SYLLABUS

Chemical Engineering 3102 – Reaction Kinetics and Reactor Engineering

Spring 2018

Lectures MWF 9:05 – 9:55, B75 Amundson

Lecturer: Prof. Chris Ellison (384 Amundson, cellison@umn.edu)

Instructor: Prof. Michael Tsapatsis (486 Amundson, tsapatsis@umn.edu)
Instructor: Jacob Miller (223 Amundson, mill6866@umn.edu)
TA: Bo Zhang (graded item keeper) (210 Amundson, zhan5777@umn.edu)
TA: ChoongSze Lee (453 Amundson, lee01316@umn.edu)
TA: Neil Razdan (223 Amundson, razda005@umn.edu)

Recitation Schedule
002 TTh 8:00 - 8:50 120 Amundson Ellison (TA: Zhang)
004 TTh 10:10 – 11:00 120 Amundson Tsapatsis (TA: Lee)
005 TTh 11:15 - 12:05 120 Amundson Tsapatsis (TA: Lee)
008 TTh 3:35 - 4:25 158 Amundson Miller (TA: Razdan)
009 TTh 4:40 - 5:30 158 Amundson Miller (TA: Razdan)

Office Hours (see Moodle for updated information)

Texts
Required: Davis, Mark E. and Davis, Robert J. (2003) Fundamentals of chemical reaction
engineering. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, New York, NY. ISBN 0-07-245007-X
Available for free at: http://authors.library.caltech.edu/25070/

Other Texts you may find useful:

Octave Levenspiel: Chemical Reaction Engineering, Wiley.
Lanny Schmidt: The Engineering of Chemical Reactors, Oxford University Press.
H. Scott Fogler: Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering, Prentice Hall.

Course Content
The course consists of two components, reaction kinetics and reactor design. The first component
covers the fundamentals of chemical kinetics - reaction rates and reaction mechanisms - for
homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions. The second component covers the analysis and design of
chemical reactors, starting from ideal, isothermal reactors and later including thermal effects, effects
of mass transfer and heat transfer in catalytic systems, and flow non-idealities.

Course Objectives
 Understand reaction and transport mechanisms
 Derive reaction rate expressions for homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions
 Set up material and energy balances for reacting systems
 Analyze and design batch, plug flow and continuously stirred tank reactors
 Analyze and design non-ideal reactors

Course Prerequisites
The prerequisite courses are ChEn 2001 (or 4001) and ChEn 3101 (or 4101).

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Course Website
This course will use Moodle to provide course materials including the syllabus, HW assignments and
solutions, recitation problems and grades. You can download the homework assignments, solutions,
etc. from the website.

Homework (HW)
Problems will be assigned approximately once a week as noted on syllabus. The assignment will be due
on the day stated by the beginning of lecture. No late homework will be accepted. You are
encouraged to discuss material of the course, but when it comes to assigned work (including
homework), you are expected to do it independently. Copying or paraphrasing from the web, another
source, or another student’s solution or permitting your own solution to be copied or paraphrased is
considered cheating. In any case of plagiarism or cheating, zero credit will be given for the work in
question, and in some circumstances, an F may be granted for the entire course.

Rules for submission of homework problem sets:

1. All assignments should be prepared on 8.5x11” paper with a clean edge. No spiral notebook paper
will be accepted.
2. Problem sets must be stapled together.
3. The name of the student, ID number and recitation section should appear clearly on the upper
right hand corner of the first page. The student's name should appear on all pages.
4. Write on one side of the paper and do not use any of the page as scrap paper.

The solution to all HWs will be posted on Moodle shortly after the due date.

Examinations
There will be four mid-term exams during lecture periods and a final exam; the final exam will be
given according to the University schedule. The final exam will be two hours and comprehensive of
the entire course. All exams will be testing everything covered in lectures, recitations and reading
assignments. All exams will be closed-book and closed notes, but you will be allowed to bring your
own sheet of notes (1 double-sided, printed or hand-written 8.5x11” page). You may use a scientific
calculator on the exams. Communication devices (cell phones, etc.) are not permitted during the exams.
No student will be permitted to take the exam before the scheduled time and no makeup exams will be
given. Students who miss an exam will be given a zero grade for the exam unless personal illness or a
family emergency was the reason for missing the exam. Special arrangements will be made in advance
if such circumstances provided these are well documented.

Re-grading of Examinations and Homework

Students who wish to have their exam or homework re-graded must submit their request at the end of
the second lecture after the exam/homework is returned. If you do not have a valid excuse for missing
the recitation when the exam/homework is returned, you will not be able to request a re-grade after the
deadline has passed. The request should be in writing, indicating the possible error, and submitted
directly to Prof. Ellison at the end of lecture. The exam/problem will be reviewed and a revised grade
will be returned to the student. Submitting an altered exam/problem for re-grading is a serious offense
and the penalty could be an F for the course.

Uncollected Homework and Exams

We will return the exams and homework assignments in recitation. If you miss your recitation, you may
pick up uncollected homeworks and exams from the graded-item-keeper TA. The best time to pick up
these items is during office hours.

Statement on Scholastic Dishonesty

Academic integrity is essential to a positive teaching and learning environment. Information on policy
can be found at: http://www.d.umn.edu/conduct/academic.html
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If you have any questions regarding the expectations for a specific assignment or exam, ask the
main instructor by email (cellison@umn.edu).

