Course Syllabus

Fluid and Energy Transfer Operations Laboratory

Credits: 2 credit hours

Catalog Description: Laboratory work in unit operations involving heat and momentum transfer.

Prerequisites:

• ECH 3101 (Process Thermodynamics),
• ECH 3203 (Fluid and Solid Operations)
• ECH 3223 (Energy Transfer Operations)
• ENC 3246 (Professional Communication for Engineers)

Corequisite:

• ECH 4714L (Safety and Experimental Evaluation)

Instructor:        

Prof. Dmitry I. Kopelevich

Office: CHE 315

Phone: 392-4422

E-mail: dkopelevich@che.ufl.edu

Office hours: Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 pm to 3:30 pm or by appointment.

Teaching assistants: Assignment of teaching assistants to individual groups will be posted on the e-learning (Canvas) website.

Class meetings: The lab sessions will be held in the Unit Operations Lab (CHE 100-300) from 8:30 am to 12:35 pm on the following days:

                             Section 055G: Mondays

                             Section 056A: Tuesdays

                             Section 2449: Wednesdays

                             Section 3535: Thursdays

                             Section 6342: Fridays

Course websites:

1. Lab website: http://www.che.ufl.edu/unit-ops-lab/ech4224L.htm

Contains descriptions of experiments, safety guidelines, and guidelines for writing reports.

2. E-learning (Canvas) website: https://lss.at.ufl.edu/

Will be used for submission of reports and posting of grades and announcements.

Recommended Literature

1. Geankoplis, C. J., Transport Processes and Unit Operations.
2. Incropera, F. P. and D. P. DeWit, Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer.
3. McCabe, W.L., J.C. Smith, and P. Harriet, Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering.
4. Bird, R.H., W.L. Stewart, and E.H. Lightfoot, Transport Phenomena.
5. Perry, R.H., D.W. Green, and J.O. Maloney, Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook.

There is no required textbook for this class.

Course Outline

This course is focused on experimental studies of thermodynamics and heat and momentum transfer in the context of unit operations. Theoretical concepts learned in other courses are illustrated by experiments. Technical communications are emphasized.

Each course section is divided into teams of four or less students. Each team is free to organize the workflow for their project. Regardless of individual contributions, each team member is responsible for understanding all elements of each project.

Course Objectives

1. Reinforce classroom theory by the collection and use of data in practical experiments with all their inherent problems and limitations.
2. Gain proficiency in writing technical reports.
3. Gain experience of working in teams.
4. Create a sense of professional responsibility for the quality and integrity of engineering work.
5. Learn safe working procedures.
6. Learn equipment, instrumentation, and procedures not covered in lectures.

Experiments

• Module 1
  • 2-rotameter experiment
  • Fluid flow in pipes
  • 3-tank experiment
  • Tank draining experiment
• Module 2: Filtration
• Module 3
  • Fluidized bed
  • Heat exchanger
• Module 4: Thin Film Evaporator

Grading Criteria

The grade will be determined according to the following weighting criteria:

• Lab reports:         76 % (19% per module)
• Pre-lab homework: 8 %
• Quizzes:                8 %
• Participation:         8 %

The participation grade will be based on the TA feedback, peer evaluations, and the instructor’s observations.

Contribution of individual lab reports to the module report grade will be computed using the following weights:

• Module 1:
  • 2-Rotameter Experiment: 10%
  • Fluid Flow in Pipes: 50%
  • 3-Tank Experiment: 25%
  • Tank Draining Experimen: 15%
• Modules 2 and 4:
  • Preliminary report: 20%
  • Final report: 80%
• Module 3:
  • Fluidized Bed: 33.3%
  • Heat Exchanger: 66.7%

Class Attendance

Students are required to attend all lab sessions. Absences are allowed only due to illness, serious family emergencies, job interviews, military obligation, religious holidays, participation in official university activities, and other reasons defined in the undergraduate catalog

(https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx#absences).

Unexcused absences will result in a grade reduction.

Pre-Lab Homework Policy

• A failing grade will be assigned to students whose cumulative homework grade is less than 50%.
• Pre-lab homework is due at the beginning of each new experiment.
• Late homework submissions will be accepted only if a student was not able to complete the homework on time due to an acceptable reason (see above).

