Undergraduate Course: Process Plant Engineering 2 (CHEE08016)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course builds on SCEE08003 Fluid Mechanics 2 and provides a practical introduction to fluid systems, process control, and materials engineering relevant to chemical engineering practice. It develops the application of fluid mechanics to the design and analysis of pipework systems, including frictional losses, and incorporates the role of pumps, compressors, and control valves in industrial plant.
The course introduces the fundamentals of process control, including control configurations and control actions, and the role of controllers, sensors, and final control elements in control systems. Students develop an understanding of how sensors, control valves, pumps, and compressors interact within process control loops to achieve stable and efficient plant operation.
The course also introduces the physical properties of engineering materials and the principles of corrosion, emphasising the impact of corrosion on the safety, reliability, and performance of chemical engineering plant. Students gain an understanding of materials selection for corrosive environments, including the use of surface engineering and protective coatings to improve materials performance and extend service life.
A laboratory programme complements the lecture material by reinforcing key concepts through practical experiments and data analysis. |
| Course description |
This course comprises 20 lectures and 10 tutorials assessed by written examination, as well as one 3 hour laboratory session. Laboratory session is assessed by written report.
Lectures 1 - 6 introduce the fundamentals of process control, including the objectives and structure of control loops and the definitions of controlled, manipulated, and disturbance variables and setpoints. Regulatory and servo responses are explained, alongside feedback and feedforward control strategies. Key components of control systems, including sensors, controllers, and final control elements, are introduced with examples of simple industrial control loops. Common control actions ¿ on-off, proportional (P), proportional-integral (PI), and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) - are discussed, together with more advanced configurations such as cascade and split-range control.
Lectures 7 - 13 focus on fluid flow and pumping systems. The steady flow energy equation is revised and applied to pipe flow calculations, including the evaluation of friction factors and frictional losses in pipes and fittings. The operation and performance of positive displacement and centrifugal pumps are examined, covering net positive suction head (NPSH), pump characteristics, power consumption, and efficiency. Pump selection and determination of the operating point are discussed using worked examples. The module also introduces common valve types, their operating principles and applications, with particular emphasis on control valves, valve characteristics, and matching valves to process systems.
Lectures 14 - 15 address the compression of gases, including a revision of gas behaviour and thermodynamic principles. The similarities and differences between compressors and liquid pumps are examined, and multistage compression with intercooling is introduced. Compressor performance is analysed using definitions of isentropic, polytropic, and overall efficiency, supported by example calculations.
Lectures 16 - 20 introduce the physical properties of engineering materials relevant to chemical engineering design, operation, and safety, with a strong emphasis on materials selection for industrial applications. Mechanical properties such as elasticity, plastic deformation, fracture, and fatigue are discussed, together with thermal properties including thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, and glass transition temperature. The lectures cover major corrosion mechanisms - uniform, galvanic, crevice, pitting, intergranular, leaching, erosion corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking - and examine how these influence the selection of materials for corrosive environments. Key selection criteria, including chemical compatibility, mechanical performance, operating temperature and pressure, and economic considerations, are introduced. The role of surface engineering and protective coatings in improving materials performance, controlling corrosion, and extending service life is also discussed.
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. Physical properties of engineering materials
8. Corrosion and selection of materials
Laboratories:
Students complete 1 of the following experiments:
1. Process Control: (e.g. level control, temperature control, pressure control, flow control)
2. Pressure Relief Devices
3. Air Operated Fluid Control Valve: Principles of Construction and Operating Characteristics
4. Pump Characteristics
|
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-requisites | Introduction 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 2025/26, 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 9,
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
3 )
|
| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Other study hours
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
90 %,
Coursework
10 %,
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. Class-wide feedback will also be provided on the final examination. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Process Plant Engineering 2 | 120 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | Process Plant Engineering 2 | 120 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Knowledge & Understanding (K&U): Explain the physical principles governing the operation of pumps and control valves, using correct engineering terminology. Describe the structure and function of process control loops, and identify appropriate control strategies for simple chemical engineering processes. Compare different types of control actions and interpret their responses to system disturbances. Explain the fundamental properties and classifications of engineering materials, including small-scale structures and phase diagrams. Describe major forms of corrosion and discuss their significance in chemical engineering design.
- Cognitive Skills (CS): Analyse and contrast the operational behaviour of commonly used controllers, sensors, pumps, control valves, and compressors in industrial systems.
- Professional/Practical Skills (Practice): Select and justify an appropriate centrifugal pump for Newtonian fluid flow in a specified pipework system based on pump performance characteristics. Select and justify a suitable control valve for a defined duty. Optimise the number of stages of a multi-stage compressor by evaluating compressor efficiency. Calculate pressure drops and maximum flow rates for compressible fluids in uniform pipes. Evaluate and select suitable engineering materials for chemical process design. Recognise and describe key chemical engineering processes used 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 |
| Keywords | Pipework Systems,Compressible Flow,Control Systems,Process Engineering Design & Applications |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Michael Chen
Tel:
Email: Michael.Chen@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Mark Owenson
Tel: (0131 6)50 5533
Email: Mark.Owenson@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage