LABORATORY REGULATIONS

General Conduct

The following are the guidelines in conducting and ensuring efficient practical in the Chemical
and Polymer Engineering Laboratories.

Laboratory work is only permitted in the presence of both academic and technical staff.

Experiments are only authorized and allowed in the laboratory provided permission or approval
is given by the HOD through academic staff or technologist.

Maintaining an orderly manner in the laboratory is very important.

Receiving visitors during experiment in the laboratory is prohibited.

Bringing and consuming food in the laboratory is prohibited.

Bringing of overcoats, bags, cases, and food flasks is prohibited.

Playing/singing, dancing, jumping or running, etc. in the laboratory is prohibited.

Clean Laboratory table/desk, clean up all chemical spills, paper scraps and glassware
immediately you finish your practical.

LABORATORY TECHNIQUE

Experiment Technique

Work in the laboratory depends on understanding, observation and skill.

There is need for good understanding of the performance and limitation of experimental models
to know about the theory involved is useful.

There is need to have keen observation so as to obtain better results and avoidance of mistake.

The handling of apparatus can influence the accuracy of the results and speed of work.

Design of Experimental Models

The purpose of each experiment is to illustrate an item of theory or to show how well
simplifying assumptions in the applied mathematics correspond to actual behaviour.

This often requires the model to exaggerate the behaviour of a real thing.

In order to achieve specific objectives, each experiment has a particular arrangement best
suited to the theoretical requirement. These arrangements of the apparatus are described in
each experimental instruction manual to be read through and follow the recommended
procedure.
Obtaining Accurate Results

The ability to obtain accurate and repeatable experimental results is generally a matter of care
and technique. This helps to show or know the source of error and to indicate when the
apparatus contributes to the variability of readings.

Safety

When using the laboratory, the following essential steps should be taken as precautions and
protections.

Laboratory coat: Protective white overall must be worn when in the laboratory doing something
or during an experiment.

Cover shoes: leather cover shoe must be worn when in the laboratory doing something or during
an experiment. No sandals, canvas and slippers are allowed to be worn into the laboratory.

Nose cover, hand gloves, safety transparent google; theses must be worn depending on the type
of experiment and equipment being used. Transparent safety goggle or glasses must be worn
when carrying out experiment or working on the ammonia gas absorption apparatus and other
related experiments involving heating or explosive experiment. This is to protect the eyes from
chemical accident or spillage.

Nose cover and breathing equipment must be worn before using fume cupboard for
experiments in the gas absorption apparatus.

Hazard reagents and gases such as acids, bases and highly flammable solvents such as
benzene, petroleum ether etc. should be handled with care.

No smoking is allowed in the laboratory or environment.

Do not operate any equipment/machine without the technologist or lecturer permission.

Do not embark on horseplay in the workshop or laboratory.

Use the right tools for the right work.

Any form of accident should be reported to the technologist, laboratory supervisor or the
lecturer.

STRUCTURE OF REPORT

Title

What is the report about? It should be fully informative about the content of the report.

Abstract
Summaries of each of the parts of the report usually arranged on the order that the parts come
in the report: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion/Conclusion.

Introduction

What is the purpose for doing the experiment? Scientific concept (theory and principle),
necessary background for the learning context which can come from laboratory manual,
textbook, lecture notes and other sources recommended. Present the objective(s) for the
experimental procedure, the purpose and stating the hypothesis.

Materials and Methods/Experimental Procedure/Methodology

What did you do and how did you do it? Describe the laboratory apparatus and the procedure
used to gather the data as well as the process used to analyze the data. Provide enough detail
so that a competent scientist in the field can repeat, or replicate, the procedure.

Results

What did you find? Reports the outcomes of the experiment, stick to the facts as they have been
observed. Summarize the overall findings of the experiment. Integrates both visual (graphs,
tables, drawings) and verbal (words) representations of the data.

