3 replies to this topic

[lxz]

hello-- this is my 1st post

i will be beginning my first intern with a major corp. this summer, i have been employed as a lab tech in the chem. engr department of my univ. for the past 2yrs. the intern i will be assigned to the Process Engr department at a chemical manufacturing plant. i do not know what my assignment will be. my question is this... what books, workbooks, etc do you recommend in learning process design, from the fundamentals to the complex? i have saved a portion of student loan money to purchase books needed for this, i assume it will take more than 1 book.

if there is already a thread that answers this topic could someone please post a link.

thank you

[Art Montemayor]

LXZ:

You start learning everything you will need in Process Design at the University level - in your Unit Operations and Unit Processes Courses - together with Instrumentation control.

And even before that, you should already have mastered basic Chemistry, Physics, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, and all the other pre-requisite courses before you get into ChE Thermo and Kinetics.

In short, there are no "magical" or quick and easy "Process Design for Dummies" books to buy or read. There is simply the basic, hard, tried & proven method of attacking and dominating all of the required basic courses.

There is no specific "specialty" to Process Design. You simply have to KNOW YOUR STUFF - ALL OF IT!

As a student, you will NEVER BE A PROCESS DESIGNER. All you can be is a Student of Process Design. You have to dominate the basics before you get a chance to attack the real stuff.

The answer is: Study hard. Excel in grades and among competitive colleagues.

[lxz]

i would like to clarify,

what i am looking for is literature on transfer operations (unit ops)

this is because this semester our prof. was retiring and he simply did not give much effort in class - often our classes were canceled (apporx. 8 classes were canceled) this semester. we had no book for class. therefore i didnt learn much from the lectures classes etc., The prof. recommended EQUILIBRIUM STAGE SEPARATION OPERATIONS by Seader. i have read the book, however it is the opinion of the prof. that i do not trust in recommending this book . i had hoped there is another book that a professional engineer could recommend to me.

i hope this clarifies my previous question, i apologize for the ambiguity of my previous post.

i am looking for literature (book, workbook, etc) on Unit Operations, transfer operations

thank you

[Art Montemayor]

Thank you for clarifying your situation. From what you describe, you are in potential trouble and are, in my opinion, doing the right thing by being resourceful and thinking of your own well-being.

Unfortunately, our Forum is not structured to teach ChE Unit Operations. While many students actually learn a lot by participating in our Forums, it is due solely to their effort in absorbing what knowledge and experience we put "on the table" - so to speak.

There are many Chemical Engineering Unit Operations text books - most published well after my graduation. Therefore, I can only recognize the "classics". Professional engineers, unlike academic professors, absorb a lot of the engineering "know-how" out in the field and in current literature such as magazines and periodicals. We have to be practical with what little time our jobs give us, so we can't enjoy the privilege of reading good engineering books for pleasure. Some that come to mind are Ernest Ludwig's great classic on Chemical and Petrochemical Process Design, Smith & McCabe on Plant Design, Brown on Unit Operations, etc., etc. Those are some of the classics I am familiar with. Ludwig would be, in my opinion, a great way for you to be effective in you internship. Ludwig's is practical, hands-on, type of book that goes directly to the subject matter and doesn't dwell on theory and mathematical elegance. It is pragmatic and the one I would recommend. There are 3 volumes involved, and they are expensive I'm afraid.

I hope this helps you out. Good Luck.