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.

mixer Attribution: Said Zaid-Alkailani & UBC [CC BY 4.0 de (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)]

reverse osmosis image

reverse osmosis image

By James Grellier - Own work Creative commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

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.

Batch Reactor

Batch Reactor

Attribution: Echis at English Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Chemical Reactor

Chemical Reactor

Attribution: By Oregon State University (Chemical reactor) CC BY-SA 2.0<, via Wikimedia Commons

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.

Batch Distillation

Batch Distillation

Attribution: User A1 at English Wikipedia [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

fractional column

fractional column

By User:Luigi Chiesa - Own work, CC BY 3.0link

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.

splitter

splitter

Attribution: Said Zaid-Alkailani & UBC CC BY 4.0 de

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