Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

Learning objectives

Knowledge

Students who have passed the module should be able to

• Explain the concept of thermodynamic state and of state variable
• Explain subcritical and supercritical states
• Describe the concept of degree of freedom of a thermodynamic system and the Gibbs phase rule
• Explain the concept of volumetric equations of state (EOS)
• Account for ideal gas EOS, virial EOS, correlations based on the corresponding state theorem, cubic EOS (van der Waals, Redlich-Kwong, Soave-Redlich-Kwong, Peng-Robinson)
• Describe application of EOS to pure components and to mixtures
• Explain first and second law of thermodynamics
• Explain thermodynamic potentials (U, H, A, G)
• Account for the concept of sensible and latent heat
• Explain expressions for the dependency of the vapour pressure of a pure liquid on temperature
• Describe heat exchangers
• Explain isenthalpic valve expansions
• Account for compressors and turbines
• Account for vapour (gas) - liquid equilibrium (VLE) for mixtures
• Explain diagrams for representing VLE for binary mixtures
• Explain phase envelopes
• Account for vapour (gas) – liquid 2-phase separators
• Explain liquid – liquid equilibria (LLE)
• Explain vapour (gas) – liquid – liquid (VLLE) equilibria
• Explain diagrams for representing LLE and VLLE for binary mixtures
• Account for vapour (gas) – liquid – liquid 3-phase separators

Skills

• Calculate mass balances for steady and unsteady systems
• Apply PV and PT state diagrams for pure fluids
• Calculate volumetric properties of pure fluids and fluid mixtures
• Calculate thermodynamic properties for pure fluids and fluid mixtures on the basis of the thermodynamic potentials
• Calculate vapour pressure for pure liquids
• Calculate energy balances for closed and open systems
• Apply energy balances on the basic design of heat exchangers, expansion valves, compressors and turbines
• Calculate bubble/dew point pressures and bubble/dew point temperatures for mixtures
• Calculate PT-Flash, αP-Flash, αT-Flash and PH-Flash for mixtures
• Apply flash calculations to the basic design of vapour (gas) – liquid separators
• Calculate azeotropes and heteroazeotropes
• Apply flash calculations to the basic design of vapour (gas) – liquid – liquid separators
• Determine the thermodynamic state of a system of given composition at given pressure and temperature

Competences

• Select and use of appropriate diagrams and EOS to describe the volumetric behaviour of fluids, with specific regard to reservoir fluids
• Formulate separation problems in terms of thermodynamic equations

Type of instruction

• Lectures, practical exercises, group and individual instructions

Extent and expected workload

150 hours

Exam

Exams