Fluid Flow for the Practicing Chemical Engineer

James Patrick Abulencia, Louis Theodore

• Editorial: Wiley-AIChE
• Año: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781118215715
• Edición: 1
• Categoría: Tecnología e ingeniería
• Categoría: Ingeniería química y bioquímica

This book teaches the fundamentals of fluid flow by including both theory and the applications of fluid flow in chemical engineering. It puts fluid flow in the context of other transport phenomena such as mass transfer and heat transfer, while covering the basics, from elementary flow mechanics to the law of conservation. The book then examines the applications of fluid flow, from laminar flow to filtration and ventilization. It closes with a discussion of special topics related to fluid flow, including environmental concerns and the economic reality of fluid flow applications.

PART I

INTRODUCTION TO FLUID FLOW

This first part of the book provides an introduction to fluid flow. It contains six chapters and each serves a unique purpose in an attempt to treat important introductory aspects of fluid flow. From a practical point-of-view, systems and plants move liquids and gases from one point to another; hence, the student and/or practicing engineer is concerned with several key topics in this area. These receive some measure of treatment in the six chapters contained in this part. A brief discussion of each chapter follows.

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the History of Chemical Engineering—Fluid Flow. Chapter 2 is concerned with Units and Dimensional Analysis. Chapter 3 introduces Key Terms and Definitions. Chapter 4 provides a discussion of Transport Phenomena versus Unit Operations. The final two chapters introduce the reader to Newtonian Fluids (Chapter 5) and Non-Newtonian Flow (Chapter 6). These subjects are important in developing an understanding of the various fluid flow equipment and operations plus their design, which is discussed later in the text.

CHAPTER 1

HISTORY OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING—FLUID FLOW

1.1 INTRODUCTION

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 (see Chapter 27) were carried out 5000 years ago by the Egyptians. During this period, chemical engineering 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 any other trade or craft. 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 facilities which supplies society with thousands of chemical products, most of which were unknown over a century ago. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, an increased demand arose for engineers trained in the fundamentals of chemical processes. This demand was ultimately met by chemical engineers.

1.2 FLUID FLOW

With respect to fluid flow, the history of pipes and fittings dates back to the Roman Empire. The ingenious “engineers” of that time came up with a solution for supplying the never-ending demand for fresh water to a city and then disposing of the wastewater produced by the Romans. Their system was based on pipes made out of wood and stone and the driving force of the water was gravity.(1) Over time, many improvements have been made to the piping system. These improvements have included the material choice, shape and size of the pipes; pipes are now made from different metals, plastic, and even glass, with different diameters and wall thicknesses. The next challenge was the connection of the pipes and that was accomplished with fittings. Changes in piping design ultimately resulted from the evolving industrial demands for specific requirements and the properties of fluids that needed to be transported.

The first pump can be traced back to 3000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. It was used to supply water to the crops in the Nile River valley.(2) The pump was a long lever with a weight on one side and a bucket on the other. The use of this first pump became popular in the Middle East and this technology was used for the next 2000 years. Sometimes, a series of pumps would be put in place to provide a constant flow of water to the crops far from the source. Another ancient pump was the bucket chain, a continuous loop of buckets that passed over a pulley-wheel; it is believed that this pump was used to irrigate the Hanging Gardens of Babylon around 600 B.C.(2) The most famous of these early pumps is the Archimedean screw. The pump was invented by the famous Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes (287-212 B.C.). The pump was made of...