Quiz Policy

• A failing grade will be assigned to students whose cumulative homework grade is less than 50%.
• Quizzes are scheduled at the beginning of each experimental session.
• Quizzes will be rescheduled only for those students who missed them due to an acceptable reason (see above). It is required that whenever possible the student notifies the instructor about the situation before the quiz.
• Students arriving late for a quiz will be given only the balance of time remaining to complete their work unless an acceptable reason (see above) is provided.
• Students may not use their notes, manuals, or any other material during the quizzes.

Schedule for each experiment

Before the experiment:

1. Review theory, safety manual, and operating instructions posted on the Lab website.
2. If necessary, meet with the instructor to discuss the upcoming experiment.
3. Answer pre-lab questions posted on the Lab website. Written answers to the pre-lab questions should be submitted to your TA at the beginning of the lab session.

During the experiment:

1. Get acquainted with equipment.
2. Learn proper start up and shutdown procedures.
3. Learn how to perform measurements.
4. Learn about limits of the system.
5. Experiment with the system under various conditions.
6. Make sure to do basic checks of your data (e.g., mass and energy balances) during the experiment. Avoid a situation in which you collect data just to discover that it does not satisfy the mass or energy balance after you are out of the lab and writing your report. It is necessary to perform the basic checks during the lab and, if your data don't make sense, repeat an experiment to make sure that this was not a measurement error.

After the experiment:

Analyze your data and write a report. You are required to submit the following reports:

1. Preliminary reports for the Filtration and Thin Film Evaporator experiments. These reports should be submitted at least 2 days before the 2^nd lab session of the corresponding experiment.
2. Final report for each of the experiments. The final reports are due one week after the last lab session of the experiment.

Guidelines for the Lab Reports

1. Detailed guidelines are posted on the Lab website. Reports will be graded on both technical content and communication effectiveness.
2. Reports should be written using complete sentences, with correct spelling and grammar. All symbols should be defined on their first use. Clarity and brevity will be rewarded; sloppy thinking and writing will be penalized.
3. Do not copy theoretical derivations from a textbook or a website. Instead, clearly state assumptions behind the derivation and cite the source of the result.
4. All reports should be submitted via e-learning. There is no need to submit hard copies.
5. Late submissions will be penalized by a 10% grade reduction for each day the report is overdue.

Guidelines for Experiments and Data Analysis

1. Check energy and material balances.
2. Investigate effects of all control parameters on the experimental results.
3. Almost all experiments should be performed at a steady state. Exceptions are the batch filtration and 3-tank experiments.
4. Clearly identify and justify all assumptions in your theoretical calculations.
5. Compare the measured data with your theoretical calculation.
6. Check reproducibility of your data. Whenever possible, perform at least three runs for each experimental condition and obtain error estimates by computing standard deviations based on these runs. Report the average values and error estimates in the main text of the report and provide an appendix containing data for all experimental runs.
7. Report any anomalous results and discuss their possible sources.
8. You may use Excel spreadsheets, VBA, Matlab, and/or Python for your calculations.
9. Make sure that your objectives can be met with your operating conditions. It is easy to choose conditions that are outside of the performance limits of the apparatus or produce results with no measurable difference. Carefully study the limitations of the existing experimental apparatus as a part of the planning process rather than finding out in the laboratory run that the experimental values obtained are useless.

Academic Honesty

All students admitted to the University of Florida have signed a statement of academic honesty committing themselves to be honest in all academic work and understanding that failure to comply with this commitment will result in disciplinary action. This statement is a reminder to uphold your obligation as a student at the University of Florida and to be honest in all work submitted and exams taken in this class and all others.

Cooperation Policy

• Students are expected to work in teams on their experiments and reports.
• Pre-lab questions should be answered by each student individually.
• No consultation among students is allowed during

Plagiarism

Students are not permitted to represent as their own work any portion of the work of another person. Plagiarism includes (but is not limited to) submitting a document or assignment which in whole or in part is identical or substantially identical to a document or assignment not authored by the student. All sources used in preparation of the reports should be cited.

Falsified Information

Students are not permitted to use or report any invented or fabricated information or data. This includes both experimental results and theoretical calculations.

Sanctions

Since ethical behavior in science and engineering is equal in importance to specific knowledge, the instructor will assign a non-passing letter grade to students who violate academic honesty standards, regardless of the violator's grade performance in class.