Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Susan Montgomery

Session 1213 A Secret to Large Classes - Showing You Care Susan Montgomery University of MichiganINTRODUCTIONThe other speakers in this session are addressing some of the logistical issues involved inteaching large classes, as well as some ways of engaging large classes to obtain increasedparticipation. In this paper I wish to address some of the belongingness issues that areparticularly magnified in large classes. My experience with large classes comes from teachingthe material and energy balances class at the University of Michigan, which has had

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Steven J. Mulvaney; Robert K. Finn; Claude Cohen

CONTENT After a general overview of the chemical processing industries, the non-chemicalengineering students are first taught the concepts of material and energy balances [1]. A firstcase study of a chemical process of some general appeal dealing with fly-ash and sulfur dioxideremoval from the stack gases of a coal-burning electricity-generating plant is considered.Design and strategy for the removal of SO2 to meet EPA regulations are considered. Theadvantages of the limestone scrubbing operation are discussed [2]. After this case study, thestudents are introduced to idealized chemical reactors at the level of the first few chapters ofLevenspiel's The Chemical Reactor Omnibook [3]. Simple separation operations coveringdistillation

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

M. Hossein Hariri

coalgasification.In order to assist the students in calculations, spreadsheets were set up parallel to theslides. For each unit shown on a slide, a number of sheets were produced involvingcalculations specific to material and energy balances around that unit. Spreadsheets werenamed after the corresponding slide name. For example, there were four spreadsheets formaterial and energy balances around Coal Gasifier and were named Coal Gasification (1)to (4). In Windows 95 environment, one can easily switch between spreadsheet and slidepresentation in order to interact between the unit flowsheets and the correspondingspreadsheet calculations.Project Assignment ProcessIn the beginning of the course students were given the slides in order to learn about theprocess

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Charles U. Okonkwo

theiremphasis area. We recommend that the students begin with the course, Manufacturingand the Environment to learn basic principles of manufacturing processes and theirenvironmental impact. Knowledge gained from this course will be valuable in the WasteMinimization and Prevention course. The Material and Energy Balance in ManufacturingProcesses course will benefit from the previous two in terms of application toenvironmental systems. Ethics and Regulations course will be better appreciated afterenvironmental principles have been laid down in the first three courses. The fifth course,Energy, would incorporate the principle of ethics and regulations into equipment andprocess design. Environmental Site Planning for industries would come as the lastcourse

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Charles U. Okonkwo

internal combustion engines. Theprofessor asked me to help design a reactor, which the students would build. I have modeled hydrogen production using a packed bed reactor. The design equationsconsist of coupled material and energy balances. Rate kinetics used in the design equations wereobtained from the literature. The design equations contain one endothermic reaction and oneexothermic reaction, yielding an overall reaction that is endothermic. I used Matlab to solve theresulting five nonlinear ordinary differential equations and an algebraic equation. Using themodel the students can simulate production of hydrogen by adjusting reactor length, area, heatingof reactants, molar flow rates of methane and steam, inlet temperature, inlet

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

A. J. Marchese; Robert P. Hesketh; T. R. Chandrupatla; Ralph A. Dusseau; John L. Schmalzel; Kauser Jahan; C. Stewart Slater

setting.” An example of an engineering calculation wasgiven to the students was to perform a material and energy balance on the steam productionheater using their recorded process variables. Exhaust Gases to Stack Feed