(550f) A Demonstration Kit for First-Order Processes and Compartmental Models

First order processes are integral to the chemical engineering curriculum from Fick’s law to reactor design to pharmacokinetic modeling. Calculations involving these processes often involve differential equations, the solutions of which are sometimes difficult for students to visualize and conceptualize in real time. Here I present a demonstration that uses water, a pump, and dye to simulate first-order processes such as filling a tank, a continuously-stirred tank reactor, a one- or two-compartment pharmacokinetic model, equilibrium reactions, and more. The entire apparatus can be assembled for under $100 and used in courses across the chemical engineering curriculum as a five to ten minute in-class demonstration.