CE 55000 – Physico/Chemical Processes of Environmental Engineering

Credits and contact hours:

  • 3 credits
  • Lecture meets 3 times per week for 50 minutes per meeting for 15 weeks

Specific course information:

  • Catalog description: In-depth coverage of physico/chemical processes used in environmental engineering. Topics include: reactor theory, mixing, gravity separation, centrifugation, coagulation, flocculation, filtration, chemical disinfection, photochemical reactor behavior, gasliquid transfer. Typically offered Fall.
  • Prerequisites: Graduate Standing
  • Course status: 

Specific Goals for the course:

  • Student learning outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course the student shall be able to:
    • Use principles of material balances to develop and apply dynamic models of system behavior
    • Apply basic reactor models to describe system behavior
    • Predict behavior of physical separation processes, including centrifugation, sedimentation, and filtration
    • Define models of disinfection kinetics and apply these relationships to predict the performance of disinfection processes
    • Simulate gasliquid transfer dynamics
  •  Relationship of course to program outcomes
    • Outcome 1: An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
    • Outcome 2: An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.

Topics:

  • Fundamentals of Mass Transport Behavior
    • Definition of terms to quantify rates of transport by advection, diffusion, dispersion, and interphase transport
  • Fundamental Reactor Theory
    • Apply principles of material balances to develop models to describe dynamics of batch, well-mixed, plug-flow, and hybrid reactor systems
  • Physical Separation Processes
    • Governing principles that define the behavior of basic physical separation processes are presented, including; sedimentation, centrifugation, coagulation/flocculation, filtration, and membranes
  • Disinfection Processes
    • Fundamental kinetic models and reactor models are integrated to describe the dynamic behavior of disinfection systems, including those based on chlorine and UV radiation
  • Gas-Liquid Transfer Processes
    • Fundamental models used to simulate the dynamic behavior of basic gas:liquid separation processes, including air stripping and absorption are presented