2014/2015 Academic Session

College:

Engineering

Department:

Chemical Engineering

Programme:

Separation Processes

Course Code:

CHE 411

Units:

Course Lecturer :

Prof. O. O. Omatete, Engr. Mrs. M. E. Ojewumi

Semester:

Alpha

Time:

MON: 1-2 pm, Friday: 9-11 am

Location:

C37 Chemical Engineering Building

Brief Overview of Course

Overall View of Course
Separation processes play very important roles in process industry, biological
organisms, ecosystems, and environmental engineering. In the process industry
contaminants are separated from feed, waste, and recycle streams while
separation of valuable products from wastes, impurities and by-products also
take place.
Separation processes account for 50 to 90% of the capital costs of most chemical
process plants and about 70% of the ultimate product cost. Hence it is essential
that the separation process chosen must be carefully selected and designed in
order to be successful. This is often done by contacting the mixture with another
phase. Of the many separation processes, distillation, solvent extraction,
leaching and absorption are most common and these will be considered in this
course. This course will involve the design of systems to achieve specific
separation duties in distillation, absorption solvent extraction and leaching.

Course Objectives/Goals
By the end of this course the student should be able to:

Appreciate the importance of separation processes not only in the process industries
but also in many others spheres of life

Cite the many different separation types and the appreciate the principles underlying
all of them

Concept of equilibrium in separation processes and how they are expressed

graphically and in forms of equation and tables

Cite the different types of distillations and equipment used

Determine the number of stages require for a given separation and feed

Appreciate the importance of reflux ratio and feed plate location on the economics of
the separation

Appreciate solvent extraction versus other separation processes and thee equipments
used

Calculate the number of solvent extraction-mixer settler units required to

achieve a given duty

Appreciate the equipments used for absorption-plate and packed towers- and their
characteristics
Calculate the height of packing required to achieve a given absorption duty
Method of Lecture Delivery/Teaching Aids

Power point Slides

Multimedia
Interactive lecture sessions in Class rooms

Course Outlines
Module 1: Distillation

Vapour-liquid phase diagrams, vapour-liquid equilibrium curves,

binary distillation without reflux-simple distillation and flash or equilibrium
distillation
binary distillation with reflux
basic equipment types column and internals and accessories,
determining the number of stages required to achieve a desired separation from a
given feed rate, feed and product composition equations of operating lines and
equilibrium curve-McCabe-Thiele diagram and assumptions
effect of reflux ratio on economics of separation and the number of stages,
optimum reflux ratio
optimum location of feed plate

Module 2: solvent extraction

Application of solvent extraction

Solvent extraction versus other separation processes
Ternary systems and representation of equilibrium data
Choice of solvent for a given separation
Equipment for solvent extraction-mixer settler units ,etc
Stage wise separation: single and multistage separation operation, crosscurrent

 Counter current solvent extraction. Determination of number of stages required

and the quantities and composition of products
Module 3: absorption

Application s
Equilibrium data for absorption- Henrys constant
Equipment for absorption-plate and packed towers
Type of packings and characteristics of types of packing
Height of packings required to achieve a level of separation

Tutorials
One hour of tutorial for every two hours of interactive lectures
Structure of Programme/ method of grading
The final course grade will be weighted according to the following scheme:

Assignments & Quizzes

15%

Mid Semester Test

10%

Term papers

5%

Semester Exam

70%

Ground rules & regulations

Unannounced quizzes will be given (generally once each week) to reinforce important
principles and to encourage preparation for class.
Only official University/medical excuse will be tolerated for absence from quiz.
Some quizzes will be given during tutorials
Late comers will not be allowed to sign the attendance register

Topic for Term paper/ Assignment /Student Activiteis

1. Comparison of the types of internals of columns used for distillation and absorption
2. List 30 products obtained from a typical crude oil refinery and indicate the role of the
distillation process in their production.
Alignment With covenant University Vison/Goals
The course is in line with producing chemical engineers capable of facing the challenges of
the profession. Separations processes are key the success of the process industry. Ability to
select and design the appropriate type for a given duty is very important to the success of this
unit operation
Contemporary Issues/ Industry relevance
The refinery process relies very heavily on distillation and other separation processes
Reading material

 C. J. Geankoplis, Transport Processes and Unit Operations, Prentice Hall,

1993.
C. J. King, Separation Processes, McGraw-Hill, 1980.
G. F. Nalven, ed. Distillation and Other Industrial Separations, AIChE, 1997.
R. E. Treybal, Mass-Transfer Operations, McGraw-Hill, 1980.
W. McCabe , J. Smith, P. Harriott ,Unit Operations of Chemical
Engineering, (7th Edition), McGraw- Hill Chemical Engineering Series, 2004