Statement Regarding Sexual Harassment

University policy prohibits sexual harassment as defined by the University of Minnesota Regents'
policy: http://policy.umn.edu/hr/sexualharassment

Determination of Grades
Grades will be numerically determined with the following breakdown. HW assignments are weighted
equally.
Mid-term Exam 1: 15%
Mid-term Exam 2: 15%
Mid-term Exam 3: 15%
Mid-term Exam 4: 15%
Final Exam: 30%
Homework: 10%

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Course Outline – Subject to Revision Throughout the Semester (Last Revised NA)
Class Schedule Topic Assigned Due
W 1/18 Introduction to Reaction Engineering: Chapter 1 HW1 1/22
Thu 1/18 Review Chemical Equilibrium: Chapter 1, Appendix A
F 1/19 Basics of Reaction Kinetics: Chapter 1

M 1/22 Basics of Reaction Kinetics: Chapter 1 HW2 1/29

Tue 1/23 Examples: Chapter 1, Appendix A
W 1/24 Batch and Semi-batch Reactors: Chapter 3
Thu 1/25 Examples: Chapter 3
F 1/26 CSTR and PFR Reactors: Chapter 3

M 1/29 CSTRs in series: Chapter 3 HW3 2/5

Tue 1/30 Examples: Chapter 3
W 1/31 Levenspiel Plots: Chapter 3
Thu 2/1 Examples: Chapter 3
F 2/2 Design Equations: Chapter 3

M 2/5 The steady state approximation: Chapter 4 HW4 2/19

Tue 2/6 Examples: Chapter 4
W 2/7 Enzyme Catalysis: Chapter 4
Thu 2/8 Examples: Chapter 4
F 2/9 Heterogeneous Catalysis: Chapter 5

M 2/12 Chapters 1, 3 and Appendix A Review and Summary

Tue 2/13 Midterm Exam 1 from last year
W 2/14 MIDTERM EXAM 1 (Chapters 1, 3 and Ap. A;
lectures until 2/3 and material covered in HW 1-3)
Thu 2/15 Solution to MidTerm Exam 1 & Examples Chapter 4
F 2/16 Kinetics of Elementary Steps: Chapter 5

M 2/19 Derivation of Rate Expressions: Chapter 5 HW5 2/28

Tue 2/20 Examples: Chapter 5
W 2/21 Derivation of Rate Expressions: Chapter 5
Thu 2/22 Examples: Chapter 5
F 2/23 CSTR with LH Kinetics: MSS: Notes

M 2/26 Derivation of Rate Expressions from Data: Notes

Tue 2/27 Midterm Exam 2 from last year
W 2/28 External Mass Transfer Effects: Chapter 6
Thu 3/1 Review of Material for Mid-Term Exam 2
F 3/2 Internal Transfer Effects: Chapter 6

M 3/5 Internal, External and Combined Mass Transfer Effects:

Chapter 6
Tue 3/6 No Recitation
W 3/7 MIDTERM EXAM 2 (Chapters 4, and 5 – lectures HW6 3/21
until 2/27 & material covered in HW 4-5)
Thu 3/8 Solution to MidTerm Exam 2 & Examples Chapter 6
F 3/9 Combined Mass Transfer Effects on Ea and n: Chapter 6
3/12-3/16 Spring Break
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 M 3/19 Mass and Heat Transfer Effects: Chapter 6 HW7 3/28
Tue 3/20 Examples: Chapter 6
W 3/21 General Rxn-Diff formulation: Notes
Thu 3/22 Examples: Chapter 6
F 3/23 General Rxn-Diff formulation: Chapter 6

M 3/26 General Rxn-Diff formulation: Chapter 6

Tue 3/27 Examples: Chapter 6
W 3/28 Rxn-Diffusion with a moving boundary (Si oxidation):
Notes
Thu 3/29 Examples: Chapter 6
F 3/30 Review Chapter 6

M 4/2 Non-Ideal Reactors. RTD: Chapter 8

RTD Models – Series of CSTRs, etc.
Tue 4/3 No Recitation
W 4/4 MIDTERM EXAM 3 (Chapter 6 - lectures until 3/31
& material covered in HW 6-7)
Thu 4/5 Solution to MidTerm Exam 3 & Examples Chapter 8
F 4/6 Microkinetic Analysis: Chapter 7

M 4/9 RTD Axial Dispersion Model: Chapter 8 HW8 4/16

Tue 4/10 Examples: Chapter 8
W 4/11 Conversion from RTD Models: Chapter 8
Thu 4/12 Examples: Chapter 8
F 4/13 Conversion from RTD Models: Chapter 8

M 4/16 Non-isothermal CSTR, Batch and PFR: Chapter 9 HW9 4/23

Tue 4/17 Examples: Chapter 9
W 4/18 Multiple Steady States in Isothermal CSTR: Notes
Thu 4/19 Examples
F 4/20 Reactor Stability Analysis: Notes

M 4/23 Multiple-Reactions in Isothermal and Non-Isothermal HW10&11 5/4

Reactors: Chapter 10
Tue 4/24 Examples Chapter 10
W 4/25 Multiple-Reactions in Non-Isothermal Reactors: Ch. 10
Thu 4/26 Review of Material for Mid-Term Exam 4
F 4/27 MIDTERM EXAM 4 (Ch. 8 and 9 and 4/19 and 21
Notes- lectures until 4/21 & material covered in HW
8-9)

M 4/30 2-Dimensional Fixed Bed Reactor Models: Chapter 10

Tue 5/1 Examples Chapter 10
W 5/2 Fluidized Bed Reactors: Chapter 10
Thu 5/3 Recitation Section Evaluations; Examples Chapter 10
F 5/4 Course Evaluations; Review and Connections with
Separations, Process Design and Control