THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Chemical

Undergraduate Course: Process Plant Engineering 2 (CHEE08016)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThis course builds on SCEE08003 Fluid Mechanics 2. It is designed to provide a practical insight into the design of pipework systems, reinforcing theoretical study of fluid mechanics and including the effect of pumps and control valves. It introduces the concept of simple control loops, laying the foundations for future study of control and providing a foundation for compressible flow pressure drop calculations. Compressible flow in nozzles is treated, including choked flow and normal shocks. It introduces the basic concept of corrosion, understanding its harm in chemical engineering plant and learning how to improve materials performance by selection of materials and surface coating. A laboratory and a chemical engineering plant works visit programme supplement the lecture course.
Course description This course comprises 20 lectures and 8 tutorials assessed by written examination, as well as one 3 hour laboratory sessions and one process engineering plant works visit. Laboratory session is assessed by written report. Works Visit is assessed by group oral presentation.

Lectures
Lect 1-6: Objectives and definitions of control loops: controlled, disturbance and manipulated variables, setpoint. Regulator and servo responses. Feedback and feedforward control. Sensors and final control elements. Examples of simple control loops. Control actions: on-off, proportional, PI and PID control. Cascade and split-range control loops.

Lect 7-13: Revision of the steady flow energy equation. Evaluation of the friction factor. Types of pipe flow calculations. Frictional losses in pipes and fittings. Example calculations. The operation of positive displacement pumps and centrifugal pumps. NPSH, pump characteristics. Power consumption and efficiency calculations. Pump selection. The operating point. Example calculations. A description of the most common valve types including applications in which they may be appropriately used. Control valves. Design specifications. Valve characteristics. Matching valves to systems. Example of valve choice.

Lect 14-18: Revision of compression of gases. Comparison of compressors and liquid pumps. Multistage compression. Efficiencies. Steady flow energy equation for flow of compressible fluids in uniform pipes. Concept of choked flow. Speed of sound. Description and calculation of flow rate and pressure drop correlations for compressible fluids in nozzles. Normal shocks. Examples of compressible flow in nozzles.

Lect 19-20: Introduction to eight types of corrosion: uniform, galvanic, crevice, pitting, intergranular, leaching, erosion and stress corrosion cracking. Overview of material selection for corrosive environments. Understand the application of surface engineering to improve materials performance, and in service-life, with reference to coatings for the control of corrosion.


Tutorials
1. Simple Control Loops
2. Simple Processes with control
3. Pipework systems without pumps
4. Pipework systems with pumps
5. Pipework systems with pump and control valve
6. Compressors
7. Compressible flow
8. Corrosion and selection of materials

Laboratories
Students complete 1 of the following experiments:
1. Characteristics of a Diaphragm Compressor/Vacuum Pump
2. Process Control: (e.g. level control, temperature control)
3. Characteristics of a Centrifugal Blower
4. Pressure Relief Devices
5. Air Operated Fluid Control Valve: Principles of Construction and Operating Characteristics
6. Design of an Orifice Flowmeter
7. Pump Characteristics

Works visits
Students go to selected chemical engineering plants for works visit.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites Students MUST also take: Fluid Mechanics 2 (SCEE08003)
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesIntroduction to fluid flow including, steady flow energy equation and friction factors. Introduction to thermodynamics including 1st law, 2nd law and entropy.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 20, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 8, External Visit Hours 4, Formative Assessment Hours 1, Summative Assessment Hours 4, Revision Session Hours 2, Other Study Hours 59, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 0 )
Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) Other study hours
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 80 %, Coursework 20 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) The written paper, of 2 hours duration, comprises 3 compulsory questions. It should be noted that all aspects of the course are examinable, that questions integrating different aspects of the course can be set and that not all areas of the course need necessarily be examined in any one diet of exams.

The School has a 40% rule for this course, whereby you must achieve a minimum of 40% in coursework and 40% in written exam components, as well as an overall mark of 40% to pass a course. If you fail a course you will be required to resit it. You are only required to resit components which have been failed.
Feedback Feedback will be provided on the laboratory reports on a pro-forma feedback sheet, on the works visit report and orally within the tutorials on completed attempts at the questions set. Class-wide feedback will also be provided on the final examination.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)Process Plant Engineering 22:120
Resit Exam Diet (August)Process Plant Engineering 22:120
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. K&U: Describe the physical principles involved in the operation of pumps and control valves; Use the correct terminology in description of control loops and suggest practical control loops for simple processes; Describe the different types of control action and their response to a system disturbance; Describe the range of flow regimes possible for flows of compressible fluids through nozzles. Describe different types of corrosion and understanding its importance in chemical engineering design.
  2. CS: Describe and contrast the behaviour of pump types commonly found in industrial use; Discuss the changes that occur in a normal shock.
  3. Practice: Select an appropriate centrifugal pump for Newtonian fluid flow in a given pipe-work system on the basis of a pump characteristic; Select an appropriate control valve for a given duty; Optimise the design of a multi-stage compressor by taking into account the compressor efficiency; Calculate pressure drops and maximum flow rates for compressible fluids in uniform pipes; Calculate flow rates of compressible fluids through nozzles for a given pressure drop, whether the flow is choked or not; Select materials for chemical engineering design involving corrosive environment/processes; Familiar with chemical engineering processes in industry.
Reading List
1. Fox, McDonald, Pritchard, An Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, Wiley, 6th edition, 2004. (Background reading)
2. Holland F.A. and Bragg R., Fluid Flow for Chemical Engineers, Edward Arnold 2nd ed. 1995. (Background reading)
3. Chemical Engineering (Volume 1), J M Coulson and J F Richardson, Pergamon Press. (Recommended reading)
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsPipework Systems,Compressible Flow,Control Systems,Process Engineering Design & Applications
Contacts
Course organiserDr Michael Chen
Tel:
Email: Michael.Chen@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Mark Owenson
Tel: (0131 6)50 5533
Email: Mark.Owenson@ed.ac.uk
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