Unit Operations in Environmental Engineering

Louis Theodore, Ryan R. Dupont, Kumar Ganesan, R. Ryan Dupont

• Publisher: Wiley-Scrivener
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781119283638
• eBook ISBN: 9781119283683
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Engineering General
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The book presents the principles of unit operations as well as the application of these principles to real-world problems.

The authors have written a practical introductory text exploring the theory and applications of unit operations for environmental engineers that is a comprehensive update to Linvil Rich's 1961 classic work, "Unit Operations in Sanitary Engineering". The book is designed to serve as a training tool for those individuals pursuing degrees that include courses on unit operations. Although the literature is inundated with publications in this area emphasizing theory and theoretical derivations, the goal of this book is to present the subject from a strictly pragmatic introductory point-of-view, particularly for those individuals involved with environmental engineering.

This book is concerned with unit operations, fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer. Unit operations, by definition, are physical processes although there are some that include chemical and biological reactions. The unit operations approach allows both the practicing engineer and student to compartmentalize the various operations that constitute a process, and emphasizes introductory engineering principles so that the reader can then satisfactorily predict the performance of the various unit operations equipment.

"This is a definitive work on Unit Operations, one of the most important subjects in environmental engineering today. It is an excellent reference, well written, easily read and comprehensive. I believe the book will serve well those working in engineering disciplines including those beyond just environmental and chemical engineering. Bottom-line: A must for any technical library".
—Kenneth J. Skipka, CCM

Part I
INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF UNIT OPERATIONS

The purpose of this Part can be found in its title. The book itself offers the reader the principles of unit operations with appropriate practical applications, and serves as an introduction to the specialized and more sophisticated texts in this area. The reader should realize that the contents are geared not only toward practitioners in this field, but also students of science and engineering. Topics of interest to all practicing engineers have been included. It should also be noted that the microscopic approach of unit operations is not covered here. The approach taken in the text is to place more emphasis on real-world and design applications. However, microscopic approach material is available in the literature, as noted in the ensuing chapters.

The chapters in this Part provide an introduction and overview of unit operations. Part I chapter content includes:

1. History of Chemical Engineering and Unit Operations

2. Transport Phenomena versus Unit Operations Approach

3. The Conservation Laws and Stoichiometry

4. The Ideal Gas Law

5. Thermodynamics

6. Chemical Kinetics

7. Equilibrium versus Rate Considerations

8. Process and Plant Design

Topics covered in the first two introductory chapters include a history of chemical engineering and unit operations, and a discussion of transport phenomena versus unit operations. The remaining chapters are concerned with introductory engineering principles.

Chapter 1
History of Chemical Engineering and Unit Operations

A discussion of the field of chemical engineering is warranted before proceeding to some specific details regarding unit operations and the contents of this first chapter. A reasonable question to ask is: What is chemical engineering? An outdated, but once official definition provided by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers is:

Chemical Engineering is that branch of engineering concerned with the development and application of manufacturing processes in which chemical or certain physical changes are involved. These processes may usually be resolved into a coordinated series of unit physical “operations” (hence part of the name of the chapter and book) and chemical processes. The work of the chemical engineer is concerned primarily with the design, construction, and operation of equipment and plants in which these unit operations and processes are applied. Chemistry, physics, and mathematics are the underlying sciences of chemical engineering, and economics is its guide in practice.

The above definition was appropriate up until a few decades ago when the profession branched out from the chemical industry. Today, that definition has changed. Although it is still based on chemical fundamentals and physical principles, these principles have been de-emphasized in order to allow for the expansion of the profession to other areas (biotechnology, semiconductors, fuel cells, environment, etc.). These areas include environmental management, health and safety, computer applications, and economics and finance. This has led to many new definitions of chemical engineering, several of which are either too specific or too vague. A definition-proposed here is simply that “chemical engineers solve problems”. Unit operations is the one subject area that historically has been the domain of the chemical engineer. It is often present in the curriculum and includes fluid flow [1], heat transfer [2] and mass transfer [3] principles.

Although the chemical engineering profession is usually thought to have originated shortly before 1900, many of the processes associated with this discipline were developed in antiquity. For example, filtration operations were carried out 5,000 years ago by the Egyptians. MTOs such as crystallization, precipitation, and distillation soon followed. During this period, other MTOs evolved from a mixture of craft, mysticism, incorrect theories, and empirical guesses.

In a very real sense, the chemical industry dates back to prehistoric times when people first attempted to control and modify their environment. The chemical industry developed as did any other trades or crafts. With little knowledge of chemical science and no means of chemical analysis, the earliest chemical “engineers” had to rely on previous art and superstition. As one would imagine, progress was slow. This changed with time. The chemical industry in the world today is a sprawling complex of raw-material sources, manufacturing plants, and distribution f...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Preface
• Introduction
• Part I: Introduction to the Principles of Unit Operations
• Part II: Fluid Flow
• Part III: Heat Transfer
• Part IV: Mass Transfer
• Part V: Case Studies
• Appendix A: Units
• Appendix B: Miscellaneous Tables
• Appendix C: Steam Tables
• Appendix D: Basic Calculations
• Index
• End User License Agreement