117 Engineering Building
Telephone: 256.824.6810
Email: yu.lei@uah.edu
http://www.uah.edu/eng/departments/cme
Department Chair: Yu Lei, PhD
Chemical Engineering Program
Chemical engineering deals with any situation in which changes in the chemical composition or the physical state of matter (or both) are involved and, hence, finds unusually wide application. Heat and mass transfer, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, chemical reaction kinetics, and process control constitute the heart of chemical engineering. Chemical engineers work in many diverse fields ranging from the production of many basic chemical products required by today's industrial society to research on major technical and social problems, including energy resources development, space applications, pollution control, and biotechnology.
Students pursuing a UAH Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree may choose one of two concentrations:
- Biotechnology
- Materials
Program Educational Objectives
The program's educational objectives (PEOS) are designed to prepare graduates to be successful in their professional careers and for them to have the skills needed to contribute to the economic advancement of their firms, their local region, the state, and the nation. The PEOS are:
- Graduates can engage in critical thinking for process design and innovation using core competencies in chemical engineering to advance in successful career paths.
- Graduates can evaluate economic impacts while respecting civic, ethical, environmental, safety, and regulatory issues for the stewardship, sustainability, and betterment of mankind.
- Graduates are committed to continuous improvement, life-long learning, and integrity in fulfilling private or public roles that require communication, peer mentorship, and team leadership.
CHE 201 - INTRO CHEMICAL ENGR PROCESS
Semester Hours: 2
Chemical engineers' impact on today's societal issues, team problem solving, communication skills, and the introduction of chemical process flow sheets. Analytical methods for solving problems related to chemical process measurements, properties of single compounds, properties of mixtures, stoichiometry. Application of the principle of conservation of mass in the analysis of steady-state non-reacting chemical processes.
Prerequisites with concurrency: EGR 101, CH 123 and CH 126.
CHE 244 - INTRO TO CHEM ENGRG SYSTEMS
Semester Hours: 3
Chemical engineers' impact on today's societal isssues, team problem solving, communication skills, and the introduction of chemical process flow sheets. Application of the principle of conservation of mass and energy in the analysis of steady-state chemical processes. Topics in physical, chemical, and thermal property estimation.
Prerequisites: PH 111, CH 123, CHE 201
Prerequisite with concurrency: MA 201.
CHE 294 - NATURE & PROPERTIES OF MATLS
Semester Hours: 3
Introduction to the fundamental nature and properties of materials including bonding, composition, and phase diagrams. Composite materials and aspects of materials processing, including diffusion, nucleation, and transformation diagrams, will be presented.
Prerequisites: CH 123 and PH 111.
CHE 295 - NATURE & PROPERTIES MATLS LAB
Semester Hour: 1
Experiments include characterizing material structures, testing mechanical properties and mapping phase diagram boundaries. Emphasis on numerical and statistical analysis of the data. Written reports are required, and elements of materials design are presented.
Corequisite: CHE 294.
CHE 342 - TRANSPORT PHENOMENA
Semester Hours: 3
Fundamental aspects of heat and mass transfer and the use of these basic principles in solving problems in transport operations. Heat transfer with phase change. Diffusive and convective mass transfer with applications.
Prerequisites: CH 351, CHE 244
Prerequisites with concurrency: MAE 310.
CHE 344 - CHEM ENGR THERMODYNAMICS
Semester Hours: 3
Thermodynamics of phase equilibria, chemical reactions and thermodynamic analysis of chemical processes, with emphasis on topics of special interest to chemical engineers.
Prerequisites: CHE 244 and CH 351.
CHE 347 - QUANTITATIVE MODELING FOR CHE
Semester Hours: 3
Modeling and analysis of physical phenomena that arise in chemical engineering and an introduction to computer-aided design.
Prerequisites: CHE 244, and MA 238.
CHE 359 - INDEPENDENT STUDIES IN CHE
Semester Hours: 1-3
Independent studies or research on a topic that requires the application of basic principles in chemical engineering. A written report, analytical or experimental analysis, and oral presentation will be required.
Prerequisites: CHE 244 and CHE 294.
CHE 439 - UNIT OPERATIONS I
Semester Hours: 2
Experimental studies cover fluid mechanics and heat transfer in unit operations. Theoretical classes provide an introduction to engineering economy as well as standard laboratory practice, probability and statistical data analysis. Emphasis placed on written and oral laboratory report presentation techniques.
Prerequisites: CHE 295
Prerequisite with concurrency: CHE 441.
CHE 440 - UNIT OPERATIONS II
Semester Hours: 2
Experimental studies covering reaction kinetics, mass separation, biotechnology, and special material properties. Applications of laboratory practices, probability and statistical data analysis, and ethics in professional practice. Emphasis placed on technical communications.
Prerequisites: CHE 439, CHE 441
Prerequisite with concurrency: CHE 443.
CHE 441 - CHEM KINETICS & REACTOR DESIGN
Semester Hours: 3
Fundamental principles of chemical kinetics and chemical reactor engineering along with the design of both thermal and catalytic reactors. (Same as CHE 541)
Prerequisites: CHE 344 and CHE 347.
CHE 443 - TRANSPORT PROCESSES
Semester Hours: 3
Applications of heat and mass transfer phenomena. Fins and heat exchangers, single-stage separation (vapor-liquid, liquid-liquid, gas/liquid-solid) and cascade separation (extraction, absorption/stripping, distillation, membranes).
Prerequisites: CHE 342, CHE 344, CHE 347 and MAE 310.
CHE 445 - CHEMICAL PROCESS CONTROL
Semester Hours: 3
Fundamental principles of chemical process control; control system design for chemical processes.
Prerequisite: CHE 441 and CHE 446.
CHE 446 - ANAL & DESIGN TRANSPORT EQUIP
Semester Hours: 3
Theory of transport phenomena from a unified approach to momentum, heat and mass transfer. Application of theory to the design of various transport equipment.
Prerequisites: CHE 342
Prerequisite with concurrency: CHE 443.
CHE 448 - CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN
Semester Hours: 3
Capstone design course. Design of chemical engineering components, concluding with an overall team design effort using modern CAD techniques includes preliminary design, simulation, and economic evaluation of a chemical production flow sheet, and a study of ethical issues.
Prerequisites: CHE 399, CHE 441, CHE 443, CHE 446 and CHE 445 with concurrency.
CHE 459 - ADVD INDEPENDENT STUD CHE
Semester Hours: 1-3
Independent studies or research on a topic that requires a solid background in the foundations of chemical engineering. A written report, analytical or experimental analysis, and oral presentation will be required.
Prerequisites: CHE 347 and either CH 363 or CH 440 concurrently.
CHE 460 - INTRO TO BIOPROCESS ENGRG
Semester Hours: 3
Application of engineering principles to analysis of and development and design of processes using biological catalysts including enzymes, plant and animal cells, and genetically engineered cells. Other topics include fermentation and biological mass transport processes. (Same as CHE 560).
Prerequisite: CH 361.
CHE 461 - BIOSEPARATIONS
Semester Hours: 3
Characteristics of separation processes used in biotechnology industries including removal of insolubles, isolation and purification of thermally sensitive products, and preparation for customer use. Applications for biological separations, recombinant DNA techniques, and protein engineering. (Same as CHE 561).
Prerequisite: CHE 460.
CHE 485 - PROCESS SAFETY & TOXICOLOGY
Semester Hours: 3
Fundamentals of process safety and aspects of toxicology. Requires the application of chemical engineering concepts to review and analyze case studies to learn from industrial accidents. Introduces regulatory and design concepts.
Prerequisite: CHE 441, CHE 443 adn CHE 446.
CHE 494 - APPLIED MATERIALS ENGINEERING
Semester Hours: 3
Synthesis and processing methods of materials. Selection and use of materials performance factors for design of structural and functional components. Use of computational methods in solving open-ended design problems using nature and properties of materials will be emphasized. (Same as CHE 594)
Prerequisites: CHE 294 and CHE 344.
Lei, Yu, Associate Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, 2013, PhD, U of Illinois at Chicago.
Puleo, David, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, 2022, PhD, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Roh, Kyung-Ho, Associate Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, 2016, PhD, University of Michigan.
Samantaray, Paresh, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, 2023, PhD, The Indian Institute of Science.
Subramanian, Anu, Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, 2018, PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Torres-Diaz, Isaac, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, 2019, PhD, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.
Truszkowska, Agnieszka, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, 2022, PhD, Oregon State University.
Weimer, Jeffrey, Associate Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, 1990, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.