Discussion

Does the findings in the Results support or do not support the expected findings stated in the
hypothesis? The statement of support or non-support then leads to the next logical issue, an
explanation of why the hypothesis was or was not supported by the data. The explanation might
focus on the scientific reasoning that supported the original hypothesis and on changes to or
errors in the experimental procedure and how they could have affected the outcomes. Compare
the results to the research of others.

Conclusion

Learning context; state what you have learned. Specifically provide details of what you have
learned about the theory or principle or procedure by carrying out the experimental work.

References

List all the references that were cited in the laboratory report, including the lab manual, any
handouts, the textbook, and sources from the literature. Choose a specific format for your
references.
EXPERIMENT 1: GLOBAL ENERGY BALANCE IN THE EXCHANGER AND LOSSES STUDY

Objective

The main goal of this Practice is to obtain the global balance of energy in the exchanger by
calculating the heat transferred by the hot fluid, the heat absorbed by the cold fluid and also the
heat losses. You may calculate the Logarithmic Average Temperature Differences and the Heat
Transfer Global coefficient.

Procedure

1. Verify that valves are opened and that parallel flux configuration has been set.

2. Verify that the heating tank is filled with water over the level switch.

3. Verify that the AV9 valve is opened while the AV10 valve is closed.

4. Turn on the pump and the resistance (the equipment power supply).

5. Fix the tank temperature in 50 ºC (ST16).

6. Fix the hot water flow at about 3 l/min (SC1) and adjust the cold-water flow so stationary
operating conditions are reached keeping the temperature in the tank constant.

7. Start the stirrer.

8. Write down temperature and flow measurements on the experimental sheet.

9. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for different temperatures of the water tank:45 ºC, 55ºC and 60 ºC.

10. Once the values had been recorded you may calculate the heat transferred by the hot water,
the heat absorbed by the cold water, heat losses, the logarithmic average temperature
differences and the global exchange heat coefficient.

Results and tables

From the above data, the following thermodynamic variables may be calculated:

- Heat transferred by hot water (qh)

- Heat absorbed by the cold water (qc)

- Heat losses (ql)

- Logarithmic average temperature difference between hot and coldwater ((Tlm)

- Global heat transfer coefficient (U)

EXPERIMENT 2: FREE CONVECTION IN FLAT SURFACES (TCLFC)

Objective

The objective of this practice is to obtain the heat transmission coefficient, h, in free convection
on a vertical flat surface.

Theoretical basis

In free convection the speed of the fluid in points far from the body will be practically null. Close
to the body, some movement of the fluid will take place if it is at a temperature different to that
of the free fluid. In this case, the densities of the fluid that is close to the surface and the one
that it is far from it are different. Such difference of densities will cause a driving force on the
fluid that is close to the surface. This force causes a movement in the fluid, substantially in the
vertical direction (rising or decreasing, depending on whether the surface is hotter or cooler than
the fluid). Therefore, the driving force that produces the movement of the fluid and keeps the
process of the convection is the force of gravity.

The theoretical transmission coefficient is determined by using certain correlations that have
been deduced in experiments by different researchers. The Nusselt number can be expressed
as a function of the Grashof number and the Prandtl number, and this is the relation given by the
correlations that are going to be used.

What is used as a parameter in free convection is the Rayleigh (Ra) non-dimensional number,
given by:
Necessary Elements

For the execution of this practice the use of the flat exchanger and 4 thermocouples will be
necessary. It should be enough to use ST-1, ST-4, ST-7 and ST-8.

Experimental Procedure

STEP 1: The practice used to calculate the heat transmission factor by free convection (h) in an
empirical way starts by taking the measure of the surface that exchanges heat with the help of a
gage.
STEP 2: Next, place the flat exchanger in the tower. Then, insert the thermocouples. A
thermocouple will be placed in the exchanger, ST-8, and the other three will be placed in the
three orifices placed in the middle of the tunnel, ST-1, ST-4 and ST-7(see Figure 1).