Visual Basic Software For Design And Performance Problems
- Conference
- Location
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Publication Date
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June 22, 2008
- Start Date
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June 22, 2008
- End Date
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June 25, 2008
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Chemical Engineering
- Page Count
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18
- Page Numbers
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13.1388.1 - 13.1388.18
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--3156
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/3156
- Download Count
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687
Paper Authors
Noah Brak West Virginia University
Noah Brak is an undergraduate student studying chemical engineering at West Virginia University.
Joseph Shaeiwitz West Virginia University
Joseph A. Shaeiwitz received his B.S. degree from the University of Delaware and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University. His professional interests are in design, design education, and outcomes assessment. Joe is an associate editor of the Journal of Engineering Education, and he is a co-author of the text Analysis, Synthesis, and Design of Chemical Processes (2nd ed.), published by Prentice Hall in 2003.
Richard Turton West Virginia University
Richard Turton received his B.S. degree from the University of Nottingham and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Oregon State University. His research interests are include fluidization and particle technology and their application to particle coating for pharmaceutical applications. Dick is a co-author of the text Analysis, Synthesis, and Design of Chemical Processes (2nd ed.), published by Prentice Hall in 2003.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Visual Basic Software for Design and Performance Problems Introduction
Most chemical engineering textbooks still show graphical solutions for certain routine design calculations. The Moody plot for friction factors, which is based on experimental data, and the corresponding plots for flow past submerged objects are examples. However, in recent years, curve fits for these have yielded equations that are at least as accurate as reading a graph. Graphs of the Kremser and Colburn equations for separations in dilute systems are another example; although, these equations were derived in order to construct the plots. For heat exchangers, the log-mean-temperature-difference (LMTD) correction factor is generally read from a graph since most textbooks do not provide the appropriate equations, even though the graphs are obtained from these equations.
If the equations are used, it is possible to obtain the information found on the graph and to do design and performance calculations more accurately by means of a computer program. In this paper, we describe Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programs written for the following design problems: flow in pipes, flow past submerged objects (including packed and fluidized beds), separation in dilute systems, and heat exchangers. The programs not only find the parameters usually obtained from a graph (friction factor, drag coefficient, absorption or stripping factor, LMTD correction factor) but they also perform routine design and performance calculations. The definitions used here are that a design calculation is used to determine the size of a unit with a given input and a desired output, and a performance calculation is used to determine the output of a unit with a given input and a given size.
These programs are not meant to replace process simulators; they are meant to be teaching tools that are more accessible to students than process simulators.
Description of Programs
Table 1 summarizes the programs that will be available for demonstration. Additional details of each program follow.
Separation in Dilute Systems
The relationships used are the Kremser equation1
y A,out − y* , out A 1− A = (1) y A,in − y* ,out A 1 − A N +1
if A = 1
y A,out − y* , out A 1 = (2) y A,in − y* , out A N +1
Brak, N., & Shaeiwitz, J., & Turton, R. (2008, June), Visual Basic Software For Design And Performance Problems Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--3156
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