Incorporation of Process Intensification Into Chemical Reactor Design Through Instructional Modules

Process intensification encompasses a variety of concepts and practices that may result in significant savings in capital and operating expenses, as well as enhanced safety, reliability, and risk reduction.  Three instructional modules have been developed for the chemical reactor design course that focus on concepts/topics that fall under the process intensification umbrella.  The first module focuses on coupling of chemical reactions to realize operational benefits with respect to energy consumption and/or overcoming thermodynamic equilibrium limitations.  The second module discusses the combination of reaction and separation through the use of simulated moving bed reactors.  The third module focuses on novel reactor configurations, such as the spinning disk reactor and the rotating packed bed, and how their use can improve process efficiency.  Design of the modules allows their use either as a lecture in the traditional course with a companion homework assignment, or as a stand-alone activity that students can complete outside of the normal lecture period.