EQUIPMENT DESIGN FOR CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Preliminary information and basic techniques are provided for the mechanical design of components of industrial plants, in particular in the field of chemical and petrochemical plants.

Topics related to the behavior of materials under mechanical and / or thermal loads under static and dynamic conditions and design of simple mechanical components will be dealt with.

In particular, the notions and tools for the design of some basic plant elements (pressure tanks, pipes, heat exchangers), the approaches to the optimal choice of materials, and those to the life cycle design and environmental sustainability, will be developed.

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to size basic mechanical components and develop preliminary designs for more complex elements typical of chemical and petrochemical plants in compliance with construction standards and taking into account operating conditions, while also outlining assessments regarding the environmental sustainability of the chosen solutions.

The course will be divided into two Modules A and B, lectured by Prof. Fargione and Prof. Giudice, respectively. Both modules will consist of: frontal lessons; exercises on the course topics.

The course will be divided into two Modules A and B, lectured by Prof. Fargione and Prof. Giudice, respectively. Both modules will consist of theoretical lessons, aimed at acquiring the knowledge required by the course, and exercises on the course topics, for the development of application skills.

If the course is delivered in blended or remote mode, appropriate adjustments may be made to the above, in order to ensure consistency with the syllabus.

The teaching material consists of the slides of the lessons and additional documentation (studium.unict.it).

Important: Knowledge of the fundamentals of Physics and Mathematics.

Attendance at classes is mandatory.

 Module A

·       Concepts of elasticity theory, Hooke's law, concepts of stress and strain,

·       Equilibrium of a solid body, internal actions and constraint reactions. Isostatic and hyperstatic. Axial and tangential forces.

·       Mass and area geometry.

·       Concepts of tensile / compressive, bending, torsion and shear stresses. The stress tensor. Principal and ideal stresses.

·       Bending beams, methods for determining stresses and displacements. Principle of virtual works and singularity functions.

·       Euler's critical load.

·       Fatigue of materials.

·       Thermal stresses. Viscoelasticity. Creep and relaxation.

·       Introduction to fracture mechanics.

·       Axles and transmission shafts.

       Welding

·       Fundamental of lubrication.

Module B

·       Pressure vessels (Towler & Sinnott)

·       Heat-transfer equipment (Towler & Sinnott, teacher notes)

·       Piping systems (Towler & Sinnott, teacher notes)

·       Approaches to materials selection (Ashby, teacher notes)

·       Life cycle design and environmental sustainability (Giudice et al., teacher notes) 

Module A

• Ferdinand Beer, Jr. Johnston, E. Russell, John DeWolf, David Mazurek, Mechanics of Materials, McGraw-Hill (approfondimento)
• Richard G. Budynas, Shigley's mechanical engineering design, McGraw-Hill Education (riferimento)

Module B

• G. Towler, R. Synnott, Chemical Engineering Design: Principles, Practice and Economics of Plant and Process Design,,Butterworth-Heinemann, 2013
• M.F. Ashby, Materials Selection in Mechanical Design, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2015

A test  for each module of the course

Open-ended and multiple-choice questions

For those who do not do the tests on the road, the oral examination on the contents of the course and the project performed is provided

The assessment consists of a final oral exam covering the content of both teaching modules. Assessment criteria include: the relevance of answers to the questions asked; the quality of their content; the ability to draw connections with other topics within the course program; the ability to provide examples; the quality of technical terminology; and the student's overall expressive ability.

Intermediate assessments, in the form of tests and project work, will be proposed during the course, covering topics from both teaching modules; the specific details for these assessments will be agreed upon with the lecturer for each respective module

•  

  ·       Determination of constraint reactions and of internal forces and moments

  • Determination of stress and strain status
  • Design of transmission shafts
  • Fatigue of materials
  • State of stress in thin-walled vessels
  • Design of thin-walled vessels
  • Types of heat-transfer equipment
  • Criteria for materials selection