Fertilizer plant

Unit Processes
Chemical Processes: Elementary steps

Transfer of Chemical reactions Separation of

reactants into involving unit products using
reaction zone processes unit operations

Chemical Processes = f(Chemical Changes + Physical Changes)

Chemical Processes
Processes:
◦ homogeneous or heterogeneous
◦ Batch or continuous

Reactions:
◦ reversible or irreversible, exothermic or endothermic, catalytic or non-catalytic

Process variables:
◦ temperature, pressure, composition, catalyst activity, catalyst selectivity, catalyst stability, catalyst life,
the rate of heat and mass transfer.
http://chemineering.blogspot.com/2014/08/types-of-chemical-engineering-drawings.html
Unit Processes
Unit process involves principle chemical conversion leading to synthesis of the various useful
product and provide basic information regarding reaction temperature and pressure.
• Decomposition
Alkylation
• Fermentation
Hydro alkylation • Halogenations
Acylation • Hydrogenation
Ammonoxidation • Hydroformylation
Amination By Reduction • Hydrolysis
• Hydration
Amination
• Carbonation,
Aromatization
• causticisation,
Amination By Ammonolysis • chlorination and oxy chlorination
Calcination
Unit Processes
Condensation • Cracking And Pyrolysis
biomethnanation • Dehydrogenation
• Diatozitation
carbonization
• Coupling
Disproportionation
• Gasification of Coal And
Hydroammonalysis Biomass
Isomerization • Desulphurization
Neutralization • Hydro Desuplhurisation

Nitration
Methanation
Oxidation and Partial oxidation
Important Unit Processes
Unit Process Reaction Uses/ Industry

Alkylation Addition of alkyl radical (CH3) with side chain final organic chemicals,
product. C=C-C-C + C-C-C petroleum industries

Amination by Cl-CH2CH2Cl + 4NH3 -------> NH2CH2CH2NH2 dye stuffs, organic

Ammonolysis EDC Ethylene Diamine chemicals and
synthetic fibres
Amination by CH3CHNO2CH3 + 3H2 ------> CH3CHNH2CH3 dye stuffs and
Reduction 2 Nitro Paraffin Iso Propylamine organic chemicals

Amino CH3CH2CH3 + NH3 + 1.5 O2 -----> CH2:CHCN + H20 plastics and

Oxidation Propylene Acrylonitrile synthetic fibres

Calcination CaCO3 ---Heat---> CaO + CO2 cement industry

Limestone Lime
Important Unit Processes
Unit Process Reaction Uses/ Industry

Carbonylation CH3OH + CO -----> CH3COOH organic chemicals

Methanol Acetic Acid
Carboxylation C6H5ONa + CO2 ----> C6H5COONa organic chemicals
Sodium Phenoxide Sodium benzoate industries

Combustion CH4 + O2 ------> CO2 + 2H2O Process Heating

Condensation C6H5CHO + CH3CHO ------> C6H5CH:CHCHO + H2O plastics and

Benzaldehyde Acetaldehyde Cinnamaldehyde synthetic fibres

Cracking or C-C-C-C-C-C-C --------> C-C-C + C=C-C-C petroleum

Pyrolysis destruction and
distillation of coal
Unit Operations
Unit Operations
• Fluid Flow : Concerns with the principle that determine the flow or transformation
of fluids from one point to another. The fluid can be a liquid or a gas. This unit is
entirely based on Bernoulli's equation followed by continuity correlation.

• Heat Transfer : Deals with principles that govern accumulation and transfer of heat
and energy from one place to another. The three concepts followed here are
conduction, convection and radiation.

• Evaporation : A special case of heat transfer which deals with the evaporation of
volatile solvent such as waste from a non-volatile solute such as salt or any other
material in the solution.
Eg: Acetone
 Unit Operations
• Drying : An operation in which volatile liquids (usually water) are removed from solid
material.

• Distillation : An operation where a components of the liquid mixture are separated by boiling
because of their difference in vapor pressure.

• Absorption : A process whereby a component is removed from gas mixture by treatment with
liquid.

• Liq-Liq Extraction : A process in which a solute in a liquid solution is removed by contact with
another liquid solvent that is relatively irreversible with solution.

• Liq-Solid Leaching: It involves treating a finely divided solid with a liquid that dissolves and
removes a solute contain in the solid.
 Unit Operations
• Crystallization : The removal of a solute such as a salt from solution by precipitation in the industries for
large scale operations, electrostatic precipitation is operated for this concept.

• Mechanical physical separation: This involves separation of solids, liquids or gases by mechanical means
such as filtration, settling, size reduction which are classified as separate unit operations.

• The outline of unit operation defines the settling tanks for sedimentation, filter press for separations,
pressurized spheres for ammonia storage, pelletizing for fertilizer compounds, pneumatic conveyors for
cement industry, bucket wheel elevators for thermal power stations and belt conveyors for core
industries and many more in operation.
Other types: Flash, Azeotropic, Extractive
and Reactive distillation