UNIT OPERATIONS

Chemical Engineering Equipment

Product

Reactors
coolant
Tubular catalytic reactor

Feed
Product
Feed reactants

cooling water or Jacketed reactor

steam outlet

Continuous stirred tank reactor

Mixing
In industrial process engineering, mixing is a unit
operation that involves manipulating a heterogeneous
physical system, with the intent to make it more
homogeneous.
 Propeller agitated tankTurbine agitated tank Gas sparger

Divider/Splitter Splitter Feed, A

Splitter Exit 1, B

Composition of
streams A, B and C is Splitter Exit 2, C

the same for each.

Mixer (Blender) Mixer Feed 2,

B

There are two or

more entering
streams and only one MIXER

exit stream, a Mixer Feed 1, F Mixer Product, E

"mixed" stream.
Separation Processes

Liquid-Liquid Solid-Liquid
Separation Separations
 Distillation
 Evaporation
 Extraction
 Crystallization
 Decanting
 Sedimentation
 Coalescing
 Filtration
 Centrifugation
Gas-Solid Separation

 Filtration Gas-Gas Separation

 Cyclones
 Settling  Absorption
 Centrifugation  Adsorption

Solid-Solid Separation Liquid-Gas Separation

 Screening  Stripping
 Cyclones
 Flotation
 Flocculation
 Liquid-Liquid Separation

Distillation Column Condenser

Liquid A (some B)

Used primarily for

liquid-liquid A+B

separations
Based on differences
in boiling points of
components
Reboiler

Can have trays or packed

columns
Liquid B (some A)
e.g. Solvent recovery

Partial Condenser
Vapor Product, V

Partial
Vapor Feed, F Condenser

Condensed Liquid, L
a.The feed stream contains only condensable vapor
components.
b. The exit streams, L and V, are in equilibrium.
c.Condensation is caused by cooling and/or increasing
pressure.

Flash Vaporizer, Flash Distillation

Vapor Product, V

Flash
Liquid Feed, F Unit

Liquid Product, L

a. Same flow sheet as a partial condenser except the

feed is a liquid.
b. Vaporization is caused by reducing the pressure
and /or heating.
c. The Vapor and liquid streams are in equilibrium.
Liquid-liquid Extraction

method to separate compounds based on their solution

preferences for two different immiscible liquids,
usually water, and an organic solvent. It is an
extraction of a substance from one liquid phase into
another liquid phase.
Mixer Settlers are a class of process equipment used in
the solvent extraction process. A mixer settler
consists of a first stage that mixes the phases together
followed by a quiescent settling stage that allows the
phases to separate by gravity

Feed Solvent + solute

Purified Feed
Extract Solvent

Extract Solvent
+ solute
Mixer Decanter or settler
 Solid-Liquid Separations
Evaporators
Used to separate materials based on differences in
boiling temperatures Vapour A

Used in industry to Liquid A + B

concentrate fruit juices
(remove excess water)
Liquid A + B

(concentration of
B is higher in
outlet than inlet)

Crystallizers
Used in liquid-solid separations to produce salts and
chemicals in industry
A (crystals)
e.g. Crystallizers create a super-
saturated solution by evaporating B in liquid A

the solvent of a saturated concentrated solution of B in A

solution. The solute cools,

forming crystals.

Sand Filters
 Solid-Liquid and Solid-Gas Separations

Plate and frame filter

Clarifier or thickener
Centrifugal separator

Utility

Screen
Electrostatic precipitator or
Continuous
bag filter process filter

Cyclone separator
Solid-liquid Extraction (Leaching)

is the process of extracting a substance from a solid by

dissolving it in a liquid. In the chemical processing
industry, leaching is known as extraction. Leaching
has a variety of commercial applications, including
separation of metal from ore using acid, and sugar
from beets using hot water.
 Liquid-Gas Separation

Stripper (Gas Desorption)

Brings gas and liquid in contact so that volatile

contaminants in the liquid will be stripped into the gas
(i.e. liquid purification)
Soluble gas transferred from liquid phase to gas phase
because the activity (concentration) in the liquid phase
is greater gas+solute Liquid+solute

e.g. Removal of benzene

from groundwater

gas solute-free Liquid

 Gas-Gas Separation

Absorbers Purified gas

Liquid
Bring a gas and
liquid in contact so
that contaminants in
the gas will absorb
into the liquid (used
to purify gas gas + solute Liquid + solute
streams)

Adsorber

Separation of a substance from one phase, with its

accumulation at the surface of another phase (material
from the liquid is concentrated on the surface of the
solid)
Liquid A + B

e.g. Carbon cartridges in gas Liquid A

masks remove harmful gases
e.g. Silica gel is used as a Solid C

drying agent
Solid C with B

(Usually C is stationary)
Dryers

Moisture is removed thermally from a liquid-solid

mixture

C+A

e.g. Conveyor dryers used A (liq)

B (solid), some A
B (solid)
in food applications (drying
C (gas)
chips or pastas)

Humidifiers

Used to increase the relative humidity of air (i.e. to

add moisture to the air)

Liquid B

Gas A and B
Used in paper and leather
industries to prevent
Gas A products from becoming
brittle and dry
Dehumidifier

Used to remove one component from a gas stream

Gas A (may still be some B)

B is a condensable gas
Gas A and B
e.g. removing water from
air (i.e. creating a drier air)
Liquid B

Heat Transfer Equipment

 Feed streams have to be heated/cooled

 Product streams have to be heated/cooled
 Materials have to be maintained at a specific
temperature e.g. in a reactor

Types

Shell and tube; Double pipe; Compact;

Reboiler; Condenser
4

10

1 2

Kettle
3

Shell and tube Condenser

heat exchanger reboiler
 Flowsheeting

Heat Exchangers

Examples of Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

Kettle Reboiler Fired Heater Air cooler Jacket

KURATA THERMODYNAMICS LA BORATORY

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Flowsheet Standards
Chemical Engineering Design I
JO B: C&PE 6 13 BY :
C. S. Ho wat DA TE: 8/31/99 DWG :
2 REV :
0

Cooling tower Air Cooler

Boiler Furnace

Fluid-Moving Equipment

Centrifugal PumpReciprocating Pump Propeller

Turbine Centrifugal Fan Axial Fan

Axial Compressor
Piston Compressor Rotary Blower

Towers

Packed Tray Sparged Spray General

Storage Tanks and Vessels

General General Furnace-type Reactor

Drums

Hold-up drum
Flash drum
Heated Vessels

Horizontal jacketed Vertical jacketed Submerged coil

Gas-Solid Contacting Equipment

Continuous tunnel
Fluidized bedVertical tower Rotary drum
Size-Modification Equipment

Drum agglomeratorPellet mill Extruder Roller crusher