Key Concepts in Transport Phenomena to Know for Intro to Chemical Engineering

Fundamental Transport Phenomena are key principles in chemical engineering that explain how mass, momentum, and energy move in systems. Understanding these concepts helps in designing processes like heat exchangers, reactors, and separation units efficiently and effectively.

1. Conservation of mass

   • States that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a closed system.
   • Forms the basis for mass balance calculations in chemical processes.
   • Essential for understanding flow rates and material accumulation in systems.

2. Conservation of momentum

   • Describes how the momentum of a fluid is conserved in the absence of external forces.
   • Fundamental for analyzing fluid flow and forces acting on objects within the fluid.
   • Leads to the development of the Navier-Stokes equations.

3. Conservation of energy

   • Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
   • Key for understanding energy balances in chemical processes, including heat and work interactions.
   • Integral to the design and analysis of thermal systems.

4. Fick's law of diffusion

   • Describes the rate of mass transfer due to concentration gradients.
   • Fundamental for understanding how substances move in gases and liquids.
   • Provides a basis for designing separation processes like distillation and absorption.

5. Fourier's law of heat conduction

   • States that heat transfer through a material is proportional to the temperature gradient.
   • Essential for analyzing thermal conduction in solids and fluids.
   • Forms the basis for heat exchanger design and thermal insulation calculations.

6. Newton's law of viscosity

   • Relates shear stress to the rate of strain in a fluid, defining fluid viscosity.
   • Important for characterizing fluid behavior under different flow conditions.
   • Critical for designing equipment like pumps and reactors.

7. Convective mass transfer

   • Describes the transport of mass due to the motion of a fluid.
   • Influenced by factors such as fluid velocity, concentration gradients, and surface area.
   • Key for understanding processes like evaporation, absorption, and chemical reactions.

8. Convective heat transfer

   • Involves the transfer of heat between a solid surface and a moving fluid.
   • Governed by factors such as fluid velocity, temperature difference, and surface characteristics.
   • Important for designing heating and cooling systems, including heat exchangers.

9. Shell balance method

   • A systematic approach to derive mass and energy balances for control volumes.
   • Useful for simplifying complex transport phenomena into manageable calculations.
   • Helps in understanding the behavior of systems over specific intervals.

10. Dimensionless numbers (e.g., Reynolds, Prandtl, Schmidt)

    • Provide a way to characterize flow regimes and transport processes without units.
    • Help predict the behavior of fluid flows and heat/mass transfer in various conditions.
    • Essential for scaling up laboratory results to industrial applications.

11. Boundary layer theory

    • Describes the behavior of fluid flow near a solid boundary where velocity changes from zero to free stream.
    • Important for understanding drag forces and heat transfer rates in engineering applications.
    • Provides insights into flow separation and turbulence.

12. Navier-Stokes equations

    • A set of nonlinear partial differential equations that describe fluid motion.
    • Fundamental for predicting flow patterns in various engineering applications.
    • Central to the study of fluid dynamics and transport phenomena.

13. Heat exchanger design

    • Involves the calculation of heat transfer between two fluids at different temperatures.
    • Requires understanding of convective heat transfer coefficients and flow arrangements.
    • Critical for optimizing energy efficiency in chemical processes.

14. Mass transfer coefficients

    • Quantify the rate of mass transfer between phases or within a phase.
    • Essential for designing equipment like absorbers, distillers, and reactors.
    • Influenced by factors such as flow conditions, temperature, and concentration gradients.

15. Heat transfer coefficients

    • Measure the heat transfer rate per unit area per unit temperature difference.
    • Important for evaluating the performance of heat exchangers and thermal systems.
    • Dependent on fluid properties, flow conditions, and surface characteristics.