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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Chemical

Undergraduate Course: Polymer Science and Engineering 5 (CHEE11015)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThis course gives an introduction to polymer science and engineering, covering the properties of polymers, polymer reactions, polymer forming and production processes and polymer characterisation.
Course description 1. Introduction to polymers: Overview of applications
2. Polymer classification and terminology
3. Viscoelastic behaviour
4. Glass transition
5. Rubber Elasticity
6. Solution and phase behavior
7. Polymer crystallinity
8. Polymer structure vs thermal, rheological and physical properties
9. Making polymers - polymerisation mechanisms, free radical chain reactions, ionic polymerisation, condensation polymerisation, cooridination polymerisation
10. Copolymerisation
11. Polymer characterisation
12. Polymerisation in reactors - plug flow, CSTR, fluidised bed, batch reactor
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Chemical Engineering Kinetics and Catalysis 3 (CHEE09010) AND Heat, Mass and Momentum Transfer 3 (CHEE09013)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Polymers and Composite Materials 4 (MECE10009)
Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
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, Formative Assessment Hours 1, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 75 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 2 hour written examination.

This course is assessed by means of a single two-hour written examination, comprising three compulsory questions. The first two, worth 30 marks each, are intended to test competence in the subject and may be similar to worked examples in the lectures. The third question, on the reactors section of the course and worth 40 marks, is intended to test mastery of the subject matter and will therefore be more challenging.
Feedback Feedback will be provided orally both in the briefing sessions for the reaction engineering component and within the surgery hours 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)Polymer Science and Engineering 52:120
Resit Exam Diet (August)Polymer Science and Engineering 52:120
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. CS: Explain the relationship between polymer properties (thermal, rheological, mechanical), and polymer microstructure and molecular weight; Relate polymer properties to their processing and uses; Explain methods for determining the microstructure and molecular weight of polymers and describe the significance of polymer solubility, melting point and glass transition temperature.
  2. K&U: Describe different types of polymerisation process, and the significance in each of: initiation, propagation, termination, branching; and, for copolymerisation, reactivity ratios and monomer ratio.
  3. Practice: Calculate average molecular weights of polymers knowing the conversion and/or other reaction conditions; Calculate the ratio of monomer types in copolymerisation and predict the type of sequence obtained; Determine the data required for the design of polymerisation reactors of a variety of types: batch, plug-flow, CSTR, heterogeneous (emulsion, fluidised bed), and predict the mean residence time and size of reactor for simplified cases.
Reading List
1. Rudin, "The Elements of Polymer Science and Engineering", Academic Press, 2nd edition, 1998 (Recommended reading)
2. Painter & Coleman, "Fundamentals of Polymer Science", Technomic, 2nd edition 1997 (Recommended reading)
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Independent learning and analytical skills
KeywordsPolymer Science,Reactors,Properties,Polymer processing,Characterisation
Contacts
Course organiserDr Cher Hon Lau
Tel: (0131 6)50 7813
Email: Cherhon.Lau@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Mark Ewing
Tel:
Email: mewing2@ed.ac.uk
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