University of California, Davis
Department of Chemical Engineering and
Materials Science

ECH 256: Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Engineering
(CRN# 66267)

Winter Quarter 2008

MW (2:10-4:00 PM)
Room 1070 Bainer

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Instructors: B. G. Higgins
Office : Bainer 3012
Office Hours: T&R 9:00-10:00 am
Phone: 752-8780
e-mail: bghiggins@ucdavis.edu



Course Overview

The following Concepts and Topics will be emphasized in ECH 256
    CONCEPTS and TOPICS
  1. Two axioms for the mass of multicomponent systems.
  2. Conservation of atomic species-Stoichiometry.
  3. Chemical equilibrium; thermodynamics of reaction systems;Gibbs Free energy of reaction.
  4. Energy Balance for multicomponent mixtures.
  5. Kinetics of homogeneous reactions; Mass action kinetics.
  6. Linear Algebra of reaction mechanisms.
  7. Analysis of model reactors: Batch, CSTR, Plug flow; application of material balances.
  8. Multiple reactions; chain reactions.
  9. Homogeneous versus heterogeneous reactions; jump conditions.
  10. Diffusion and reaction; binary systems, multicomponent systems (Stefan-Maxwell Eqns)
  11. Complex reactions-reaction networks
  12. Stability of reaction systems, travelling waves, Turing patterns
  13. Biochemical reaction mechanisms; metabolic pathways, flux balance analysis

No text book has been assigned for the course. Course notes will be provided for most topics; reading assignments from classical Reactiuon Engineering textbooks and articles in the literature will be given.

Course Grade

The overall letter grade for the course will be determined as follows: One midterm(take-homeExam): 40%, Homework: 20%, final exam(take-home Exam): 40%.
The final examination will be a takehome exam and will be given out on

Wednesday June 4, and due by noon Monday June 9. .

Plan now to take this examination at the scheduled time.
The time for the Mid-Term is as follows:

Take-home Mid-Term : Given out on Wednesday May 7 and due by noon, Monday May 12;

Homework & Exams Policies:

Homework will be assigned and graded. Answers to all homework problems and mid term exams will be available from this site as PDF files. When doing the homework, you should remember the words of Confucius:

"I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand."

In class, you hear and see. When you study the text, you see. When you do the homework by yourself, you do. Don't waste 2500 years of wisdom.

Special Needs

If you have a disability that impacts on your learning, we encourage you to talk with Prof. Higgins about it on a confidential basis so that we might collectively devise a strategy to overcome whatever barriers might exist.

Class Assistants

No TA is assigned for this course.


References


  1. R.P. Feynman, "There is no learning without having to pose a question", The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA