Heat Exchanger Lab for Chemical Engineering Undergraduates

Authors

  • Jonathan Rajala The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325
  • Edward Evans The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325
  • George Chase The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325

Abstract

Third year chemical engineering undergraduate students at The University of Akron designed and fabricated a heat exchanger for a stirred tank as part of a Chemical Engineering Laboratory course. The heat exchanger portion of this course was three weeks of the fifteen week long semester. Students applied concepts of scale-up and dimensional analysis to predict performance of a larger vessel. The students had hands-on experience in fabricating their heat exchangers and practical application of scale-up principles. The student teams presented the results of their scale-up design to a “customer” that included discussions of economics and marketing. The assessment of the student performance was based upon oral presentations and their understanding and application of heat exchange concepts. Student feedback on the lab was positive. The students preferred the freedom to design, fabricate and test their own designs.

Author Biographies

Jonathan Rajala, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325

Jonathan W. Rajala is a Ph.D. student at The University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering at The University of Akron in 2009. His research interests are in applications of transport phenomena to electrospun polymeric and ceramic nanofibers and their use in filtration and membrane separations.

Edward Evans, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325

Edward A. Evans is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Dr. Evans received his PhD from Case Western Reserve University in 1998 in Chemical Engineering. He has participated in several initiatives to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM fields including a course for middle school and high school teachers to introduce engineering through project based learning. He is co-developer of a Project Management and Teamwork course that is taken by all undergraduate students in the department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. His research interests focus on material systems, in particular ceramics, ceramic coatings and ceramic composites. 

George Chase, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325

George G. Chase is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The University of Akron. He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the same institution in 1989. He teaches transport phenomena and particulate solid materials handling. His research interests include transport phenomena in single and dispersed multiphase phase systems with emphasis on fluid-particle separations.

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Published

2015-11-04

Issue

Vol. 49 No. 4 (2015): Fall 2015

Section

Manuscripts