EQUIPMENT DESIGN FOR CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Knowledge and understanding

Preliminary information and basic techniques will be 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.

Subsequently, the concepts and tools for the design of key system components (pressure vessels, piping, heat exchangers), as well as approaches for optimal material selection, and for life cycle design and environmental sustainability, will be developed.

Applying knowledge and understanding

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).

Attendance is mandatory. Lessons will take place three times a week in the first semester of the second year.

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.
• Fundamental of lubrication.
• Welding.

Module B

• Pressure vessels.
• Heat-transfer equipment.
• Piping systems.
• Approaches to materials selection.
• Life cycle design and environmental sustainability.

Module A

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

 Module B

1. G. Towler, R. Sinnott, Chemical Engineering Design: Principles, Practice and Economics of Plant and Process Design, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2013 (testo di riferimento)
2. M.F. Ashby, Materials Selection in Mechanical Design, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2015 (testo di approfondimento)
3. F. Giudice, G. La Rosa, A. Risitano, Product Design for the Environment: A Life Cycle Approach, CRC/Taylor & Francis, 2006 (testo di approfondimento)

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.

Learning assessment may also be carried out online, should the conditions require it.

• 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
• Types of heat-transfer equipment
• Criteria for materials selection