes and the ability to apply skills and knowledge to solve problems in a timed environment.

Formative assessment will develop students’ skills and knowledges in being assessed. It will test students’ understanding and progress. The assessment allows students to receive feedback and prepared for being assessed.

General Notes

Original Handbook text: