Teaching Reaction Engineering Using the Attainable Region

Authors

  • Matthew J. Metzger Rutgers University
  • Benjamin J. Glasser Rutgers University
  • David Glasser University of the Witwatersrand
  • Brendon Hausberger University of the Witwatersrand
  • Diane Hildebrandt University of the Witwatersrand

Abstract

Ask a graduating chemical engineering student the following question: What makes one reactor different from the next? The answers received will often be unsatisfactory and will vary widely in scope. Some may cite the difference between the basic design equations, others may point out a PFR is “longer,” and still others may state that it all depends on the particular reaction network. Though these answers do possess a bit of truth, they do not capture the true difference between reactors: the degree of mixing achieved. This is the inherent difficulty with teaching chemical reaction engineering; the students learn the technical skills required to perform the calculations to determine maximum yields and shortest space-times, but very rarely are they able to grasp and thoroughly understand the theory and underlying differences between reactors.[1] Often, too much time is devoted to tedious and involved calculations to determine the correct answer on homework, instead of focusing on the concepts to enforce the benefits offered by each reactor presented. Reactor network optimization is traditionally not covered in any depth at the undergraduate level.[2-4] The way reactor network optimization is traditionally taught to graduate students often involves large numbers of coupled equations that can sometimes hide the final goal of the analysis. Attempts to simplify the situation, such as Levenspiel’s graphical anlaysis[4] do offer some benefit, however their applicability is limited, as they can readily only optimize simple reaction problems. As chemical engineers, it is desired to know the most promising solution to a real problem in the shortest amount of time, and rarely is this accomplished with the current teaching methods for reactor network optimization.

Author Biographies

Matthew J. Metzger, Rutgers University

Matthew Metzger is pursuing his Ph.D. at Rutgers University. He received
his B.S. from Lafayette College and spent two summers working with the chemical engineering department at the University of the Witwatersrand. His interests lie in applying the attainable region approach to particle
processing in the pharmaceutical field.

Benjamin J. Glasser, Rutgers University

Benjamin J. Glasser is an associate professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at Rutgers University. He has earned degrees in chemical engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand (B.S., M.S.) and Princeton University (Ph.D.). His research interests include granular flows, gas-particle flows, multiphase reactors, and nonlinear dynamics of transport processes.

David Glasser, University of the Witwatersrand

David Glasser is a director of the Centre of Material and Process Synthesis at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is acknowledged as a world-leading researcher in the field of reactor and process optimization, and is a NRF A1 rated researcher. His extensive publication record and research areas extend from reactor design and optimization to distillation and process optimization and intensification.

Brendon Hausberger, University of the Witwatersrand

Brendon Hausberger is a director at the Centre of Material and Process Synthesis (COMPS) at the University of the Witwatersrand. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of the Witwatersrand, and is currently overseeing the launch of Fischer-Tropschs plants in both China and Australia.

Diane Hildebrandt, University of the Witwatersrand

Diane Hildebrandt is the co-founder of COMPS at the University of the Witwatersrand. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of the Witwatersrand, and currently leads the academic and consultant research teams at the university. She has published more than 50 refereed-journal articles on topics ranging from process synthesis to thermodynamics.

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Published

2007-09-01

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 4 (2007): Fall 2007

Section

Manuscripts