LE 1 - Birth of Chemical Engineering Flashcards
It is a relatively young profession, less than 100 years old.
Chemical Engineering Profession
In the early days before the formal chemical engineer was born, ___________________ with a good knowledge of industrial chemistry were responsible for the operation of chemical plants
mechanical engineers
mechanical engineers with a good knowledge of___________________ were responsible for the operation of chemical plants.
industrial chemistry
mechanical engineers with a good knowledge of industrial chemistry were responsible for the operation of __________________.
chemical plants
emerged with the development of large-scale, chemical-manufacturing operations in the second half of the 19th century.
modern chemical engineering
It was through its role in the development of the __________________ that chemical engineering became firmly established as a unique discipline
petroleum industry
Modern chemical engineering emerged with the development of large-scale, chemical-manufacturing operations in the
second half of the 19th century
The term chemical engineer was in general use by about
1900
The term ________________ was in general use by about 1900
chemical engineer
The focus in the early days was on ______________________ and not on unification of principles
individual technologies
The focus in the early days was on individual technologies and not on ___________________
unification of principles
A __________________ has a good fundamental understanding of the various processes occurring in a plant
chemical engineer
He is considered the father of chemical engineering.
George E. Davis
He studied at the Slough Mechanics Institute and the Royal School of Mines in London (now a part of Imperial College, London).
George E. Davis
George E. Davis studied at?
Slough Mechanics Institute and the Royal School of Mines in London (now a part of Imperial College, London)
He worked in chemical industries around _________________
Manchester
Davis held various positions?
as an inspector for the Alkali Act of 1863
He worked as an inspector for the Alkali Act of 1863 before he embarked on a career as a?
consultant
This was a very early piece of environmental legislation that required soda manufacturers to reduce the amount of hydrochloric acid gas vented into the atmosphere from their factories.
Alkali Act of 1863
This was a very early piece of environmental legislation that required soda manufacturers to reduce the amount of ________________ vented into the atmosphere from their factories.
hydrochloric acid gas
His job profile was such that he had to visit various chemical plants and inspect their operations
George E. Davis
He made a _____________________ of the different processes in these plants and highlighted the fundamental principles on which these processes were based.
comprehensive study
He is a British chemical consultant
George E. Davis
Where did Davis gave a series of 12 lectures?
Manchester School of Technology
During this year, Davis gave a series of 12 lectures at the Manchester School of Technology
1887
How many lectures di Davis gave at the Manchester School of Technology
12 lectures
George’s lectures formed the?
basis of the Handbook of Chemical Engineering
At that time there were already several industrial chemistry books written for each chemical industry—for example
alkali manufacturing
acid production
brewing
dyeing
Davis’s contribution was that he organized his text by the basic operations common to many industries
transporting solids liquids, and gases distillation
crystallization
evaporation
His lectures were criticized as being common place know-how since these were designed around operating practices used by
British chemical industries
A landmark in the development of chemical engineering was the publication in
1901
the first textbook on the subject by George E. Davis was published in
1901
The notion of a processing plant encompassing a number of operations, such as
mixing
evaporation
filtration
The notion of a processing plant encompassing a number of operations, such as mixing, evaporation, and filtration, and of these operations being essentially similar, whatever the product, led to the concept of
unit operations
This was first enunciated by the American chemical engineer Arthur D. Little in 1915
Unit Operations
What year was unit operations first enunciated?
1915
Unit operations was first enunciated by the
American chemical engineer Arthur D. Little
He is a n American chemical engineer
Arthur D. Little
He formed the basis for a classification of chemical engineering that dominated the subject for the next 40 years
Arthur D. Little
the building blocks of a chemical plant
unit operations
The observation of the fundamental similarity in the different processes in the various plants led to the introduction of the concept of
unit operations
it is not large
unit operations
This concept provides a scientific basis and a unified approach for understanding the behavior of processes in the various units; reactors, separators, etc. in apparently different chemical plants.
unit operations
This approach helps us in providing a unified framework for understanding and describing processes operating on similar principles.
unit operations
Adopting this approach in the curriculum helped develop confidence and versatility in the students to work in different chemical plants.
unit operations
This shifted the emphasis from a ________________________ to a ________________________.
technology-based approach, scientific-based approach
chemical reactions involved in the process industries can be classified into certain groups, or
chemical processes
unit processes examples
polymerizations
esterifications
nitrations
This classification into unit processes brought rationalization to the study of
process engineering
Since this happened, closer examination of the fundamental phenomena involved in the various unit operations has shown these to depend on the basic laws of mass transfer, heat transfer, and fluid flow.
World War II
closer examination of the fundamental phenomena involved in the various unit operations has shown these to depend on the
basic laws of mass transfer, heat transfer, and fluid flow
different parameters
energy source used
plant layout
environmental factors
