Documentation:CHBE Exam Wiki/1.2 - Basic Unit Operations

1.2 – Basic Unit Operations

1.2.0 – Learning Objectives

By the end of this section you should be able to:

1. Know the four basic unit operations covered in this course.
2. Understand how each of the unit operations work.
3. Understand the purpose of each unit operation.

1.2.1 – Introduction

In chemical engineering, a unit operation is a step in a process. Each of these steps gets the raw feedstock closer to the final products. Different unit operations have different functionalities and purposes. We will cover ‘‘‘mixers’‘‘, ‘‘‘reactors’‘‘, ‘‘‘separators’‘‘, and ‘‘‘splitters’‘‘ in this course.

1.2.2 – Mixer

In a process, a ‘‘‘mixer’‘‘ is a unit operation that attempts to make a ‘‘‘heterogeneous’‘‘ system into a ‘‘‘homogenous’‘‘ system. Examples include scrambling eggs, mixing sugar and cream into coffee, and a Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor used in water treatment. A mixer allows heat and/or mass transfer to occur between one or more streams.

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  Attribution: Said Zaid-Alkailani & UBC

1.2.3 – Reactor

In a process, a ‘‘‘reactor’‘‘ is a unit operation that is designed to contain a chemical reaction. These reactions can include anything from burning natural gas to chlorination of water for purification purposes.

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  Attribution: Echis at English Wikipedia

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  Attribution:By Oregon State University

1.2.4 – Separator

In a process, a ‘‘‘separator’‘‘ is a unit operation that converts a mixture of chemical species to two or more distinct products. Think of separators as opposite of mixers. An example of a separator is in distillation, where you are trying to separate the impurities from the alcohol.

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  Attribution:User A1 at English Wikipedia [FAL]

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  Attribution:Luigi Chiesa

1.2.5 – Splitter

In a process, a splitter is a unit operation that splits a line into two or more directions. This is similar to a separator except the product lines have the same chemical makings.

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  Attribution:Attribution: Said Zaid-Alkailani & UBC