Course Description
Engineering principles of heat, mass, and energy systems through experiential learning with focus on chemical/biochemical processes.
Athena Title
Biochemical Engineering Lab
Pre or Corequisite
ENGR 3150 and BCHE 3520
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will work in teams to work on problems in engineering systems involving heat transfer, mass transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics. Students will develop skills modeling and analyzing such systems. Students will learn the design of experiments and the interpretation of results. Students will enhance their skills in technical report writing and presentation. Students will learn and utilize basic knowledge and skills in statistics.
Topical Outline
Students will work in teams on five laboratory modules during the semester, selecting from a list of 8-10 different modules that have been scheduled. Each laboratory module will be completed in a three-week period, generally following the structure of one lecture (week one), laboratory (week one, week two, and week three), and one discussion/analysis section (week three). Lectures will directly complement a specific module and lead to an understanding of heat transfer, mass transfer, thermodynamics and fluid dynamics, modeling complex systems, and interpretation of results of experiments. Students will be expected to 1) comprehend the physical system and define key parameters, 2) conduct experiments, 3) adjust/modify the experimental protocol, 4) analyze experimental results including statistical analysis, 5) complete written laboratory reports, and 6) present results orally. Topics in statistical analysis may include and are not limited to: 1) Definition of statistics 2) Types of data 3) Variations in measurements/measurement quality/error analysis 4) Types and representation of variables (i.e., qualitative and quantitative variables) 5) Frequency distribution 6) Populations and samples/random sampling 7) Measures of central tendency [mean (arithmetic vs. geometric), media, mode] 8) Regression analysis (i.e., curve-fitting) 9) t-tests Examples of laboratory modules: 1) Chemical Reaction Kinetics 2) Linear Heat Conduction 3) Expansion Process of a Perfect Gas 4) Diffusion in Liquid 5) Heat of Combustion 6) Convective Heat Transfer 7) Interphase Mass Transfer 8) Fluid Friction Factor 9) Radial Heat Conduction 10) Osborne Reynolds Demonstration
Syllabus