Industrial Chemistry Course

Lesson 1 • Thermodynamics in Industrial Contexts

Applies enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy to predict reaction feasibility at scale. Grounds energy efficiency analysis used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Core Chemical Reaction Types

Reviews oxidation, reduction, substitution, and polymerization as applied in industry. Provides the reaction vocabulary needed for all subsequent process chapters.

Lesson 3 • Raw Materials and Feedstocks

Covers classification of fossil, mineral, and bio-based feedstocks used industrially. Connects material origin to downstream process selection and cost drivers.

Lesson 4 • Chemical Kinetics and Rate Control

Examines rate laws, activation energy, and catalysis as tools for controlling production speed. Directly supports reactor design decisions in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Reactor Sizing and Design Equations

Applies mole balance and design equations to size reactors for target conversion. Builds quantitative skills essential for process engineering roles.

Lesson 2 • Reactor Troubleshooting and Optimization

Diagnoses common reactor faults including channeling, fouling, and hot spots using process data. Develops systematic problem-solving skills for plant operations.

Lesson 3 • Catalytic Reactor Systems

Covers catalyst loading, deactivation, regeneration, and performance monitoring in fixed and fluidized beds. Extends kinetics knowledge to real catalytic plant units.

Lesson 4 • Reactor Types and Selection Criteria

Compares batch, CSTR, PFR, and fixed-bed reactors across conversion, cost, and safety dimensions. Guides appropriate reactor choice for given chemistries.

Lesson 1 • Absorption and Stripping Operations

Examines gas-liquid contacting for removing or recovering dissolved components using solvent selection and column sizing. Connects to emission control and product recovery.

Lesson 2 • Extraction and Leaching Techniques

Applies liquid-liquid extraction and solid-liquid leaching to recover valuable components from complex mixtures. Supports pharmaceutical, mining, and food processing applications.

Lesson 3 • Membrane and Adsorption Separations

Introduces reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, and pressure swing adsorption as alternatives to thermal separations. Highlights energy savings and selectivity advantages.

Lesson 4 • Distillation Principles and Column Design

Covers vapor-liquid equilibrium, McCabe-Thiele method, and tray versus packed column selection. Forms the backbone of most industrial purification sequences.

Lesson 1 • Mass and Energy Balance Methods

Applies steady-state and dynamic balances to full process units and recycle streams. Provides quantitative foundation for equipment sizing and utility estimation.

Lesson 2 • Process Simulation Software Fundamentals

Introduces steady-state simulation tools for modeling thermodynamic packages, unit operations, and recycle convergence. Accelerates design iteration and reduces costly errors.

Lesson 3 • Process Flow Diagrams and P&IDs

Teaches construction and interpretation of PFDs and P&IDs including symbols, stream tables, and control loops. Establishes the visual language of industrial plant design.

Lesson 4 • Capital and Operating Cost Estimation

Applies order-of-magnitude and factored estimation methods to evaluate project economics. Connects engineering decisions to financial viability and investment approval.

Lesson 1 • Homogeneous and Enzymatic Catalysis

Covers organometallic complexes and biocatalysts used in fine chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Highlights selectivity advantages over heterogeneous alternatives.

Lesson 2 • Waste Minimization and Atom Efficiency

Quantifies process waste using E-factor and atom efficiency metrics, then applies redesign strategies to minimize byproduct generation. Directly reduces raw material and disposal costs.

Lesson 3 • Heterogeneous Catalysis in Industry

Analyzes surface adsorption, active site theory, and support materials in solid catalysts used in ammonia synthesis and petroleum refining. Builds on reactor kinetics from earlier chapters.

Lesson 4 • Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

Applies atom economy, waste prevention, and safer solvent selection to evaluate and redesign industrial reactions. Provides a framework for sustainability-driven process improvement.

Lesson 1 • Emergency Response and Incident Investigation

Covers emergency shutdown procedures, spill response, and root cause analysis using bow-tie and fault tree methods. Closes the safety loop from prevention to learning.

Lesson 2 • Process Hazard Analysis Methods

Applies HAZOP, What-If, and FMEA techniques to systematically identify process deviations and their consequences. Produces risk registers used in plant design and modification.

Lesson 3 • Layers of Protection and Safeguards

Explains the layers of protection analysis framework including BPCS, alarms, SIL-rated systems, and physical barriers. Quantifies risk reduction across multiple independent layers.

Lesson 4 • Inherently Safer Design Principles

Applies minimize, substitute, moderate, and simplify strategies to eliminate hazards at the design stage. Reduces reliance on protective systems and administrative controls.

Lesson 1 • Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals

Analyzes crude oil distillation, catalytic cracking, reforming, and alkylation to produce fuels and chemical feedstocks. Links separation and catalysis chapters to the largest chemical industry sector.

Lesson 2 • Sulfuric Acid and Chlor-Alkali Processes

Covers the contact process for sulfuric acid and membrane cell electrolysis for chlorine and caustic soda. Demonstrates electrochemical and catalytic process integration.

Lesson 3 • Polymer and Plastics Manufacturing

Covers addition and condensation polymerization processes for polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, and polyester at industrial scale. Connects polymer chemistry to reactor and separation design.

Lesson 4 • Ammonia and Fertilizer Production

Examines the Haber-Bosch process, nitrogen fixation conditions, and downstream urea and nitrate production. Illustrates equilibrium, catalyst, and energy trade-offs at industrial scale.

Lesson 1 • Continuous Improvement and Lean Principles

Applies value stream mapping, waste elimination, and kaizen cycles to industrial chemical operations. Integrates quality and efficiency improvement into daily plant management.

Lesson 2 • Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action

Uses fishbone diagrams, 5-Why analysis, and fault trees to identify and eliminate sources of quality failures. Closes the quality loop from detection to verified correction.

Lesson 3 • Statistical Process Control

Applies control charts, run rules, and process capability indices to detect and prevent quality deviations. Provides the statistical foundation for continuous improvement programs.

Lesson 4 • Analytical Methods for Quality Assurance

Covers spectroscopic, chromatographic, and titrimetric methods used for in-process and final product testing. Connects analytical chemistry to specification compliance and release decisions.