Introduction to Chemical

Engineering
(ENCE611001)

Lecture 4 : Chemical Unit Operations

Ir. Dewi Tristantini, M.T., Ph.D.

Dr. Ir. Dijan Supramono, M.Sc.

Departemen Teknik Kimia

Universitas Indonesia
Table of contents Unit Processes and
Lecture 4 - 2019 Unit operations

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Onion Model Raw Products
of materials

Process
Design

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 Unit Operations and Unit Processes
▪ Unit operations involve physical changes such as separation, crystalisation,
evaporation, filtration, while unit processes involve chemical changes in the
materials under consideration such as polymerization, isomerization and other
reactions.
▪ Unit operations are categorized as fluid flow operations, heat transfer
operations, mass transfer operations and mechanical operations, The basic
subjects related to unit operations in Chemical Engineering are transport
phenomena and thermodynamics, while those related to unit processes in
Chemical Engineering are chemical reaction engineering and
thermodynamics.
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 Unit Operations and Unit Processes
▪ One or some unit operations and one or some unit processes potentially evolve
as multiple-step process described as a flowsheet.
▪ In unit operations, fluid flow operations, heat transfer operations and mass
transfer operations are attributed to phenomena of momentum transfer of fluid,
heat transfer and mass transfer with their momentum rate (fluid force), mass
rate and heat rate, respectively, during the transfers.
▪ In unit processes, rate of chemical transformation (commonly termed kinetics)
such as A + B → C determines how fast A and B are reacted to generate C.

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 • Momentum, heat and mass rates, and
Chemical States reaction rates
in Unit
• Phases (One phase: Liquid, Solid, Gas,
Operations and Two phase mixture or in equilibrium: G-L,
Unit Processes G-S, L-S, L-L, G-L-S)
• Conditions: Temperatures and pressures

Equipment to • Chemical Reaction : Reactors

• Separations/Phase separation: Separators
execute processes • Movers : Compressors, Pumps, (mechanical
or operations operations) Turbine, Expander, Valves
•Heat exchange : Heat Exchanger,
Process Heaters
•Mixing and splitting : Mixers, Splitters

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 REACTOR is the heart of any chemical plant. You
Unit Processes need to define complete chemical reactions with
their full operating conditions for a prelimenary
Reactor plant design.

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 Before and after reactor, you need to separate
undesired chemical components before the
Unit
reactions occur and to separate any by-product
Operations
from reactor outlet which may be recycled

Distillation
▪ Distillation (fluid-fluid separation)
- Relative volatility of components to be
separated should be > 1.2
- Products are thermally stable
- Rate is > 5,000-10,000 lbs/day
- No corrosion, precipitation or explosion
problems

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 Before and after reactor, you need to separate
undesired chemical components before the
Unit
reactions occur and to separate any by-product
Operations
from reactor outlet which may be recycled

Extraction
- Extraction (liquid-liquid separation)
- Solvent selectivity to different components
to be separated > 1.5-2.0
- Solvent selective for low-concentration
component
- Energy costs is high
- Easy solvent recovery

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Unit ▪ Adsorption (gas-gas separation)
Operations - Adsorbent selectivity to different
components to be separated > 2 for bulk
Adsorption separations and >10-100 for purifications
- High percentage of solute removal
- Adsorbent is not susceptible to rapid
fouling
- Adsorption beds are easily regenerated
- e.g. Clean air/water projects

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 - Membranes (gas-gas, gas-liquid separation)
Unit - Membrane selectivity to different
Operations components to be separated > 10 (except
for air separation)
Membrane - Bulk separation, clean air/water projects
Separation and some trace removal
- Acceptable mass fluxes is desired
- Membrane is chemically stable
- Membrane is not susceptible to rapid
fouling
- Low to moderate feed rates

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Unit
Operations

Separation by
Distillation

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 wash water/solvent

Unit
Operations solid
feed suspension

Separation by
Centrifuge

waste water filtrate

 5000 kg demineralised water

Unit
Operations
Impurity 55 kg F1
Water 2600 kg
Separation by API 450 kg Water 300 kg
API 448 kg
Filtration Impurity 5 kg

Water 7300 kg
Impurity 50 kg
API 2kg
 Evaporated water/solvent

Unit
Operations
Feed: water/solvent
+ material to be dried Dried product
Separation by
Drying
 W2

Unit
Operations F1
P3
E C F

Separation by
Multi-Units R4

E = evaporator; C = crystalliser; F=filter unit

F1 = fresh feed; W2=evaporated water; P3 = solid product;
R4 = recycle of saturated solution from filter unit
Heat Exchange
between Hot
Stream and
Cold Stream in
a Heat
Exchanger

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Flowsheeting
of Chemical
Plant

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 Water Energy Auxiliary materials

Input and
Output Product
Raw materials Unit Processes and (expected)
Diagram
Unit Operations
for byproduct
(usable)
Unit Processes
and Unit Waste
Operations

Waste easily Inert waste toxic/dangerous

assimilated by waste
the environment
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 Raw
Gaseous emissions
materials

Input and Catalyst

Output Unit Processes Products
Air/Water
Diagram and Unit
Energy Operations By-products
for
Unit Processes
and Unit Recycle Wastewater
Operations
Liquid waste

Reusable residues Solid waste

in another operation

Assignment 4
Hardcopy will be submitted at
next lecture
Softcopy need to be sent to
email in one zip file for each
class (H-1 Deadline)
(document in pdf.)
REG 01/02 PAR KKI:
Pengantartekkim.ui@gmail.c
om
Format Subject :
Assignment x – Name –
Reg01/Reg02/Par/KKI
1. Make a list of 2 utilities that are often used in a chemical
plant such as water, steam, refrigerant, cooling water, or
flue gas and unit operations where the utilities are
usually used.
Plant Unit
utility operation
Water ……….
2. Make a block flow diagram of the process from the
video you’ve just watched
3. Explain functions of at least 2 unit operations from the
video you’ve just watched.
(Name of Unit Operations, Principal Function)
*Make the assignment in form of handwritten A4 paper
*Maximum 4 Pages.
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