What is Chemical Engineering?

UNIT PROCESSES AND UNIT OPERATIONS IN CHEMICAL PROCESS INDUSTRIES

Chemical process is combination of unit processes and Unit operation. Unit process
involves principle chemical conversions leading to synthesis of various useful product and
provide basic information regarding the reaction temperature and pressure, extent of
chemical conversions and yield of product of reaction nature of reaction whether
endothermic or exothermic, type of catalyst used. Unit operations involve the physical
separation of the products obtained during various unit processes.
 Unit operations : Involves physical changes of the material

 Unit processes: Involves chemical changes of the material

Note: To produce any desired product it may require only unit operations or only unit processes
or both unit operations & unit processes depending on the type of material being treated or
produced.
Mechanical Operations:

Properties of Particulate Solids

 Solids: More difficult to handle than liquids/gas

 Angular pieces, continuous sheets, finely divided powders

 Solids may be----

hard& abrasive (rough, coarse(large)) ,

tough& rubbery

soft or fragile (easily broken)

dusty (powdery)

cohesive ( sticky together)

free-flowing (non-cohesive)
Solid types

Characterization of solid particles

Sphericity
Sphericity values of particles having different shapes
 Equivalent diameter: The diameter of sphere of equal volume as the particle

 Note: For a given volume, a sphere has the minimum possible surface area

 Nominal diameter: for granular materials, it is difficult to determine the exact volume and
surface area of a particle, and ‘Dp‘ is usually taken to be the nominal size based on screen
analyses or microscopic examination
 Particle Size: Diameters for any equidimensional particle

 Particles that are not equidimensional, are characterized by the second-longest major
dimension

coares---inches or mm

fine-----screen size

very fine-----μm or nm

ultra fine--------surface area/unit mass, m2/g

Mixed particle sizes & analysis:

 The mixture is sorted into fractions, each of constant density and approximately constant
size

Specific surface of mixture

 The surface area of the particles in each fraction calculated and the results for all fractions
added to give the specific surface (the total surface area of a unit mass of particles)

For constant ρp and ϕs

Average particle size

Number of particles in a mixture