Teaching Labs | Chemical Engineering

Unit Operations Lab

The world-class Unit Operations Lab offers a 6,500-square-foot, multistory learning area, making it one of the largest pilot-scale educational facilities dedicated to chemical processing. The facility includes two pilot-scale experiments: a three-story distillation column and a two-story batch reactor. Students work in the lab as part of the chemical engineering capstone experience, gaining exposure to the primary unit operations and the instrumentation, control, and process management technologies common to the multifaceted chemical process industries. In addition to performing traditional experiments on heat exchange, drying, filtration, separations, and fluid flow, students also study reaction kinetics, biochemical processes, membranes, and polymer processing.

CM 4110 - Unit and Plant Operations Laboratory I

A capstone laboratory course that provides a rigorous introduction to experiments focused in the unit operations of fluid mechanics, heat transfer, mass transfer, and chemical reaction engineering, as well as operation of a pilot plant.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-9)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Summer
Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate; Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s): Chemical Engineering
Pre-Requisite(s): CM 3120 and CM 3215 and (CM 3240 or CM 2120) and CM 3310 and CM 3510 and CM 4320(C)

Location: Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building Basement; Control Room, 107
Contact: Jeana Collins

Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory

Provides an integrated biological-process laboratory experience, including fermentation with downstream bioseparation, for the production of a purified product of significant commercial interest.

Location: ChemSci 205
Contact: David Shonnard

Chemical Engineering Fundamentals Laboratory

The Chemical Engineering Fundamentals junior-level course, which is required for all chemical engineering majors, is taught in this space. This lab introduces students to basic laboratory methods and instrumentation used in the measurement of fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer. Lab activities include methods of statistical data analysis, experimental design, principles of measurement and instrumentation, and presentation of data.

CM 3215 - Chemical Engineering Fundamentals Laboratory

This course is an introduction to basic laboratory methods and instrumentation used in chemical engineering including measurement of fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer. Topics include statistical data analysis, experimental design, principles of measurement and instrumentation, and technical communication.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-0-3)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s): Chemical Engineering
Pre-Requisite(s): CM 3110(C) and UN 1015

Location: ChemSci 103
Contact: Find course instructors in Schedule of Classes.

Process Control Laboratory

In this lab, students create a feedback process control loop. First they learn to convert low-level voltage signals from process instrumentation into a measured value in engineering units. The instrument signal is then filtered and passed on to a feedback controller. The feedback controller is programmed to control a regulatory valve position that maintains the physical process at a desired state or level.

CM 3310 - Process Control

Covers methods of analyzing the transient behavior of chemical processing systems and components, the design and tuning of feedback controllers, and an introduction to industrial automation for batch processes. Laboratory introduces data acquisition and implementation of feedback control.

Credits: 4.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-2)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): (MA 3520 or MA 3521 or MA 3530 or MA 3560) and PH 2200 and CM 2110

Location: ChemSci 103
Contact: Find course instructors in Schedule of Classes.