The ever increasing global demand for better utilisation of raw material and energy resources in an environmentally-sustainable manner means that greater ingenuity must be employed in the development of new processes (or improvement of existing ones). The traditional but time-consuming and expensive practice of first building a small-scale replica of the process for the sole purpose of investigating its dynamic and steady-state behaviour to acquire optimal operating conditions is a luxury that can no longer be afforded. Consequently, a more quantitative approach to process design and operation is now more attractive to industry.
Process modelling and analysis deals with the principles and methods for effectively building and understanding models of processes. This course is a central component of the chemical and process engineering curriculum and leads naturally to the principles of computer-based design and process control.
This course deals with the formulation of reliable mathematical models for the purpose of process design, control, and optimisation. Through this course, you will therefore be equipped with skills in the derivation of linear and non-linear ODEs and PDEs based on the application of conservation laws to various chemical and biological processes. Analytical tools for the solution of linear and non-linear ODEs representing initial value and boundary value problems will be discussed. Illustrative examples involving lumped and distributed processes, discrete systems as well as multivariable (matrix) methods are included. Attention will be also given to nonlinear features identification including steady state multiplicity and bifurcation analysis. For situations where closed form solutions are unattainable, approximate methods are sought. Thus, the subject will also cover numerical methods for algebraic and ODEs. The use of numerical differentiation and interpolation in process analysis will also be examined.
