The aim of this module is to prepare learners for a career in a range of manufacturing /mechanical industries. This module develops on a wide range of thermal and fluidic principles which can be used in the analysis of process systems that are at the heart of a diverse range of traditional and developing industries. Project work is used to highlight the importance of ethical issues in the role of a process engineer in a manufacturing environment.
Heat Transfer: Conduction through plane and cylindrical walls. Electrical analogue circuits. Insulation materials. Applications to a range of industrially relevant examples.Forced convection (basic analysis). Film coefficients. Dimensional analysis; Nusselt, Prandtl and Reynold’s Numbers. Correlations. Specific applications.Heat exchangers: Applications, Counter-flow, Cross-flow. Temperature profiles. Log mean temperature difference. Effectiveness. Design and construction aspects.
Thermodynamics: Basic definitions, properties, first and second laws, cyclesRefrigeration Plant: Refrigeration cycles –heat pump, refrigerator. Coefficient of performance. Refrigerants. Vapour compression. Vapour absorption. Design applications and examples. Plant components.
Fluid Mechanics: Basic definitions, properties. Bernoulli equation in application. Fluid flow regimes as applied in analytical design. Friction head-loss formulae and charts, and their application. Design example of a typical industrial installation to illustrate pressure losses due to fittings, strainers, valves, bends. Pipe sizing for flow systems. Parallel flow systems. Applications of momentum equation: Momentum flux; vector solutions. Thrust forces on pipe support structures, from tees, junctions and distribution headers. General classification of Rotodynamic machines according to specific speed (type number). Operating characteristics; dimensionless parameters, head and flow coefficients, fan laws. Matching pumps and fans to systems. N.P.S.H. Cavitation and its effects on pump performance. Pump general classification: Positive and non-positive displacement. Pump parts, descriptive treatment.
