Separation Processes

Base Knowledge

The disciplines of the curriculum of Bioengineering of previous semesters that are more relevant to the understanding of the contents of Separation Processes are: Mathematics, Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena I

Teaching Methodologies

The course is developed in theoretical classes where the contents of the curricular unit are exposed, using wherever possible the presentation of examples, and theoretical practices classes for solving problems of application. In theoretical practices classes, after a general discussion about the problems, students are encouraged to continue with its resolutions and, at the end, a discussion of the results is made. The problems proposed to solve in the theoretical practices classes are available to the students in advance.
In terms of evaluation the students can opt for one of two assessment systems: 1) traditional evaluation, in which students are assessed through a final exam in the form of written test without consultation, lasting three hours or 2) continuous assessment, in which students are assessed through four written tests (minimum grade of 7.5 values) during the school year at the end of each of the four modules. Each test contributes 25% towards the final grade.

Learning Results

Provide the students with the ability to:
i) study and understand four unit operations frequently used at the industrial level: filtration, sedimentation, distillation and drying;
ii) apply concepts of heat and mass transfer in the studied unit operations;
iii) understand the equipment used in these operations and learn the concepts and equations that allow to characterize the operation and to design the equipment.
It is intended also that students develop the ability to solve problems involving the separation processes studied.

Program

1. Filtration.
Filtration at constant pressure and constant flow.
Conventional crossflow filtration.
Darcy’s Law and Carman-Kozeny equation.
Specific resistance of cake and filter media.
Compressibility of the filtration cake.
Selection of laboratory and industrial equipment.
Washing and filtration cycles.

2. Distillation.
Continuous distillation in tray columns.
The ideal contacting stage.
McCabe-Thiele method.
The minimum number of stages and the minimum reflux ratio calculation.
Tray distillation columns design.
Tray Column Efficiency.

3. Sedimentation.
Stokes law and limitations in its applicability.
Gravitational and centrifugal field.
Industrial and laboratory centrifuges. Scale-up.
Ultracentrifugation.
Thickeners.
Flocculation

4. Drying
Classification of drying processes
Drying equipment
Equilibrium moisture content. Bound and unbound moisture in the solid. Free moisture in the solid.
Drying rate curve. Methods of calculation.

Curricular Unit Teachers

Grading Methods

Avaliação contínua
  • - (Teste teórico 1 + Teste teórico 2 + Teste teórico 3 + Teste teórico 4)/4 - 100.0%

Internship(s)

NAO

Bibliography

1. Azevedo E. G. e Alves A. M., Engenharia de Processos de Separação. IST Press. 2009

7. McCabe, W.L.; Smith, J.C. e Harriott, P., Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering”, 6ª ed., Mc Graw-Hill, 2001.

2. Coulson, J. M. e Richardson, J. F., “Chemical Engineering”, vol. 2, 2ª ed., Pergamon Press Inc., USA, 1968

8. Seader, J. D. e Henley, E. J., Separation Process Principles. 2ª ed. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2006

5. Harrison R. G., Todd P., Rudge S. R. e Petrides D. P., “Bioseparations Science and Engineering”, Oxford University Press, USA, 2003.

6. Ibarz A. e Barbosa-Cánovas G. V., “Unity Operations in Food Engineering”, Food Preservation Technology Series, CRC Press, Boca Raton,
Florida, USA, 2003.

3. Foust, A. S., Wenzel, L. A., Clump, C. W. Maus, L., Anderson, L. B., “Principles of Unit Operations”, 2ª ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., USA, 1980.

4. Geankoplis, Christie J. Transport processes and separation process principles (includes unit operations). 4ª ed., Prentice Hall PTR, 2003.